Plymouth Argyle U18 vs Bristol Rovers U18

Argyle Under-18s are back in EFL Youth Alliance Cup action this Saturday when they host Bristol Rovers at Millennium Fields (11am).

Head Coach Jamie Lowry is excited for the Cup challenge and is hopeful a victory against Bromley, in the South Youth Alliance League last time out, will help put his side in good stead before kick-off on the weekend.

“I’m really looking forward to it,” Lowry told Argyle TV. “We’re excited to get back in action, especially in the cup. We had a good victory against Exeter in the last group game and are looking to build some momentum on the victory against Bromley in the previous week as well. The challenge for the lads is to go and win back-to-back games.

“Claiming another win in the cup is important, especially after winning our first game and playing this one at home. Having another victory like the one against Exeter will put us in a strong position heading into the remaining games in both league and cup play.

“The challenge has been to build that momentum now. Can we go back-to-back which we haven’t been able to do this season so far? It's important to get that ball rolling and build the confidence up to where the lads can start getting their foot on the pedal, progressing this season and get back to where we would like to be.”

Despite having a 10-day break between games, the upcoming weeks hold a heavy schedule for Lowry’s side. A tough run of double-game weeks will prove to be tough on any player at any level, and with a few injuries and knocks, Lowry admits that sharing the workload amongst multiple players will be tough. However, it will also give some people an opportunity to gain playing time.

He said: “We've got a couple of nicks at the moment, impact injuries from tackles or contact, so we’re probably not in that fortunate position where we’re able to rotate lots of lads around. It’s good in terms of some of the boys getting consistent minutes and for the lads that are close to it, there's the opportunity to get fit and push for a starting place when they come back in the next couple of weeks.

“The boys have been good this week. They've had the weekend to go back to their families and have a bit of downtime. They've recharged the batteries and had a good week.

“Confidence is high after the victory against Bromley. We've got quite a compact games programme coming in, so it's something we need to build on and use that confidence from the last game for this weekend.”

Joe Hatch’s heroics in front of goal comfortably handed Argyle Under-18s three points on Saturday, as the forward scored all five of the Greens’ goals in a 5-0 victory over Bristol Rovers in the Youth Alliance Cup.

The win at Millennium Fields pushes Argyle to the top of Group 6, sitting ahead of Newport County on goal difference after their opening two games.

Both defences were on top form until the 25th minute, blocking shots and winning tackles, until a deflected effort fell perfectly to the feet of Hatch, who tapped home comfortably to give Argyle the lead.

A quarter-of-an-hour later, the advantage was doubled. Hatch found himself in the perfect position once again to slot home his and Argyle’s second of the game, after Kian Burch’s cross was spilt by Bishop in the six-yard-box.

After a close curling attempt from Fletcher Poole, Hatch immediately continued his attacking efforts and nearly claimed his hat-trick with another header, which ran just wide of the Rovers’ goalpost.

Soon enough, the match ball was heading to the Welsh forward, as he completed his hat-trick, slotting home Cole Fisher’s pass across goal.

Only a minute later, the Greens were awarded a penalty and Hatch, naturally, stepped up, converted and extended Argyle’s lead to four after the hour mark.

In the closing minutes, four turned into five. A free kick on the edge of the visitors’ box was clipped into the area into the path of the oncoming Hatch, who flicked home past the diving Bishop.

Head Coach Jamie Lowry was delighted with his team’s performance and their achievement of back-to-back wins for the first time this season.

“I’m obviously really pleased,” Lowry said. “It’s a fantastic result and pleasing performance. The boys were outstanding. Out of possession they pressed, worked hard, and were ruthless in front of goal.

“I’m delighted that Joe scored five goals in one game. It’s a pretty amazing thing to happen.

“I said in the interview before the match that we wanted to go back-to-back with victories, and we’ve done that. We’ve hopefully gained confidence from the game moving forward into a busy week."

Argyle Under-18s face AFC Wimbledon away from home next Saturday, 21 September in league action, after an Under-17s Floodlit Cup tie during the week.

PLY Argyle

BRR Bristol Rovers