Argyle Women continued their hunt for promotion to the Women’s Super League 2 with a 9-0 victory over Billericay Town.
The game in Essex was dominated by the Greens from the get-go, with constant threat and pressure prevailing on a grey afternoon at the New Lodge.
Una Lue’s hat-trick was her first in Argyle colours, with the remaining six goals being split amongst four goalscorers. Olivia Francis and Tianna Teisar both scored a brace, with Ellie Noble and Katie Wilson adding the other two.
First place in the Southern Premier Division is still in reach for the Greens, but a win for Watford against AFC Wimbledon mean that the Golden Girls hold the top spot ahead of Marie Hourihan’s side. AFC Bournemouth sit in third, but have two games in hand, after being involved in FAWNL Cup action on the weekend.
Head Coach Hourihan was pleased with the overall result in Essex, but felt that the first-half performance could have been improved upon in the second half.
“We went 6-0 up in the first half, and I thought, for 25 minutes, we were exceptional,” Hourihan told Argyle TV. “We did all the things we spoke about beforehand. We knew that we were going to come up against a block today, and it was about being patient, taking the opportunities to be clinical in the moments and recognising the moments when we needed to play through or around this team.
“For 25 minutes, I thought we were excellent. We scored four goals within that period, and some of them were very good. That was obviously very pleasing to go in at the break with that lead, but in my mind, it was a case of us keeping our foot on the gas to keep in contention with the top two, looking at goal difference as well as a big factor.
“To finish the game 9-0, from the outside looking in, everyone would be pleased, and it's a very good scoreline, but from our perspective, we've got to be more clinical in some of those moments and recognise that our decision making at times needs to be more refined. I think that is the best way of putting it.
“The other teams we're competing against still have to come here and play, so we've got to take those opportunities when they come. Sometimes we’ve got to be more diligent and have the awareness to work out - do we need to be that high? Can we drop off an extra yard? And allow for human error, in terms of decisions? These are the things that we’ve got to get better at.
“The pleasing thing for me today was that our goals came from eight, nine, or ten passages of play which led into the final balls, whether it's crosses or through balls. We've spent a lot of time and effort looking at how we can break these teams down, be more patient and wait for the opportunities to open rather than being impatient, forcing play and getting more frustrated.
“No game is a given. It’s easy to get casual at times, and, for me, it was important that it didn't happen. Come the end of the season, goal difference could be a huge factor. We've come here today, scored some excellent goals, and kept that clean sheet.”
The week ahead for the Greens is a busy one. A Wednesday night Devon Derby against Exeter City in the County Cup precedes an important semi-final tie in the League Cup against Burnley at Home Park on Sunday.
Hourihan has made her approach to the local competition clear from minute one, handing youth players the opportunity to get minutes against senior opposition. With the chance of reaching a final at hand on the weekend, all staff have made it clear that managing load is a key task over the next seven days.
She said: “We've said this before; the County Cup is an opportunity for us to blood in a lot of our younger players. That's certainly what we're going to look to do on Wednesday and give an opportunity to those Under-18s who have been training with us quite regularly.
“There's a massive game at the end of the week against the full-professional Burnley. We must be resourceful in how we apply ourselves this week and ensure we manage our players so that we go into a game, against a professional outfit, prepared and ready.
“Wednesday will be a chance to give our younger talent the opportunity that they deserve.”
