Perks previews FA Cup Devon Derby at Home Park

A second Devon Derby of the season will be hosted at Home Park on Sunday when Argyle Women welcome Exeter City to the Theatre of Greens for the second round of the Adobe Women’s FA Cup.

After a dominant and comfortable 6-0 victory over Poole Town in the competition's opening round, Head Coach Ryan Perks believes his side can continue their exciting cup performances and fight with a strong Grecians side who triumphed 3-0 when the sides met in the league earlier in the season.

“We’re looking forward to returning to Home Park,” Perks told Argyle TV. “It’s another Devon Derby, and we want to progress in the FA Cup and try to rectify the result from the last one. I think the previous game was a game of two halves. It was quite a scrappy encounter in the first half and Exeter took advantage of that.

“I think we dominated the ball a bit more in the second half but lacked that final pass or a little creativity in the final third to unlock Exeter. However, we are looking forward to it and are excited. It'd be nice to get a big crowd in again to get behind the girls because everyone loves an FA Cup game.”

Argyle were on a three-game winning streak before a 2-0 defeat on Sunday, against Cheltenham Town, in a game played at Saltash, on a pitch dissimilar to Home Park’s pristine surface.

“I think factors didn't help us last week against Cheltenham Town in the league,” said Perks. “We tried to get the ball down and play, but misplaced passes and missed touches cost us, so we've got to bounce back.

“Training on Wednesday night was brilliant, and the girls are in a fantastic mood. Confidence is high, so we've just got to take that into the game and give Exeter the credit they deserve. They're having a very good season. We've got to look at where they could hurt us and try and nullify that as much as possible. Then look at the areas where we can exploit them and punish them.

“We’ve got to keep a clean sheet and score more than Exeter. It sounds simple, doesn't it? We've got a game plan prepared and it’s down to the players to execute that game plan as well as they can. If they do it, then why can't we beat Exeter City? We beat them last year in the League Cup and they beat us in the Devon Cup. They've got the advantage this season, but it's always quite close and a bit more intense than normal league fixtures.

“We've got good enough players here to beat Exeter. I'm confident that we can get the result. The players should be confident, but we can't underestimate Exeter City.”

Argyle will be without a few key members of the squad this weekend, however. Ellie Sara and Grace Smith will be missing through injury, whilst Ella Stephens will serve a one-match suspension for receiving five yellow cards this season.

Perks said: “Ellie won't be available this weekend. Unfortunately, it looks like she's got a broken rib so she's going to be out for a couple of weeks. Obviously, we’ll manage that and try to get her back for the Oxford game. The priority is the league; Ellie missing the cup games obviously is a big loss, but I’d rather her miss the cup games than the league games.

“Ella's suspended this weekend. She's on five yellow cards, so she'll miss this game. But again, it's a cup game and we want to win it, but it's probably a good game to miss rather than missing the league games. The bread and butter is the league and we want to pick up points, so we need all our players available for those games.

“Grace Smith's still unavailable, so they're probably the only three. Everyone else is fit and well now barring getting through training. There are plenty of players in the mix and those missing allows other players to get back in the starting line-up and take their chance.”

Nearly 2,000 fans attended the FA Women’s National League Southern Premier Division encounter in October, and Perks knows how important it will be to have a similar crowd in attendance on Sunday, not only for Argyle but also for women’s football in the South West.

“I think it's important for both us and Exeter,” he said. “Women's football in the South West is growing and getting more exposure. It gives the girls the opportunity to be role models for those younger fans and allows them to aspire to play at Home Park one day.

“It's a massive game. We've played lots of games at Home Park, which gives us that exposure, but we want to entertain the fans and that's the plan on Sunday.”