Lowry previews Bristol Rovers cup tie
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.”
