YOUTH: Argyle 1 Forest Green Rovers 3
The young Pilgrims fell to a disappointing home defeat against Forest Green Rovers in their latest EFL Youth Alliance encounter.
Coach Darren Way was not a happy man after the final whistle: "[It was] the first performance of the season when we didn't really look ourselves and we didn't start the game well enough.
"We had two clear-cut chances to put us 2-0 up before they [Forest Green Rovers] went down the other end, and we find ourselves 1-0 down. I don't think we recovered from going behind quick enough and that made it hard for us."
Way is hopeful that the team can bounce back quickly ahead of the upcoming FA Youth Cup clash against Exeter City, with live streaming details to be announced in the coming days.
He said: "Overall, a disappointing result, but it means we have to make sure that we regroup and get back to the way we were playing as quick as possible.
"These things happen in football, especially as we have been performing so well, but that has built us a reputation, and that was spoilt by players not doing their jobs properly.
"Our reputation, especially with the amount of goals that we have scored, has gone ahead of us, which is why the opposition were really up for the fight. Defensively, we still have to make sure that we tighten up - as the amount we have conceded is far too many."
As Way explained in his post-match comments, the result could have been very different had Oscar Massey and Scott Crocker converted early one-on-one opportunities, and their failure to find the back of the net was punished as Rovers opened the scoring on 10 minutes.
It was 2-0 by the interval, and, when the Argyle defence did not handle a set-piece routine, leaving a Rovers striker to head home their third, the game drifted beyond the Pilgrims.
To the Greens’ credit, their heads did not drop and they pulled a goal back, five minutes from time, as Jeremiah Medine's right-wing free kick found Ali Mansaray coming in at the far post to head back across the Rovers goalkeeper and into the net.
Plymouth Argyle: Lewis Moyle, Oscar Rutherford, Finley Craske, Ethan Mitchell (Ali Mansaray 70), Brandon Pursall, Jeremiah Medine, Carlo Garside (Oscar Halls half-time), Charlie Miller (Jamal Salawu 70), Will Jenkins-Davies, Scott Crocker, Oscar Massey (Rhys Shirley half-time).