Bradley previews crucial Wimbledon test
Argyle Women return to Home Park for the final time this season on Sunday, when facing AFC Wimbledon in FA Women’s National League Southern Premier Division action.
The Theatre of Greens plays host to the tie for the final time this campaign, with the Pilgrims needing to pick up an important three points as the hunt for safety continues.
In the reverse fixture at Plough Lane earlier this year, two goals from Charlotte Whitmore secured victory for Argyle, with the winner coming in the dying minutes of the game.
Head Coach James Bradley is delighted to be returning to Home Park and believes lessons will have been learnt ahead of kick-off from recent performances away from home.
“I’m really excited,” Bradley told Argyle TV. “It feels like a long time since we've been at Home Park. I know the players are longing to play at home again, as are the staff. Hopefully, there will be a really good crowd who can get behind us and we can give them something to shout about.
“I think every game has been a big game since I've come in. It feels that way anyway. Whether you go to Ipswich or Watford and go and play in their stadiums, which feels like a big occasion, or you're playing teams around us and hoping to get a result. We are used to big games.
“I've become quite used to big games quite quickly. We’ve performed well in them. We haven't necessarily always got what we deserved, but the work rate and desire of the players have been fantastic over recent weeks, and they'll need to show all that again on Sunday.
“It’s the same messages from me, and it always will be. I've got the way that I like my teams to play and set up and that's about being intense, aggressive, coming out with the ball and duels, and then playing forwards and trying to exploit spaces that opposition teams leave us by being really direct and getting those front players on the ball as quickly as we possibly can so they can go and do their magic in the final third.”
The support from the Green Army at Home Park this season has not gone unnoticed, and Sunday is going to be a great occasion in the mind of Bradley. The match is free for all supporters to attend, but tickets must be claimed in advance. Tickets are available via argyletickets.com or the Home Park Ticket Office.
He said: “Hopefully, the weather will be nice on Sunday as well, so it means that we can have them a bit closer to the pitch, which I think really helps! It helps me and all the players on the pitch as well.
“Please turn up in your numbers, make lots of noise, support the girls and hopefully, like I said earlier, we'll give you something to shout about.”
