Under-18s v Swindon Town (H) | Preview

Argyle’s Under-18s go into a huge showdown this weekend, against Swindon Town, in which the fate of the Youth Alliance League South West will be decided.

Jamie Lowry’s Greens are top of the division, two points ahead of Swindon, in second. Both have one game to go, and that is against each other, this Saturday, at Millennium Fields in Plymouth (midday).

It means the mathematics are simple: win or draw, and Argyle finish the division in top spot. A Swindon victory, and it is the Robins who will head away as champions. The situation in front of Lowry and his team could not be clearer, and the manager says his intention is to play the game their way, and win it in style.

“We’re going to go out on the front foot and we’ll try to win the game,” said Lowry. “It’s in our hands; it's our opportunity to get the result that we need to.

“We've worked really hard all season for this moment, and it's time to step up and be counted. 

“There's lots of excitement in there, to have the opportunity, to do what we need to, and for the boys to step up, and say: ‘This is why I play football, this is why I've worked hard all the way through the Academy, and got to where I've got to, to experience these moments, and take these opportunities.’”

Managed by Sean Wood, who took over with the Robins’ Under-18s in the close season, Swindon are clearly a side in form. They have won their last seven games.

That said, when the sides met previously in the league, in January, Argyle won 3-1, with goals from Joe Hatch, Josh Bernard and Tegan Finn.

The following week, Swindon went out and beat Manchester United in the FA Youth Cup. They are still in the competition, having also beaten Sunderland to reach the quarter-finals.

“They've got a lot of good players,” said Lowry. “They're a really good side; well organised. Their coach has kind of come in new this year, similar to me, and really galvanised them.

“They have had a fantastic FA Youth Cup run, and they've got a real togetherness and real identity of how they play. It'll be a really good test.

“[Having a big game like this] is exactly what we wanted. We talk a lot about the league, about the boys’ experiences in terms of their development, their growing up.

“This is what you want. You want to come up against the best teams and the best players to go toe-to-toe, and really show how good we are against some really top teams like they are.

“It'd be fantastic for the boys. It would be a massive reward for all their hard work.

“I was fortunate enough to win the Youth Alliance when I was an apprentice. (Goalkeeping coach) Rhys [Wilmot] has won it. Bradders (under-16s manager James Bradley) has won it.  A lot of the staff have, and we always talk about it. It's all still fresh in our memory and we really value it.

“It is a big thing. If it happens, the lads will take away that experience and those memories for life.

“It is also important for the club to show we're going in the right direction. The club's massive in terms of the Academy and how it values it. It’s an opportunity for us to really show that we are going places, trying to be the top academy in the South West.”