Lowry previews return to league action against Pompey
Argyle’s Under-18s have not played a Youth Alliance League game since 30 November but, on Saturday, they return to league action to face Portsmouth at Millennium Fields (midday).
The Greens faced off with Pompey away from home earlier this month in the EFL Youth Alliance Cup, losing 1-0, but did progress into the next stages of the competition due to other results falling Argyle’s way.
Head Coach Jamie Lowry is excited to face Portsmouth again and hopes his side can right their wrongs from two weeks prior in Hampshire, in what will be the final game before a Christmas break.
“We’re looking forward to it,” Lowry told Argyle TV. “We didn't have a game last weekend, so the boys had deserved time off after the Carlisle game [in the FA Youth Cup]. They’re raring to go and want to finish the calendar year strongly with a win, hopefully.
“We played against them a couple of weeks ago. They played in the FA Youth Cup on Monday against Leeds, did really well and were unlucky not to win, so it’s about us being on the front foot, passing when we need to, destroying the press when we need to and just managing the moments of the game at the right time.
“Hopefully the last result [against Portsmouth] will be on the lads’ minds because it was the result we didn't want. They should want to go and put that right. On the day, we had many opportunities and probably should have won the game if we're being fair, but we want to put that right and be a bit more clinical and ruthless in the final third.”
After a slow start to the season, Lowry’s side picked up momentum, and hope to continue their unbeaten league run into the New Year with a strong result on Saturday. Lowry credits the group’s commitment and togetherness as a key factor of success through the opening half of the season.
He said: “We started a little bit slow, but I'll take a bit of responsibility for that. Maybe I tried to change things too much, and we had a couple of lads missing which didn't help, but the group's grown together. We’ve found our feet in terms of our strengths and how we can utilise them. The boys have been fantastic, to be honest.
“We’ve got our unbeaten run, but they work so hard in training and they’re just a real honest, hardworking group. They keep growing stronger and stronger. The Carlisle trip summed it up for me in terms of how together they were, and their fitness, their intensity. I think that sums up our first half of the season. That whole result at Brunton Park, the game and the celebrations showed our togetherness, and is a good way to recognise and look at our first half of the season.”