Argyle Under-18s were defeated 3-1 by Milton Keynes Dons in their opening fixture of the South Youth Alliance League season.
Having fallen two goals behind, Sam Lord scored Argyle’s only goal in the dying minutes, but it was not enough to force a comeback. The hosts scored their final goal with the last kick of the game to seal victory.
The Greens started the game on the front foot, and a high press gave Kian Burch several chances in front of goal to take the lead, but tight defending from MK Dons kept the game level.
The game soon became a back-and-forth affair, with spells of possession domination occurring for both teams, but the hosts took the lead in the 35th minute when Kobe Sinclair-Linton beat his defender to the ball from a corner and tapped in at the back post.
Argyle started the second half with the same intensity they started the game with, displaying energy and a press that handed them lots of opportunities to test the MK Dons keeper. However, the Dons defence held their line and cleared effectively, neutralising all attacking threats from the Greens.
The hosts doubled their lead on the hour mark. After winning the ball high in Argyle’s half, Joshua Clark Anderson fired a ball across the edge of the box to Simone Troso, who picked it up and curled it from left to right past Dan Holman in goal.
A cagey affair followed suit, with neither side being able to control the ball and create major chances but, in the 94th minute, Lord gave the Greens a glimmer of hope with his goal. Fletcher Poole's attempt hit the post and bounced back to Lord, who rifled into the roof of the net.
However, the hope was soon shattered when Corvell Pickering extended the Dons advantage back to two goals with the last kick of the game.
Head Coach Jamie Lowry said: “I’m disappointed. We had three chances that we didn't take. That gave MK Dons some confidence and they grew into the game.
“There is lots we can take away from it, to go again with and learn and develop from, but we do have a chance to go and put it right next Friday against Gillingham.”
