The finale of the 2023/24 FA Women’s National League season comes to Coach Road, Newton Abbot this weekend, where Argyle face visitors MK Dons in a match that, should Argyle win, could see the Greens finish eighth in the league.
Ahead of this Sunday’s fixture, manager Ryan Perks took time to reflect on his fourth season at the club, as well as the progress the team has made this year.
“I think we’ve done really well this season,” said Perks. “We had a slow start but built momentum and progressed as a group. Our objective was to stay in the league, and we achieved that a lot quicker than any of my previous years in charge.
“We’ve had limited resources in a league that continues to get more competitive each year, so it’s a credit to the players who, through their hard work on the pitch, have put us in this position.”
Argyle are looking to end the season on a high once again, a year on from last year’s dramatic match at Manadon Sports Hub, where they triumphed 3-0 over MK to confirm safety in the league.
“MK have had another fantastic season and they’ve got quality all over the pitch,” said Perks. “Our final fixture last year was against MK and, on a day that was crucial to our safety, we came away with a great performance that meant our survival in tier three for another year.
“This year we’ve developed and improved; we showcased that back in February when we came from behind twice to ultimately win the match.
“MK won’t want to end this season on a defeat and, following the last two games against us, they will probably be looking for revenge. I expect it will be a competitive match this weekend, but if we dominate the game as well as we did earlier this year, and play as well as we know we can, I think we come away with one final win and hopefully move a place up the table as well.”
Sunday’s match will see experienced midfielder Jemma Rose play her final game for Argyle after confirming her retirement earlier in the week. Announcing her decision to step away from football on Argyle TV, Jemma said: “Sunday will be a pretty emotional day for me, but it will be one I’ll remember forever.
“I made the decision earlier this year to step away from football to support my wife Ellen with our family, as well as focus on my teaching and coaching career. It wasn’t an easy decision, as playing football has been my life up until now, and I’m sure this Sunday I’ll shed a few tears, but I look forward to this weekend and hopefully I can end my career with a win in front of our fans and my family.”
Argyle’s final fixture of the season will also be a special occasion for captain Panagiota Papaioannou, who celebrates her 100th game at the club, a milestone that the skipper hopes to celebrate with a win.
“I couldn’t think of a more ideal time for me to reach 100 games at the club,” said Giota, who was reflecting on her time at Argyle. “When I was growing up in Greece, the only team I thought I’d ever love was Panathinaikos. However, since moving to Plymouth and playing for Argyle, I’ve become more attached to this club and feel as though I have a second home.
“To walk out this weekend as captain of this club for my 100th game will be incredibly special for me, and we all want to end the season with a win. All of our matches against MK in the past few seasons have been tight, but we have an opportunity to move up in the table and we want to put ourselves in the best position to achieve that.”
The game will be held at Coach Road, Newton Abbot. Kick-off is at 2pm. Tickets cost £5 for adults and £3 for concessions, while under-16s gain entry for free. If you cannot make it to the game, then updates are available on social media - @ArgyleWFC.
