Perks delighted with dominant win at MK Dons
Argyle Women picked up their first win of their 2024/25 FA Women’s National League Southern Premier Division campaign on Sunday, beating MK Dons 5-1 away from home.
Head Coach Ryan Perks was delighted that his team executed the game plan correctly and came away from Stadium MK with three points.
The Greens were 2-0 up at half-time, thanks to goals from Chalotte Whitmore and Lulu Jarvis and, although Milton Keynes got one back shortly after the break, Argyle pulled away with goals from Katie Dickson, another from Whitmore and a clincher from Taya Pomfret.
“I thought we started quick and were rewarded with an early goal,” Perks told Argyle TV. “Charlotte [Whitmore] executed what we asked her to do up front and got a reward, took it around the keeper and finished excellently. Then we dominated most of the game. It was a bit scrappy, but once we settled, we created opportunities and probably should have scored a few more in the first half.
“Lulu scored an unbelievable goal to go into the break two-nil up, and Lily [Felgate] made a great save towards the end of the half.
“If I was being overly negative, we probably should have scored a few more in the first half, but, again, we spoke about being disciplined in the second half and had a horrific start giving away another silly goal.
“MK were back in the game and then we had a 10-minute spell like Thursday night where we were excellent with the ball and scored some great goals. Again, we probably should have scored a few more. We hit the woodwork multiple times, and their keeper made some excellent saves.
“We’ve just got to get a little bit better in that final third because against some higher opposition which we've got to come up against, we won't get as many chances. However, overall, I’m really pleased with how the girls played today.”
Despite both sides being unable to win either of their opening two matches, the demand from the squad before the game was to come away with three points. For Perks and his backroom staff, this was a must-win game.
He said: “We spoke about it before the game last night in the hotel; it was non-negotiable: we don't come away without three points today. I think we were unlucky against Oxford not to get anything from the game, so it was essential that we came here and got three points.
“How we did it… it didn't matter. It was just getting the job done. To come here and play some excellent football, and score some great goals, is always a positive.”
Defensively, Perks was impressed with his side’s performance, and the jump in quality from Thursday night’s FA Women’s National League Cup determining round tie in Newton Abbot, where Argyle got past Bridgwater United, was noticeable.
“I think Lily made one amazing save,” Perks said, of the game against MK. “I think she was limited to what she had to do and that's a credit to the defence. We had a couple of little moments on Thursday night where we overplayed. We spoke about not doing that today and they listened, and shape-wise, without the ball, we improved as the game went on.
“We'll shout out the two in front of the defence, Georgie [Knott] and Imy [Crawford]. I thought they were superb and disciplined in their shape. That gives us some security behind the ball when we're trying to attack. Overall, really pleasing for the whole squad.”
Argyle now return to Devon for two Home Park fixtures, with the first being against Hashtag United on Sunday, 8 September. Perks is hopeful to continue this run of form but is aware of the potential hardships this season.
“We’ve just spoken about how we need to turn up at every game,” he said. “If you look at the scorelines across the league today, there are maybe some shocks and teams who have lost games previously have won today.
“I've not shied away from saying how competitive this league is. You've got to make sure you turn up and play as well as you can every week to secure points.
“We got a point at home against Hashtag last year and probably deserved to win the game. We’ve just got to go in there, focus on what we do well, try and execute the game plan and get some more points on the board.”
Photo: CTF Photography