Schumacher delighted with Argyle youngsters
Jenkins-Davies and Halls both on target as Pilgrims stand on brink of Trophy progress
STEVEN Schumacher thought it was ‘brilliant’ for Plymouth Argyle 17-year-olds Will JenkinsDavies and Oscar Halls to both get the first senior goals of their careers in the 3-1 Papa Johns Trophy away win against Swindon Town.
The pair were among five teenagers who played for the Pilgrims at the County Ground.
Jack Endacott and Brandon Pursall also started the second of Argyle’s three Southern Group E games while Freddie Issaka played as a substitute in the closing stages.
Attacking midfielder JenkinsDavies opened the scoring in the 28th minute while Halls, usually a centre half but playing at right wingback, extended the visitors’ lead only a short time later when he headed home an excellent Endacott cross.
Schumacher said: “It was brilliant for them and brilliant for their parents. We will always try and give the young boys an opportunity when they deserve it and then it’s up to them to go and grasp it, and thankfully they did.
“I’m made up for Will for his goal. We played an in-house game recently and he scored one very similar to that.
“And then for one wing-back to cross it to another wing-back, who has never played wing-back before, to score was brilliant.
“It does mean something to them. They are made up that their mates are stepping into the first team, into the big lights, and producing by doing well.”
While four of Argyle’s starting lineup against Swindon were aged 18 or under, there was good experience in the side too, provided by James Wilson, Brendan Galloway, Jordan
Houghton, Danny Mayor and Sam Cosgrove.
Ryan Hardie also came off the bench in the second half and put the Pilgrims 3-0 up in the 88th minute before Rushian Hepburn-Murphy replied for Swindon in added-on time.
Schumacher continued: “It’s important that you do give your young players opportunities, but it’s also important that you stick in a good mix of experience in and around them to help them through.
“If you just throw them all in at once it can be hard and you won’t see the best of them. I thought the ones who played (against Swindon) did great.”
For Halls it was just his second first team appearance after making his debut in the previous Papa Johns Trophy tie, the 1-1 draw with Bristol
Rovers at Home Park last month.
Schumacher said: “He usually plays as a centre-back for Darren (Way, Argyle’s under-18s head coach), but he’s a bright lad, I think he gets it.
“We gave him the information that when the full-back got the ball to go and try to put him under pressure. He is really good at attacking the ball.
“Even though he’s not the tallest of centrebacks he attacks it really well and his timing is great. Before he went out, Hughesy (Mark Hughes, assistant manager) said to him ‘Try and get in on the back post and score’.
“That’s part of the role to play wing-back. He has never done it before - I spoke to him (on Monday) and asked if he would be okay with it and he went ‘Yeah, no worries’.
“I told him we would try and talk him through the game, knowing we were going to have James Wilson behind him, showing him where he needed to be. I’m made up for him.”
For Jenkins-Davies, who is 18 next month, it was seventh first team appearance for Argyle, with six of them coming in the Papa Johns Trophy.
Schumacher said: “He has got goals in him and that’s what all of our number eights and 10s have got to be doing from midfield.
“They have got to be contribute to goals and assists. He’s a technically very good player. He has got good energy, still needs to get physically a bit stronger for us if he’s going to play regular.
“He has got a chance. He’s doing well and is one for the future,” added the Pilgrims’ boss about the Wales youth international.
Pursall, who had a one-month loan spell with
Plymouth Parkway at the start of this season, played in the centre of Argyle’s defensive trio against Swindon, with Wilson and Brendan Galloway either side of him.
The 18-year-old played for 71 minutes before being substituted as Schumacher changed to a flat back four with two holding midfielders in front of them.
Schumacher said: “I thought he (Pursall) did okay, especially first half. He handled the big lad down the middle well when it was one-vone.
“It was different when they changed shape in the second half. They had two wide and one really dropping deep. As a middle centre-back that’s a big decision, do you step in there or not?
“That was a little bit of a challenge so we changed our shape and matched them up, and we settled down. I thought Swindon were really good actually, they had some good footballers and their movement was excellent.”
Left wing-back Endacott has now made two starts in the Papa Johns Trophy and one in the Carabao Cup this season and has shown a lot of promise.
Schumacher said: “He has got great energy and great quality. The cross for the goal (for Halls) was brilliant. He has got that where he’s running at full speed and can cross it on the move.
“They are few ands far between those type of players. Again, he has got loads to learn but the longer he trains with us and the more he plays like that then he will only get better and improve.”
Issaka joined Hardie up front in the closing stages and he was able to hold off Swindon defender Tom Clayton before his strike partner raced clear to get Argyle’s third goal.