Perks Previews Ipswich Encounter
A busy week of football continues for Argyle Women, as they host the unbeaten Ipswich Town in FA Women’s National League Southern Premier Division action at Home Park on Sunday.
The Suffolk side has been a mainstay at the top of the FA Women’s National League Southern Premier Division in recent seasons and have continued their form in the opening months of the 2024/25 campaign.
The Tractor Girls missed out on promotion in 2022/23 on goal difference, with Watford securing the top spot, but have placed in the top four since joining the league in 2021.
Joe Sheehan’s side have started the season in fine form, with four wins and two draws in six league games, dropping points to only Exeter City and Watford. Scoring goals has come easy to Ipswich in their victories, with 11 goals scored over two wins against Lewes and Billericay Town.
Head Coach Ryan Perks has had time to reflect and speak to his side following the Devon Derby defeat to Exeter City on Wednesday and hopes that his side can pick up the positives from their performance at Home Park and move it onto Sunday’s game.
“We've had a bit of reflection time,” Perks told Argyle TV. “I watched the game back from Wednesday night against Exeter, and there were some positives to take.
"We've highlighted that to the girls; the times they get the ball on the floor and we play football, and that's how we want them to play. There was one good piece of play, from back to front, where Caitlin [Smith] stepped in with the ball, found Charlotte [Whitmore], played the ball out to Roxy [Thomas], she's delivered a great cross in, and Ellie [Sara] almost gets on the end of it.
“We're just reinforcing the key messages of how we want them to play. We want them to get on the ball, and be brave, we want the midfielders to link and build. We don't want to just hump the ball long and fight off first and second balls. We want we want the team to play football, so it's just reinforcing those messages. If the girls make mistakes playing the way we've asked them to, then we'll own it. It's just showing that bravery and a bit of character to trust in themselves and the process.
“You get drawn into a game emotionally and you might look at it through a different lens. I thought Exeter dominated the first half on Wednesday night after the game and, looking on reflection, they had spells where they played some good football, but it was a very scrappy 45 minutes from both teams really and there wasn't much in the game.
“If we got into a better shape without the ball, then I think the two goals don't happen, so reflection is important. It's key that we use opportunities to show the girls and highlight areas we need to improve on and areas that we've done well so they can see it for themselves.
“We'll keep learning and working hard. The staff dedicate a lot of time to preparing for games. We've had three quick games in succession, and we've had to watch lots of games back and get the game plan and preparation in place. We just need to execute what we're after.
“It's going to be a difficult game on Sunday. We're not under any illusions that it's not, so we've got a game plan. We've worked on it in training and we’ll work our hardest to implement that and try and get a positive result.”
Single match tickets are still available via ArgyleTickets.com and cost £10 for adults, £5 for over 65s, £3 for under 18s – and under 14s go FREE!
You can also purchase via phone by calling 01752 907700, or by visiting the Home Park Ticket Office from 10am to 4pm on Monday to Friday, or 10am to 2pm on Saturdays.
