Argyle Under-18s suffered a heartbreaking 2-1 loss to Gillingham in the South Youth Alliance League on Friday at Millennium Fields.
The visiting side's winner came from Cruz Beszant’s volley in the final moments of the game. The midfielder got the shot away, miraculously missing all the bodies in the box and leaving Dan Holman unsighted on its way into the back of the net.
For the opening 20 minutes of the game, neither side could control the ball for long spells, but Argyle pressed forward and were on the front foot early.
However, this pressure was lifted in the 22nd minute, when Gillingham’s Jimmy Heasman found space down the right and lifted a ball into the middle of the area, which was met by Louie Dayal and headed home.
A chippy affair ensued for the rest of the first half, with penalty shouts for both sides being the key chances before the half-time whistle.
Whatever Jamie Lowry’s half-time team-talk consisted of seemed to work magic, as Argyle kicked on and looked like a completely new side in the opening stages of the second half. Shifting the ball from right to left, the Greens stretched the visitors' defence, and a whipped ball into the box was headed past Carter Sullivan by Joe Hatch, handing Argyle a much-needed equaliser.
Soon, the cagey battle from earlier in the game reappeared. Gillingham kicked on in the final 10 minutes and had the ball in the back on Argyle’s net from a free kick, but the linesman raised his flag and ruled it out for offside.
In the dying minutes, the Argyle defence tried to hold on, but Beszant’s volley left the away side running jubilantly around the pitch having claimed three points.
Under-18’s Head Coach Jamie Lowry said: “Performance-wise, again, we started well. In the first 20/30 minutes, we had some opportunities, put them on the back foot and they went down, got into our box, had one shot in the first half, and scored. We then had a mountain to climb again.
“We just weren't brave enough to pass the ball and if we're not passing the ball, then we've got no kind of structure. That's our strength. If we don't pass the ball, we've got no threat.
“We did play better second half, and looked a bit more of a threat, but again, moments at the end of the game, [we] don't stop the cross, don't get a big enough clearance and don't do enough to block the goal.
“Next weekend is a good opportunity for us to go back and maybe do a little bit more of the basics that we need to do. A little more reflection on how we can defend and manage the moments and the game better.
“It's a great opportunity again to go and put things right. We've played okay performance-wise over the last two games, but we've not done enough to win football games.”
Next weekend plays host to the Devon Derby, with Argyle travelling up the A38 to face Exeter City in the opening round of the EFL Youth Alliance Cup.
