The Game
Argyle take on Bournemouth in the FAWNL Cup Final on Saturday, 28 March. Kick-off is at 3.30pm, at MATRADE Loftus Road, home of Queens Park Rangers.
The FAWNL Cup is contested by sides from the third and fourth tier in women’s football, and Professional Game Academy sides. It is essentially the women’s football equivalent of the Vertu Trophy.
How To Watch
The game will be televised on BBC iPlayer, with coverage starting at approximately 3.20pm.
The Opposition
Managed by former Argyle midfielder Helen Bleazard, Bournemouth were promoted, unbeaten, last season, and are third in the FAWNL Southern Premier Division as it stands. They are six points behind second-placed Argyle, with two games in hand on the Pilgrims, in the race for promotion.
Previous Meetings
The sides met at Home Park early in the season, and drew 0-0 in a high-quality, even encounter.
Last Sunday, they met again, with Argyle taking the lead in the first half via Phoebie Poole, but Kelci Bowers equalised soon after for the home side. It was looking as though the game would head for a draw, but Tamara Wilcock’s shot hit the bar, and Una Lue followed in to give Argyle a 2-1 victory in dramatic circumstances.
Ticket Information
Tickets are on sale via the QPR ticketing website, with Argyle fans being encouraged to buy tickets in the East Paddock – a dedicated stand for fans of the Greens.
Adult tickets cost £15, concessions cost £7.50, while under-10s go free.
Click here to purchase yours now and get behind the Greens!
Press Coverage
You can read what Marie Hourihan has to say about the game by clicking here.
Marie and Roisin Kivel faced the press – watch the press conference here.
Marie and Liv Francis spoke to Argyle TV, which you can see here.
How We Got There
Group Stage
The FAWNL Cup Campaign started in fine fashion, with a 5-1 victory over Marine Academy Plymouth.
Hosts MAP did take the lead through Skye Macdonald-Brown’s close-range finish, but Argyle found their rhythm and turned the game around quickly. Phoebie Poole’s strike and an own-goal turned the lead to the Greens before the break, with goals from Roisin Kivel, Charlotte Whitmore and Olivia Francis securing three points to open the group stages.
Another 5-1 win followed, this time over Bridgwater United, in the second match. An Imy Crawford brace and goals from Francis, Poole and Whitmore helped secure the victory for the Greens at Home Park, with Connie Pengelly scoring from the spot in the final stages of the game for the visitors.
The final group stage game was another emphatic win for Marie Hourihan’s side, beating Bristol Rovers 6-0 in Yate to claim the top spot of Group A.
Katie Wilson’s first-half free-kick was followed by goals from Katie Dickson, Tianna Teisar, Giota Papaioannou and two from Francis, to hand the Greens victory.
Watford (A) – Second Round
Argyle’s first knockout stage victory came against Watford, away from home. Francis again scored two, with Teisar also netting, to propel the Greens to a comfortable, professional victory against the Golden Girls at the Orbital Fasteners Stadium.
Francis’s first came with one of the final kicks of the half - Ellie Noble drove towards goal and picked out Francis at the back post to tap home.
Just three minutes after the restart, one became two thanks to Teisar. Kivel’s cross was headed towards goal by Layla Proctor, with the midfielder’s effort ricocheting off the crossbar and down to the feet of Teisar, to tap home.
Argyle pushed on and found another, just three minutes later. The ball found its way to Francis on the right side of the 18-yard box, who put the tie to bed with a tidy finish across the goal.
Oxford United (H) – Third Round
A spot in the final eight was secured in dramatic fashion for Argyle, coming from behind to beat Oxford United 3-2 at Home Park.
After falling two goals behind in the first half, with Nicole Barrett and Emma Thompson finding the net, goals from Proctor, Noble, and a Poole penalty after the break handed Argyle victory in awful conditions.
Oxford took the lead in the first half, through Barrett’s ricocheted strike and Thompson’s close-range flicked finish past the diving Hermione Cull.
A half-time team talk and substitution of Poole onto the pitch worked wonders for Argyle, however. Just before 10 minutes were played in the second half, Hourihan’s side found the goal to get back into the tie, thanks to Proctor’s header from a corner.
In the 81st minute, the Greens were awarded a free-kick in shooting range. With the angle favouring a right-footer, Noble stepped up from 25 yards out - and it was special.
The shot curled over the wall, off the crossbar, and down into the back of the net. The shot, amazing; the celebrations, even better.
Argyle, though, wanted a winner, and a minute after the restart, Teisar drove forward and was brought down in the area, with referee Gareth Dunn awarding a penalty. Up stepped Poole and, with great aplomb, she fired into the corner of the net, sealing victory for the Greens.
Lewes (A) – Quarter-final
Argyle secured their place in the semi-final of the League Cup with an outstanding 3-0 victory over Lewes.
Poole’s brace and a Teisar second-half goal, alongside a comprehensive defensive performance, propelled the Greens into the final four of the competition in horrendous conditions at The Dripping Pan.
The deadlock was broken in the 18th minute, when Poole picked up the ball by the Lewes 18-yard box, swivelled and fired a low-driven effort into the bottom left corner, past the diving Emily Moore.
For the second, Poole picked off a loose pass across the backline from the hosts, drove forward, confidently took the ball around Moore and poked the ball home into an open goal.
Seven minutes later, Teisar added the third. Poole was involved once again, with her shot being pushed away by the Lewes goalkeeper, but Teisar put the ball in with her knee to secure Argyle’s spot in the semi-final.
Burnley (H) – Semi-final
Argyle faced Burnley, the team top of the Northern equivalent division, and a side who came to Devon unbeaten in the league and in this competition. In fact, the only other side to have beaten the Clarets this season are Manchester United, in the Adobe Women's FA Cup.
When Millie Ravening put Burnley in front, things looked ominous. However, Argyle equalised just before half-time, through Tianna Teisar, and this gave the Greens confidence.
Teisar won a penalty, which Phoebie Poole converted, and then Teisar scored her second, knocking in a rebound from an Ellie Noble shot.
Poole made it 4-1 in stoppage time, to seal Argyle’s place in the final.
