Preview | Argyle Women v Hashtag United (A)
Argyle Women return to life on the road this weekend as they travel to Essex’s Parkside on Sunday to take on Hashtag United in the FA Women’s National League Southern Premier Division.
The Greens will look to build on their previous performance against Portsmouth Women after losing 3-1 at Torpoint Athletic’s The Mill ground. Argyle began the half under pressure from the visitors and lasted 17 minutes before Beth Lumsden netted from outside the area for Pompey. Argyle slowly found their way into the game following Portsmouth’s goal and started to trouble the leaders.
Their perseverance paid off in the second half, as Charlotte Whitmore levelled the scoreline shortly after the break. However, in the end, Portsmouth fired home a further two goals, securing them all three points on their trip to the South West.
“I thought it was a positive performance,” said manager Ryan Perks on reflection. “The girls stuck to the gameplan, frustrated Portsmouth, and were good going forward. I think we could have got something out of that game, but Portsmouth have that quality and were ultimately able to create chances and take them more so than we did.
“That match proves what we’re capable of against the top sides in the league. Although we lost the game the performance was superb and I’m confident that if we take that performance into our upcoming fixtures, we’ll be able to gain more points.”
Argyle face another side currently battling for promotion this weekend in Hashtag United. After securing first place in the Division One South East last season, Hashtag United have continued their winning form, securing seven wins from their first eight league matches.
The Tags have proven to be a well-organised and disciplined team following their start to life in tier three football, but Perks is confident that if Argyle continue to build from their performance against Pompey, they can equally give Hashtag a tough 90 minutes. “Portsmouth are a side that were wiping the floor with most of the teams in our league,” said Perks.
“We proved that we can compete with that level of team for 90 minutes and we want to do the same against Hashtag this weekend. They’re a team that’s very organised and athletic, and prides themselves on making the most out of the chances they get - but they’re not unbeatable.
“We just have to replicate the mentality and performance we had last week and ensure that whatever happens on the pitch we can come away knowing we gave the best we could on the day.
“It’s a different test to last week but it’s one we're looking forward to as a team, and hopefully we can again frustrate another strong opponent, but this time come away with a positive result.”
The game will be held at Parkside, Aveley. Kick-off is at 2.30pm, tickets cost £5 for adults, £3 for concessions and £1 for under-12s. If you cannot make it to the game, then updates are available on social media @ArgyleWFC.
