Preview | Argyle Women v Ilminster Town (H)
Argyle Women return to Torpoint Athletic’s The Mill ground this Sunday for first round tie in the Women's FA Cup, against Ilminster Town Ladies FC.
Argyle go into the fixture on the back of an emphatic performance at Coach Road where the Greens won 5-1 against London Bees. Despite a slow start for the Greens that nearly saw the visitors take the lead, Argyle rallied towards the end of the first half of that game via goals from Charlotte Whitmore and Ellie Sara.
The Greens continued to dominate in front of goal as the second half began, netting a further two goals thanks to Taya Pomfret and a second from Sara. Although The Bees got one back with 15 minutes left of the game, Argyle secured victory through Rebecca Dandridge who scored Argyle's fifth and final goal.
“We grew into the game gradually last weekend,” said manager Ryan Perks, “and I think we settled down once we got the goals towards the end of the first half. “There were lots of positives to take from the second half as well. It’s a shame we couldn’t get a clean sheet as well, but ultimately the girls stuck to the gameplan and came away with a crucial three points.
“We’ve now got to build on that performance and continue to build momentum as we come into this weekend’s fixture as well as next week’s return to Home Park.”
The FA Cup is a competition Perks’s side enjoyed last season, with an entertaining run to the third round. After comfortable wins against Cheltenham Town and Swindon Town, Argyle faced promotion hopefuls Oxford United, who denied the Greens a chance at a potential fixture against Championship or Women’s Super League sides in the fourth round.
“We had good runs last year in the cups,” said Perks. “The FA Cup obviously has a huge financial benefit, so we want to get as far as possible and bring in as much income as possible. It’s every player’s dream to play in the FA Cup and get as far as they can. It’s a great opportunity for clubs to gain exposure by playing teams in the leagues above.
“Hopefully, we can have a similar run to last year and, with some hard work and the luck of the draw, get as far as we did last year or even further.”
Ilminster stand in Argyle's path to the second round of the FA Cup this weekend and will look to cause a major upset after a positive start to their league campaign in the South West Regional Women’s Football League. Top of their league by three points, Ilminster recorded their first loss of the season last weekend against Helston Athletic, breaking their seven-game win streak, something Perks will draw confidence from going into this opening fixture.
“This weekend is all about focusing on us more than anything,” he said. “Ilminster will be coming here with the same ambitions as us and will want to come away with a win. Cup games can have an element of surprise and they’ll be looking to come here and kick things off with an upset, but I’m confident that if we play how we’ve been playing we can secure a place in the second round.
“We’re back at the Mill, and last time out we had that place rocking. We’re hoping for a similar crowd this weekend, that can get behind us just like they did against Portsmouth.”
The game will be held at The Mill, Torpoint. Kick-off is at 1pm, tickets cost £5 for adults, £3 for concessions while Under-16s have free entry. If you cannot make it to the game, then updates are available on social media @ArgyleWFC.
