Under-18s Report | Argyle 2 Portsmouth 0

Argyle Under-18s made it four wins from four in the Youth Alliance League with a 2-0 win over Portsmouth on Saturday.

Cole Gibbings opened the scoring three minutes into the second half with a point-blank header from a corner. Freddie Issaka sealed the victory, scoring an excellent solo goal in the 63rd minute.

Portsmouth went down to ten men when their central defender was left with no-choice but to bring Fin Wilkes down when he was slipped through on goal by Issaka midway through the first half.

The game started slowly with both teams reluctant to push bodies forward, sensing the other’s threat on the break.

It was clear Argyle were looking to cause problems down the left through Issaka who frequently ran at his man causing no end of problems.

This nearly led to the opening goal when Issaka put the ball through his defenders’ legs and linked up well with Henry Donovan who laid the ball back to him before he was crucially tackled at the last moment by the Portsmouth rearguard.

The biggest moment in the first half came in the 21st minute when Wilkes found himself one on one after some neat footwork from Issaka. With Wilkes about to take aim Portsmouth’s centre-half brought him down just outside the box, forcing the referee to show him the red card.

With the visitors down to ten, the Young Pilgrims grew into the game and began to take control by dominating the possession and dictating the tempo.

The pressure grew until eventually Argyle thought they had taken the lead when Josh Bernard found space on the left wing and chipped a cross into the edge of the six-yard box which was met by Donovan. His header looped over the outstretched Portsmouth goalkeeper but unfortunately crashed off the post, meaning the game remained goalless at half-time.

Just minutes into the second-half, the Greens took the lead through centre-back Gibbings. An excellent delivery from the right was matched with some excellent movement from Gibbings, resulting in him evading his marker and the ball crashing into the back of the net from a close-range header.

The goal was only what Argyle deserved after their spell of pressure at the end of the first period.

The visitors fought back and probably thought they had found an equaliser when their striker received the ball unmarked in the penalty area. However, goalkeeper Dan Holman was on hand to tip the ball around his left-hand post with an excellent save using his feet.

Just as the game was becoming scrappier and more end-to-end, a moment of magic from the sensational Issaka put the Greens 2-0 up.

Issaka beat his man with some breathtaking footwork before seemingly effortlessly curling the ball around the goalkeeper from the tightest of angles.

This goal encapsulated the talent young Issaka has and just why the Green Army are so excited about him.

It could have been three just minutes later, when Caleb Roberts attacked down the right similarly to how Issaka did for his goal. However, Roberts’ effort rattled the near post as he tried to catch the Portsmouth keeper out with a smart finish.

Holman’s impact on the game should not go unnoticed, with the goalkeeper alert to everything and playing like an excellent sweeper-keeper.

The Young Pilgrims nearly made it 3-0 in second-half stoppage time when substitute Kieran Edworthy met Harry Shield’s pinpoint cross and headed against the post.

The win extends Argyle’s winning run to four wins from four games in the league, and six out of six in all competitions.  

The attention now turns to next weekend’s Youth Alliance League fixture away at Bristol Rovers where the team will look to keep this excellent run going.

Argyle: Dan Holman, Lewis Colwell, Harry Shield, Caleb Roberts, Jack Matthews, Cole Gibbings, Fin Wilkes, Josh Bernard, Henry Donovan (Kieran Edworthy 71), Tegan Finn, Freddie Issaka. Substitutes not used: Jack Flower, Joel Sullivan, Jensen Ireland, Sam Lord.