Preview | Exeter City Women (H)

The Devon Derby does not come around very often, but when it does, the spectacle is highly anticipated.

A night under the lights at Home Park awaits Argyle Women who host Exeter City in FA Women’s National League Southern Premier Division action on Wednesday night, with the game kicking off at 7.45pm.

The Grecians secured promotion to the third tier, for the first time, on the final day of the league campaign last season. A draw against fellow title contenders AFC Bournemouth ended the Grecians’ season with just four points dropped from a possible 66, claiming a place in the National League Southern Premier Division.

So far this season, Exeter have found some early form. Through the opening six games, wins against MK Dons, Lewes and Gwalia, and a home draw with Ipswich, place the Grecians in fifth place on 10 points.

Former Pilgrims Amber Pollock and Beth Ireland have featured heavily this season on the pitch, whilst goalkeeper Jasmine Read is on loan at Torquay, being named as a substitute earlier in the season.

Last season, the two sides battled it out twice. Argyle fell at the last hurdle in the final of the A&S Interiors Devon Women’s Premier County Cup, losing 2-1 to The Grecians, but won in the FA Women’s National League Cup Determining Round fixture.

The Greens ran away as 4-1 victors away from home, thanks to a 10-minute hat-trick from Ellie Sara and a goal from Charlotte Whitmore after the hour mark to seal the victory for Argyle.

Head Coach Ryan Perks is excited for his first Devon Derby at Home Park but knows his side needs to react positively following Sunday’s loss away from home to Lewes.

“I’m looking forward to the opportunity to try and rectify the result and performance from Sunday,” Perks told Argyle TV. "This is my first Devon Derby at Home Park so I’m looking forward to it and hopefully the girls can put on a performance for the occasion.

“I think any game after a defeat you want a reaction. If we look back at previous seasons, we've always had difficult starts and shown a bit of character and resilience in those seasons to pick ourselves up and keep going and we need to do that again this week. It [Lewes] was a difficult result on the weekend - it's hit us the hardest as a squad - but there's been positives this season.

“We've got to look at those and keep ourselves focused on the job in hand which is getting three points at home tomorrow night against Exeter.”

Playing at Home Park this season has been exciting for all players and staff, but with a larger crowd than normal expected, the evening kick-off looks to be one the Green Army cannot miss. Perks is hopeful his side can perform positively for the fans in attendance.

He said: “The crowd and noise give you that extra motivation and determination on the pitch. I think against Oxford in the first league game, you could see that the girls were going into tackles a bit more enthusiastically, shall I say, with the crowd behind him.

“It gives you that little bit more motivation to want to win and put on a performance. It would be nice to have a big crowd and hopefully we can put on a show and showcase what women's football is about in the South West.

“It's going to be a difficult game and Exeter have had a strong start. They're in a positive mindset, but we've got to do our best to get the three points.”

With the short turnaround from Sunday to Wednesday, and an upcoming game on Sunday, 13 October against Ipswich, Perks and the Argyle staff have had to plan thoroughly to ensure recovery and preparation can be completed and put his side in the best position for the battle at Home Park.

“We had a rest day on Monday and the players are in tonight [Tuesday] to do some analysis and a small recovery session,” Perks said, “nothing too strenuous the day before a game. A quick turnaround doesn't give the staff much time to prepare either. I'm the only full-time member, John and Matt have got other jobs and they're important in the game prep, but we'll prepare just like we do any other game.

“The girls will get the detail we need. They'll get the game plan of how we want to set up and it's down to us as a team to go and execute that on the pitch. I'm confident in this group that we can go out and get a result, but the girls need to believe it themselves as well and go out and put on a performance that we know they can do.”

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.