Perks previews FA Cup opener against Poole
Argyle are hoping to start their Adobe Women’s FA Cup campaign positively on Sunday when they face Poole Town Ladies in the first round at Bolitho Park, home of Plymouth Parkway.
Head Coach Ryan Perks’ side were successful in the competition last year, reaching the fourth round after beating Ilminster Town and AFC Stoneham convincingly, then Oxford United on penalties. Nottingham Forest got the better of the Greens at Home Park in round four, but the cup run still lives in the memory of all players and staff involved.
Perks is hoping to start on the front foot and ensure safe passage to the second round of the Cup, despite changes to his side from a victory over Billericay Town last time out.
“It’s nice to have a home draw,” he told Argyle TV. “In the last couple of years, we’ve done well in the FA Cup, and we want to go as far as we can in the competition this year and it starts this weekend. We've worked hard in training this week, so hopefully the girls can implement the game plan and progress into the second round.
“We’ve also got two important league games coming up, so it’ll be good to continue where we left off against Billericay Town. It was a very good team performance and a good positive result, which we needed. We’ll continue to build on that momentum and confidence, and hopefully score as many goals as possible, but will give Poole the respect they deserve.
“When we've played teams in the lower leagues in the League Cup, we’ve dropped our standards - and that won't be acceptable this weekend. We want to go and put on a show for the fans at Parkway, showcasing what we're about and highlighting the difference in the level.
“There will be a few changes to the starting 11. Not many, but there will be a few to give some people some minutes, but we aim to progress. We’re pretty much full strength, apart from Grace Smith still which is an ongoing issue. Apart from that, Ellie [Sara] hasn't trained much this week because she's been poorly, so we'll assess Ellie and see how she is over the weekend before we make that decision.”
A key focus over the last month has been to build upon key performances, turn these into results and further this into momentum for an important run of games in November in all competitions. Perks believes Argyle’s quarter-final securing win over Billericay last month can be the start of a strong run of results.
He said: “We need to put the ball in the back of the net, keep a clean sheet, and have that belief. I think beating Billericay, a team who are fifth in the league, will give us that confidence.
“Although it was only 2-1, it was a convincing victory. I think we should have scored a few more and been out of sight. We just need to keep progressing, play football we know we can play, and enjoy ourselves. We want the girls to not feel the pressure and express themselves on the football pitch on Sunday."
