Perks delighted with FAWNL Cup quarter-final win

Argyle secured a place in the semi-finals of the FA Women’s National League Cup on Sunday, with a 1-0 victory over Watford at Home Park. 

Lulu Jarvis’s first-half header was enough to separate the two sides after 90 minutes of action at the Theatre of Greens and now leaves Argyle just one game away from the final at Walsall’s Poundland Bescot Stadium. 

After the full-time whistle, Head Coach Ryan Perks had nothing but praise for his side’s performance and is hopeful this can continue into league play in the upcoming weeks before the Christmas break. 

“I’m really pleased,” Perks told Argyle TV. “I think the players were superb from start to finish. We worked on ourselves this week. We said that was going to be the focal point and that it was important to bounce back after a disappointing result and second-half performance against Exeter. I couldn't be more pleased for the girls. 

“I think they've put in a shift. They listened to the detail we gave them, executed it superbly for 90 minutes and got a clean sheet. It was a super defensive display, and we were clinical on the break. 

“We spoke about it at half-time, saying it was only half a job done. We came in at 1-0 and knew it would get tough, and you've just got to dig in, show a bit of character and resilience in the second half. Normally, we've got that in abundance, but we lacked that last week so to bounce back in the way we did was superb.  

“We've made changes today. The players have come in and been very good; it gives me a headache for next week going away to Wimbledon, but that's what we want. We want headaches. We don't want our job to be easy. Every player today, even the subs who came on, was superb and put in a shift. We thoroughly deserve the win and, hopefully, we can take it into the league as well.” 

Perks made four changes to his starting line-up from the Adobe Women’s FA Cup loss to Exeter, one being goalkeeper Comfort Erhabor. The Brighton loanee made a big impact in the game, saving a shot in the final stages which could have changed the game, and Perks was delighted with her performance. 

He said: “Comfort’s come in on loan and was fine in our first game away to Maidenhead but then struggled against Ipswich, so she's been biding her time and waiting for an opportunity, and she was superb today.  

“Her distribution was on point. She listened to the details she was given. She made a crucial save in the second half. A really good performance from Comfort and, like I said, it gives me a headache, but a good headache to have.” 

With two important FAWNL Southern Premier Division matches away from home before Christmas, against AFC Wimbledon and Oxford United, Perks wants his side to continue their cup form in league action. 

“We need points on the board in the league,” he said. “We seem to be doing very well in the cup, so we need to take that form into the league games. I've spoken all season about it though; we're not a million miles away from it, and that's been shown today.  

“If we listen to the game plan and can do it for the 90 minutes, we can get results. We do our homework on the teams. We know Watford are a very good side. Did they dominate the ball? Yes, they did. But did they really hurt us? No. We've got to take massive confidence from that and take it into another tough game.  

“Wimbledon are a big physical side. They beat Watford once and lost to them in the other. We’re expecting another tough challenge next week.”