Bradley previews Challenge Cup final against Exeter

Argyle Women will face Exeter City for the fourth time this season on Wednesday, 2 April, but in a brand-new competition for both sides. 

The Challenge Cup Final is part of a new competition that is taking place as part of the County Cup restructure by the Devon FA. The game kicks off at 7.15pm at Coach Road, Newton Abbot.

To be eligible, clubs must compete in the FA Women’s National League Division One South or above, meaning that the Greens and Grecians are the only possible teams to feature in the inaugural edition of the cup.

Head Coach James Bradley is excited for the opportunity to face Argyle’s Devon rivals in an exciting showcase for football in the South West and believes his side can come away with the silverware from the home of the Devon FA. 

“Like any other game, I'm excited for it,” Bradley told Argyle TV. “We’re ready for the challenge. We had a good weekend, training at Harper's Park, which was excellent for the players, and we’re excited as always for any fixture. It’ll be nice to lift the trophy.

“We all know where we are in the league, and how we’ve got two cup finals left, really. This is just a third one but without the pressure of those [league] games! I think we can go out and give it our all, stick together as we have done, be really intense in what we do and hopefully, have a good evening and enjoy the night. 

“It’s always a great game against Exeter. I said it when we played them a few weeks ago, always a fixture that everyone looks out for; fans, coaches, players alike. It’ll be a good night, I'm sure. Last time, there was a fantastic atmosphere, and I thought it was a really good and competitive game.

“Hopefully it will be the same in terms of the atmosphere, but with a different result.”

Despite having an opportunity to play with less pressure than the final two league games of the season, the midweek affair does give some slight changes to preparations over the next few weeks, but also hands the opportunity for some players to gain some important game time ahead of the final run in.

He said: “[The mid-week game] does change things slightly. We'll play Wednesday night and then recover for the rest of the week, followed by another good weekend session. Then, all preparations will be looking ahead to Wimbledon at Home Park [on Sunday, 13 April].

“We did pick up a couple of knocks over the two games against Watford and Ipswich, which were really tough, so there will be a small rotation in the squad tomorrow, giving players a chance that haven't necessarily had minutes recently to get some. However, I'm sure everyone's excited for the fixture as I am.”