Major Test for Ladies

ARGYLE Ladies go into the match against Yeovil Town on Sunday in good heart and looking to make it three wins in a row but it won't be easy, as Yeovil were a Super League outfit last season.

It will also be a chance for former Yeovil players Helen Bleazard, Natasha Knapman, Leah Burridge Kayley Lane and Jessie Jones to get one over their Somerset visitors. Included in the Yeovil team is former Argyle defender Jodie Chub.

Manager Dave Leonard makes one change from the squad that saw off Keynsham Town 6-1 last week. Holly Cole is unavailable, so Steph Beck, who had recently returned from coaching in the USA, steps up from the Development team, having scored for them against Alphington last week.

Yeovil lost their Super League status last season and were forced by the FA to drop down two levels to the National League. They have a big playing budget and have recruited well by signing Kelly Aldridge and Sarah Wiltshire, as well retaining Ann-Marie Heatherson and Erin Bloomfield. Yeovil started the season with three terrific League and cup wins scoring 19 unanswered goals. Unfortunately for them, they came unstuck at home to Crawley Wasps last week losing 2-1.

It would be great to see another big gate turning up at the Manadon Hub after 203 fans watched them play Keynsham Town last week. The match kicks-off at 2pm on Sunday, with the entrance fee set at £3 for adults and £1 for concessions.

Leonard said: “Training has been good this week, the girls are in good shape and ready for the match. Yeovil are a club with a great pedigree, they are more famous for their women's team than the men.

“We will be focussed and we will give them the respect they deserve until 2pm [on Sunday]. We will have our work cut out and will have a job to do to earn the three points. Yeovil will go in to the game favourites and go into this league as favourites.

“They are an ex-WSL outfit and they have the calibre of players that will want to bounce back at the first attempt. With the paying budget that they have, they are a cut above us and that could potentially mean winning the league and not winning the league.

“It is a local derby, there will be a lot of emotion flying around we've just got to concentrate on the way we play and have got to find a way of picking up three points.”

Argyle squad: Becky Kyle, Leah Burridge, Katie Middleton, Mollie Taylor, Faye Ivall, Becky Dandridge, Jessie Jones, Zoe Cunningham, Amber Pollock, Natasha Knapman, Steph Beck, Ebony Dover, Helen Bleazard, Kayley Lane.

Supporters of the Development team will have to go to Marjon on Sunday for their South-West League Western Division match against local rivals Plympton, who were runners-up last season. The match was originally due to be held at the Manadon Hub but the grass pitch is unavailable for a few weeks. The match will kick-off at 12 noon.

They will go into the game with a trio of midfielders missing from last weeks starting line-up. On the plus side, Argyle could welcome into the squad Greek International Giotta Papaioannou and Ellie Bishop. Also, Kiara Robins could come into the reckoning as she has made a quicker than expected recovery from injury.

Once more there will be a focus on the youngsters that will be selected. Manager Rob Bonney said: “We want to give all the under-18s a chance during the season. It is just the selection and trying to get the balance right.”