Argyle head along the south coast this weekend to face AFC Bournemouth in an FAWNL Southern Premier Division battle that will go a long way to deciding the promotion prospects of the two sides.
With the season nearing its end, the trip to face the Cherries holds a lot of weight. Argyle currently sit in second place on 43 points, three points ahead of the hosts this weekend, but Bournemouth have two games in hand.
As for Watford, the league leaders, a one-point advantage and a game in hand over Argyle puts them in good stead to face Hashtag United on Sunday afternoon.
All Argyle players and staff know that three wins from three to end the season would allow a potential play-off or promotion berth, but a challenging 90 minutes awaits at The Ringwood Community Hub.
Head Coach Marie Hourihan has ensured her side enters the match full of confidence, following wins over Exeter City, AFC Wimbledon, Lewes and Cheltenham Town in the league. However, she also wants her team to remain fully focused on the afternoon’s action rather than the potential ramifications that might follow.
“For us, it's another league game, and we will do our normal preparation as we would do with any other game,” Hourihan told Argyle TV. “We've got a normal lead in, so the approach in terms of the process doesn't change. Now we’re into the final three games of the season, we have ensured that we’re realigning the importance of the players performing individual responsibilities, knowing the plan and the structure that we're looking to put into the game and being fully prepared.
“We need to go into the game with confidence and momentum from the previous few weeks, but every game is different. Bournemouth are in very good form and have had a really good league campaign, so they’re in a similar position to us. From an outsider's perspective, it's an exciting game, and there's a lot riding on it, but I think from our side, we're treating it in isolation of the situation of what the game is.
“One of the biggest things in football is instilling confidence. Football is fluid and constantly changes. Things are going to happen in the game, momentum is going to shift, and it's about making sure that the players feel prepared for those moments, and that they've got confidence and self-belief.
“We've got to allow them to go out and express themselves in the game and feel confident and comfortable to do that. That's my main prerogative this week.
“The last few weeks of training have been good. The intensity and the energy levels have been excellent. We've had a fully fit squad leading into the previous few weeks of games, so confidence and spirits are high, and we've got to use that.
“We're going to ensure that we maintain that confidence and energy levels throughout the 90 minutes.”
Both sides head into the league game on Sunday in a unique position - just six days separate this match and an FAWNL Cup Final clash at MATRADE Loftus Road, the home of QPR.
Hourihan has followed the belief of taking one game at a time the whole season and has labelled that as a priority for the upcoming double-header against the Cherries.
She said: “There's a quicker turnaround for us, because we're playing this Sunday and then again on the following Saturday, but it is in two different competitions. I've said this a lot this season, and it’s a bit of a cliche, but we’re taking it one game at a time.
“There are different circumstances for each game, so our approach might be slightly different to each game, but for me, we can't look past this weekend. Once that's done, then we can obviously look forward to celebrating being in the cup final, but also the game itself.
“The full focus and priority right now is this Sunday’s game and making sure that we go into that game fully prepared. They've had a phenomenal season, brought in a lot of very good players with experience from the leagues above, and have performed really well.
“They play an attacking brand of football, and can see that from scoring lots of goals this season, similar to ourselves in some respects. Overall, it’ll be an exciting game between two teams that will go for it and are really trying to impose themselves and dominate the game.
“From a neutral perspective, I think this will be a really good advert for the Women's National League. We've got two weeks of it, so let the games begin!”
