Argyle Women were defeated 5-2 by Cardiff City in their second pre-season game. However, Head Coach Ryan Perks thinks the match in Wales is still a step in the right direction on the run to the start of the season.  

The UEFA Women's Champions League qualifiers took the lead in the 23rd minute, with Madison Lloyd rounding Lily Felgate and slotting home. Ffion Price soon doubled the Bluebirds' lead, before Fiona Barry coolly converted her penalty after Lloyd was fouled, pushing their advantage to three goals at the end of the first half.   

Eliza Collie added a fourth for Cardiff minutes after the second-half restart. A change in tactics soon played into Argyle’s favour with Ellie Sara netting her first pre-season goal in the 54th minute. 

On the hour, the Greens reduced the deficit to two with a long-range effort scored by a trialist, but it was not enough to force a comeback, as Cardiff regained their three-goal lead through Collie again, two minutes later. 

Argyle came close in the 82nd minute with a dangerous free kick, but Anna Phelps’ diving effort kept the score at 5-2. 

After the game, Perks believed opportunities were missed, but understands how important a test against a strong side will be for the squad. 

“We just weren’t good enough in the first half,” he said, “but on the flip side, we switched up the shape in the second half, gave the girls more detail on how we wanted them to set up without the ball, and were a lot more positive.  

“We spoke about looking after the ball better, and we did. We created chances and had strong displays on the pitch, but we got punished again for an error. 

“It was an excellent second half. We created lots of opportunities and should have converted a few more.  

“Cardiff are a strong side and moved the ball well. They’ve got some top players and were unbeaten in the league last year, so we knew it would be a tough ask and test for us. We want to play teams at their level, so it builds us up for the start of the season.” 

Sara, Argyle’s top goalscorer last season, found herself on the scoresheet, and Perks was delighted to see her link-up play with Charlotte Whitmore continue into this pre-season. 

“Ellie took her goal well,” Perks said. “She was a little bit isolated in the first half, but we went with a front two in the second half, with her and Charlotte, and they linked up extremely well. They showed signs of the good partnership they had last year, so I’m delighted with their performances in the second half.” 

Argyle return to Devon for the next batch of pre-season games, with matches at Manadon and Coach Road over the next few weeks, before travelling away to Manchester United to face their Under-21s in August. Perks is looking forward to the various challenges.  

He said: “We’ve got some games coming up where we’ll dominate the ball a bit more, I expect, and then finish with a couple of hard tests before the season. We’ll look to add to the squad but are happy with where we currently are. 

“It’s not about results now; it’s about trying to get meaningful minutes into the legs. We’ve had some trialists playing in the last few weeks and they have all done well today. 

“There have been two early starts for our first games so, being at home, we’ll have a bit more rest. We will try and work on possession next week and build up to the next game, hopefully in front of some fans at Manadon.” 

Argyle’s first home pre-season match is this Sunday, 21 July, against Yeovil Town at Manadon Sports Hub, before a trip up the road to face Torquay United at Coach Road, Newton Abbot, takes place on Tuesday, 23 July.