Under-18s Report | Stevenage 0-0 Argyle
Argyle Under-18s claimed a well-earned point on the road against Stevenage on Wednesday in the EFL South Youth Alliance League.
The game at Stevenage FC Sports Hub ended goalless, but both sides did create chances in front of goal throughout the 90 minutes to try to claim victory.
Starting on the front foot, Argyle won a free-kick and a corner, but key defensive work from Boro halted any forward progress. Soon enough, the tie turned into a back-and-forth affair, with both sides continuously looking to get on the counter after a defensive stand.
The first major chance of the game came for the hosts in the 18th minute. Forward Frank Norris picked up the ball on the edge of the box and curled an effort towards the bottom corner of Dan Holman's goal, forcing the Argyle keeper into a diving save.
The Greens had crossing opportunities from corners, but Stevenage’s Rylee Mitchell used his tall frame to claim the ball on multiple occasions. Norris had another chance in front of goal but could not turn his effort on target, watching his shot slice over the bar and out for a goal kick.
Stevenage dominated the opening stages of the second half, punishing Argyle with a strong press, but the hosts could not turn sustained possession into celebratory moments.
Head Coach Jamie Lowry turned to his bench for the final 20 minutes of the game, with Frankie Maund and Joe Mwaro coming on to help the Greens over the line and claim an important point away from home.
Lowry said: “That’s a really good point for us today. Stevenage were a difficult team to play against. They were big, physical, and strong, and had a few older boys in their team. We started with two under-16s and finished with three on the pitch, so I’m really delighted with the battling performance.
“In the first half, we probably shaded it. We just lacked a little bit of quality in the final third to go and create any clear-cut chances, but we still played well. In the second half. We were probably a little bit loose with the ball, probably a bit of tiredness and the journey kicked in. They had a little bit more of the ball and we made it a bit more difficult for ourselves having to defend corners and set plays with the physicality of them.
“However, massive credit to the boys as they defended outstandingly by keeping a clean sheet. A strong point on the road against a very difficult Stevenage side, so I'm delighted and now we move on to Saturday. A bit of time for the boys to recharge Thursday and Friday, and then we go again on the weekend.”
The Greens look to extend their unbeaten run in the league to five games on Saturday when they face Swindon Town at Millenium Fields.
Argyle: 40 Dan Holman, 2 Lewis Flowers, 3 Harry Shield, 4 Harley Sneap, 5 Jensen Ireland, 6 Joel Sullivan (capt), 7 Sam Lord, 8 Billy Devlin, 9 Kian Burch (15 Frankie Maund, 70), 10 Seb Campbell (12 Joe Mwaro, 77), 11 Fletcher Poole. Unused subs: 14 Jared Rendle.
