Under-18s v Sutton (H) | Preview

Nine days after exiting the FA Youth Cup with a valiant losing effort against Crystal Palace, Argyle’s Under-18s are in cup action again this weekend.

Jamie Lowry’s charges take on Sutton United at Millennium Fields this Saturday morning, in the area semi-final of the Youth Alliance Cup, meaning the young Pilgrims are two games away from a final.

Lowry says that the loss to Premer League Palace has been learned from, and the focus is on progression in a different competition.

He said: “The boys were down for a couple of days, and needed a bit of picking up. As you can imagine, they were feeling a little bit sorry for themselves, about what might have been.

“We had some reflection on the game on the Friday, trained Saturday and then drew a line under it. It’s out of our system.  

“The boys have reacted well. It’s an important game on Saturday, our focus is on that, because we want success in another cup.

“You want to go on, be successful and encounter bigger games. We are two games away from a national final, which would be played at a league stadium. That’s another incentive; the boys really enjoyed the experience of Home Park and the FA Youth Cup.”

In the men’s Emirates FA Cup, Argyle have drawn Sutton United, to be played in January, and the Under-18s could strike a blow in a forerunner of sorts.

Sutton are fourth in the South East division of the Youth Alliance league, with six wins, two draws and two defeats from their 10 league games. They have beaten Stevenage and Exeter to reach this stage, and are unbeaten in seven games, winning five. Each of those wins has come by one goal.

“Sutton are very good at what they do,” said Jamie. “They are quite a direct side, but they know what their strengths are. They are organised, compact and don’t concede many goals. Their games are usually quite tight.

“Our boys have done their homework, and now have a good understanding of Sutton are about, their strengths and weaknesses, and how we can exploit them.”