When Argyle plays Poole Town Ladies in the first round of the Adobe Women’s FA Cup on Sunday at Bolitho Park, home of Plymouth Parkway, they hope to get off to a good start.
Last year, the team led by head coach Ryan Perks advanced to the fourth round of the competition by defeating Oxford United on penalties and Ilminster Town and AFC Stoneham handily. All of the players and staff involved still remember the cup run, even though Nottingham Forest defeated the Greens at Home Park in round four.
Despite making changes to his team from a win against Billericay Town last time out, Perks is looking to get off to a strong start and guarantee a spot in the Cup’s second round.
“Having a home draw is nice,” he said to Arsenal TV.We’ve performed well in the FA Cup the past two years, and this year, which begins this weekend, we aim to advance as far as possible. We’ve put a lot of effort into training this week, so hopefully the girls can follow the strategy and go to the next round.
“It will be beneficial to carry on where we left off against Billericay Town since we have two crucial league games coming up. The team’s effort was excellent, and the outcome was just what we required. We’ll keep gaining confidence and momentum, and we’ll try to score as many goals as we can, but we’ll also give Poole the credit they merit.
“We have lowered our standards when playing clubs from weaker levels in the League Cup, and that won’t be acceptable this weekend. We intend to go to Parkway and perform for the fans, introducing ourselves and emphasising the level difference.
The starting eleven will change in a few ways. We want to make progress, so there won’t be many, but there will be a couple to offer certain individuals some minutes. With the exception of Grace Smith, who continues to be a problem, we are essentially at full strength. In addition, Ellie [Sara] hasn’t trained much this week due to illness, so before we make that decision, we’ll evaluate Ellie and see how she feels over the weekend.
Building on strong performances, converting them into outcomes, and generating momentum for a crucial run of games in November across all competitions has been a major focus over the past month. Perks thinks Argyle’s victory over Billericay last month, which secured them a spot in the quarterfinals, might be the beginning of a successful run of results.
“We need to have that belief, keep a clean sheet, and put the ball in the net,” he stated. I believe we will gain that confidence if we defeat Billericay, who are currently sixth in the league.
Even though the score was only 2-1, the triumph seemed clear. We ought to have scored a few more goals and disappeared, in my opinion. All we have to do is keep moving forward, play football that we know we can play, and have fun. On Sunday, we want the girls to be free to express themselves on the football ground without feeling under pressure.
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