Swindon 0
Argyle 3
Whitmore 32, 45+2, Ireland 69
Argyle Women progressed to the third round of the Vitality Women’s FA Cup with a comfortable 3-0 victory against Swindon Town at the County Ground.
A brace from Charlotte Whitmore gave the Greens a first-half lead and although Swindon had a flurry of counter-attacking chances in the second half, the visiting Pilgrims stood firm and secured their victory through a Beth Ireland goal in the 69th minute.
Swindon’s defence was worked hard from the first whistle, as chances for Whitmore came very early on. Keeper Emily McGrogan had her work cut out for her on numerous occasions but kept the ball out of harm's way. It was not until the 29th minute that Argyle broke the deadlock through Whitmore’s offensive persistence.
The goal came from a sublime Imy Crawford through ball which, when received, was placed over the onrushing keeper who went to ground too early to attempt to collect the ball in the box. Whitmore’s second came after an excellent piece of build-up play from Kayley Lane and Katie Dickson, which once again played Whitmore through the defensive line and with some fabulous footwork she side-stepped her marker and slotted into the bottom corner.
Both sides battled for control of the match in the second half. Swindon started the half off with a series of counterattacks, whilst Argyle opted for a more possession-based approach. Swindon’s Helena Butcher-Diaz was at the heart of most of the home side's attacks, but the Argyle defence kept the explosive winger at bay.
Following this period of Swindon pressure, Argyle reasserted themselves into the match, dominating possession once again. It was not long after this that they netted their third thanks to a tidy finish from Ireland who converted a loose touch from Whitmore into the keeper’s near post with 20 minutes to go.
Argyle continued to look goalward following their third goal via a flurry of long-range efforts from Crawford and Rosie McDonnell. Crawford came the closest with a thundering shot that flew over the crossbar.
Time was running out for the Robins who, in the dying stages of the match, had their best chance in front of goal. A free kick from Victoria Taylor forced Argyle keeper Jasmine Read to act fast and clear the danger.
The third round now beckons for Ryan Perks’ team. Although fixtures are still regionalised, this now gives Argyle the potential to play championship teams who now enter at this stage of the tournament.
Argyle’s next match comes in a different cup competition, and will be away from home. It is in the FA Women's National League Cup, away to London Seaward on Sunday 4 December.
Argyle: 1 Jasmine Read, 3 Rosie Train, 23 Rosie McDonnell, 4 Panagiota Papaioannou, 17 Tiana Campbell (22 Anna Barnes), 18 Imy Crawford, 8 Kayley Lane (14 Sam Cox), 16 Georgia Wilson, 13 Katie Dickson, 20 Beth Ireland (6 Lucy Hack), 7 Charlotte Whitmore.
