Report | Argyle Women 1 Nottingham Forest 6
Argyle 1
Berrow 90
Nottingham Forest 6
Worsey 16, 45+3, Manders 49, Domingo 57, Moncaster 75, Green 78
Argyle's Adobe Women's FA Cup run came to an end at Home Park against a classy Nottingham Forest side on Sunday.
The visitors are third in the northern division of the third tier, with Argyle 10th in the southern section. Forest, with several professionals in their side, won their division and lost a play-off last season, falling just shy of reaching the second level of English women's football. On the afternoon, their experience told, and they ran out strong winners, scoring twice in the first half and four times after the break.
A crowd of just short of 2,000 inside Home Park saw their Pilgrims continue to give a gutsy display, and Jade Berrow gave them something to smile about with a goal at the end of the 90 minutes.
With Rosie McDonnell and Tamsin Medd-Gill unavailable, manager Ryan Perks shuffled his backline, asking Katie Dickson to switch from left-back to right-back, Taya Pomfret paying on the right of the back four, and Lucy Hack returning in the centre.
The six members of Argyle's midfield and front line remained the same, but they were on the back foot from the outset, as Forest dictated the play. That said, Argyle thought they had taken the lead on seven minutes, when Charlotte Whitmore, Rebecca Dandridge and Ellie Sara were all involved as Forest found it hard to clear the ball from their six-yard area. Mia Endacott headed goalwards, and as fans asked whether or not the ball had crossed the line, a flag was raised - however, it did not signal a goal, but instead an offside call in amongst the melee.
Argyle looked to an assistant referee for a flag at the other end which did not come, as Forest took the lead on 16 minutes. Captain Panagiota Papaioannou attempted to clear a throughball, but sliced into the path of Louanne Worsey. Such are the vagaries of the offside law, the intervention rather oddly played Worsey onside, and she marched through to score the opener.
As Forest searched for a second, Mollie Green hit the crossbar from close range, with Jemma Rose bravely clearing from a return ball, before the frame of the goal was struck again, this time from a Freya Thomas effort.
Worsey went through again, only to be denied by an excellent Jasmine Read save, but Worsey eventually did make it 2-0, finishing off Sophie Domingo's square pass.
Holly Manders scored Forest's third four minutes after the break, driving in a low effort, before Worsey turned provider for Domingo to make it four. Mai Moncaster was one of several substitutes for the Reds in the second period, and soon after her introduction, she scored the best of the game to add the fifth.
Forest's final goal came from a left-wing cross by Green, which likely took a glance on the way through, but with the delivery on target, Forest credited the goal to Green.
As the 90 minutes elapsed, Berrow's beautifully timed header from a right-wing cross meant Argyle were on the scoresheet, and they nearly had another in injury time when Endacott's effort from range flew just over.
The Pilgrims will rightly take some pride in getting to round four, and will now turn attentions back to league action on Sunday, 21 January, with a trip to Cheltenham Town.
Argyle: 1 Jasmine Read, 2 Katie Dickson, 4 Jemma Rose, 5 Panagiota Papaioannou (capt), 6 Lucy Hack (11 Fern Orchard, 55), 7 Charlotte Whitmore (19 Erin O'Shea, 88), 8 Imy Crawford (15 Georgie Knott, 76), 9 Ellie Sara (11 Jade Berrow, 55), 10 Rebecca Dandridge, 18 Taya Pomfret, 29 Mia Endacott. Substitutes (not used): 21 Maddi Curno (gk), 13 Grace Smith, 22 Emily Elliot, 23 Katelyn Bell, 24 Grace Perrins.
