Exeter City U18 vs Plymouth Argyle U18

Sat 24th Aug

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EXE Exeter

PLY Argyle

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Argyle Under-18s Head Coach Jamie Lowry is feeling positive about his side as they head into Saturday’s Devon Derby against Exeter City.

Lowry’s side lost their first two games of the season, the second of which to a late goal against Gillingham last weekend. Jamie says he has seen good reactions from his team before, and is expecting to see one again, as the Greens meet the Grecians at Tiverton Town’s ground, on Saturday morning.

“They're a very technical side, so we'll have to be good in possession,” Lowry told Argyle TV. “When we get the ball in possession, we'll have to keep it for long periods to really work them.

“The reaction I got from the start of the second half [against Gillingham] was pleasing. Then again, it's those moments towards the end of the game which let us down and we slightly lost our way in the last five to ten minutes.

“I’m feeling positive. It's about obviously reacting and going again. We've reviewed the game and looked at the positives and negatives to go on and improve.”

The Greens may have lost their opening first two games of their South Youth Alliance league season, but Lowry hopes for a strong result after a strong week of preparation.

“The boys have had a good week,” Lowry said. “It's all about how we respond from the weekend. They're up for it. They should be with it being a Devon Derby, against our neighbours up the road. They're up for it like they are with every game to be fair.

“Hopefully, we’re at that learning stage and have picked up from the last couple of games where we've had little moments that have cost us the result. I hope we've learnt from those mistakes to improve.

“I've seen lots of positives in the games. In both games, we've probably been the better team, but had little moments that have cost us the result. We need to be more ruthless in the attacking third, and in keeping the ball out of the back of our net, or our box.

“There's plenty to improve and work on with our performance.”

In last week’s heartbreaking 2-1 loss to Gillingham, one positive came via the man leading the line: Joe Hatch. The forward had struggled with an injury, which left him out of pre-season action. In his first start of the season, he scored Argyle’s only goal against the Gills, which Lowry is happy with.

Jamie said: “Joe had a hamstring injury at the very end of last season, so missed pre-season in terms of being with the team. It's just been a gradual return to play with his minutes.

“The reason he was on the bench at MK Dons was just because he wasn't ready to play a full game. He started against Gillingham, and it’s great for him to get his goal, it’ll boost his confidence, and he will get sharper as he gets more minutes.”

Argyle Under-18s secured their first win of the season in style on Saturday, beating Devon rivals Exeter City 3-1 in the opening round of the EFL Youth Alliance Cup.

Goals from Kian Burch, Harry Shields and Fletcher Poole in the second half were enough to turn the tie in Argyle’s favour, after the Greens had gone behind in the game.

Despite heading into half-time level, Argyle’s change in formation and high press worked positively when creating chances in front of goal.

Exeter’s Dan Shanahan had a lot to do in front of his goal in the first half, as the pressure kept building and building on the Grecians' back line the more they lost the ball. Shanahan could not stop a chipped effort from Shields midway through the first half, but the linesman ruled the winger was offside and no goal was awarded.

Immediately after the half-time restart, Exeter were awarded a penalty, which Theo Cutler converted past Dan Holman to hand the hosts the lead, whilst Argyle captain Joel Sullivan was shown a yellow card for protesting the decision.

Just after the hour mark, Argyle drew level through Burch. The forward timed his run to perfection and was able to connect with a pass across goal and tap home.

Just under 10 minutes later, a roar from the Argyle players was heard again, as Shields beat Shanahan in Exeter’s goal to hand the Greens the advantage. Oscar Dean won the ball in the middle of the pitch, spreading it wide left to a darting Shields, who continued forward and slotted home.

In the final minutes of the game, Exeter found some momentum and looked to cause problems, but diving bodies and challenges from the whole Argyle side helped hold the lead. In the second minute of additional time, Poole scored Argyle's third to secure a win in Tiverton.

Argyle under-18s Head Coach Jamie Lowry said: “It’s a much better feeling, and much better performance as well obviously. The boys were really good.

“For me, the first 10-15 minutes, we just had to get that press right and settle into it, and then after that, we got to grips with the game and pressed well and managed to control the ball.

“It’s nice that the boys shared the goals around and got goals from different positions, which is important for us and the lads moving forward.

“I think we were fantastic at creating chances today. It could have been a lot more. I think they defended well, had maybe two or three clearances off the line and got some blocks in.

“I thought we were absolutely fantastic, in terms of our attacking play and then being a real threat in possession. Overall, really pleasing and a big tick in terms of what we're looking for this season.”