Argyle 3
Sara 1, 68, Endacott 88
Chatham Town 3
Espinosa 46, 63, Grant 79
Argyle Women’s first game of 2024 continued where 2023 left off, with the trend of thrilling, back-and-forth encounters at Coach Road.
On this occasion, Argyle shared six goals with Chatham Town, with exchanges of momentum a frequent occurrence throughout.
Ellie Sara’s goal, 41 seconds into the game, was all Argyle had to show for a first half which they dominated, and they look liked they may pay for that when Chatham substitute Mel Espinosa scored twice to put Town in front.
Sara equalised for the rallying Greens, but when another impactful Chatham sub, Breon Grant, retook the lead for the visitors, it seemed as though that may be enough.
Ryan Perks’ side do not know when they are beaten, though, and they levelled again when Mia Endacott rifled in the game’s final goal, in the 88th minute.
Argyle could not have got off to a better start in the game. Charlotte Whitmore’s excellent first touch took two Chatham players out of the game, and Whitmore played the ball to Rebecca Dandridge. In space on the right, Dandridge floated an inviting cross to where Sara’s first-time finish found the net.
The Greens were forced into an early substitution when left-back Tamsin Medd-Gill went down injured inside eight minutes. She was replaced by Erin O’Shea, who came on on the right wing, with Endacott shifting to the left side of defence.
Argyle came close to making it 2-0 just before the quarter-hour mark, with Whitmore’s superbly struck free kick headed goalwards by Dandridge, with Chatham goalkeeper Cara Davies making an excellent reaction save.
Five minutes later, it was Jasmine Read’s turn to make a telling stop. Nicole Pepper’s looping shot looked goalbound, but Read backpedalled and pushed the ball round the post well.
Much of the rest of the half followed a fairly set pattern of Argyle on the front foot, trying to break down a very deep, resolute Chatham side, who looked to be content to keep the scoreline to a single-goal deficit, to stay alive in the game.
This they did, despite Argyle’s territorial dominance, and the tactic worked.
Chatham made a triple substitution at half-time, bringing on Espinosa, Grant and Chieza Madamombe, and it was Espinosa who made an immediate impact. This time it was Chatham who made the fast start to the half, and after Read made an initial save, the loose ball was worked to Espinosa, who rolled in the equaliser.
One 63 minutes, Espinosa completed the turnaround, but in exceptional circumstances. With Argyle enjoying a spell of offence following Chatham’s bright start to the second period, Whitmore pinched the ball inside the Chatham area, and with the goalkeeper stranded, bore down on goal.
Whitmore struck goalwards, but Flo Jackson made an extraordinary goal-line block, and Chatham immediately broke forwards. Within seconds, Madamombe struck low, hit the post, and Espinosa followed up to tap in and make it 2-1.
Argyle’s reaction was superb. Dandridge raced onto a throughball, and although just beaten to it by goalkeeper Davies, it had brought the Chatham stopper out of position. Sara hustled to win the ball back, then lobbed two retreating defenders to level the game and score her second of the afternoon.
Within five minutes, a very similar situation occurred, with Sara again hooking a ball goalwards, only to find Davies able to retreat in time and clutch the ball gratefully.
Chatham took the lead again with 11 minutes remaining, winning the ball deep inside Argyle territory, the ball falling to Grant, who lashed home.
Argyle pushed forward searching for another equaliser, and it came with two minutes left of the 90. A right-wing free kick was lofted in by Dandridge, powerfully headed on target by Taya Pomfret, then dramatically blocked on the line. However, it was cleared only as far as Endacott, just inside the area, and she lashed home an unstoppable effort.
Argyle nearly won it, too. Five minutes into injury time Whitmore broke the offside trap and got beyond Chatham’s back line. She unselfishly squared to Sara, who struck goalwards, but found Davies in the way once more.
Chatham still had time to force two late corners, dangerously swung into the area, but Argyle saw them out, and scored a point to keep the Greens five points ahead of Chatham, who occupy second-to-last position in the league, just below the relegation dotted line.
Next Sunday, Argyle are back in action at Home Park, against Nottingham Forest, in the fourth round of the Adobe Women’s FA Cup.
Tickets, priced at just £7 for adults, £5 for over-65s and £1 for under-18s, are on sale now at the Home Park Ticket Office and online here.
Argyle: 1 Jasmine Read, 2 Katie Dickson, 4 Jemma Rose, 5 Panagiota Papaionnou (capt), 7 Charlotte Whitmore, 8 Imy Crawford, 9 Ellie Sara, 10 Rebecca Dandridge, 14 Tamsin Medd-Gill (19 Erin O’Shea, 8, 11 Jade Berrow, 73) 18 Taya Pomfret, 29 Mia Endacott. Substitutes: 42 Lily Felgate (gk), 15 Georgie Knott, 20 Fern Orchard.
Chatham Town: 13 Cara Davies, 3 Grace Coombs, 5 Phoebe Leitch, 8 Ellie Jeffkins, 10 Nicole Pepper (7 Mel Espinosa half-time), 12 Jasmine Auguste, 16 Darcy Wells, 17 Natalie Taylor, 21 Flo Jackson, 22 Tyra Poole (20 Breon Grant half-time), 27 Lottie Sharp (26 Chieza Madamombe half-time). Substitutes: 4 Ciara Hynes, 24 Ellie Perkins.
