Argyle head to Wales for the first and last time this season, to face Gwalia United at the USW Sports Park on Sunday afternoon.
The Pilgrims, buoyed by their final-reaching victory over Burnley in the FAWNL Cup final last weekend, will look to build upon their high-scoring performance in the last league outing against Billericay Town.
Some good news for Marie Hourihan’s side – December signing and attacking threat Una Lue returns to the squad for selection, after missing out on the Home Park heroics due to being cup-tied.
Although Argyle secured 5-1 and 2-0 victories at Home Park against Gwalia, in league and cup action, earlier this season, Hourihan is ensuring her squad heads into this journey level-headed and understanding that an improved opposition will be the challenge this weekend.
“Certainly, in the last two league fixtures, Gwalia have had some real positive results,” Hourihan told Argyle TV. “They beat Billericay and picked up points away to Hashtag United, which is a difficult place to go. We know that they've changed coaches, and there has been a massive upturn in their performances since then. It’s a game that we need to be wary of and make sure that we go in and start the game the right way.
“At the weekend, it’s fantastic to win that game, but we know that this is going to be a tough challenge. They’ve got a decent record at home, and have had an upturn of fortunes with the new coach coming in.
“They’re going to be confident going into this game, so we need to make sure that we are ready and at it from the very beginning with the different challenges that we are facing. We can't afford to be complacent. We're in a position where we're trying to keep up with the pace of those ahead of us.
“We're into the home straight now with eight league games left – every game matters, every point matters. The message to the players has been quite clear on that front. Yes, it was great to win at the weekend, but if we don't follow it up this weekend, it's going to be a real tough ask in terms of our opportunities in the league.
“Our attention and focus on this game this week have been excellent, and the intensity and energy levels in training have been really good, but I'm under no illusions. This is going to be a tough challenge this weekend.
“There is real competition for places. Players that didn't get minutes on the weekend are really looking good, going well and want to start this weekend. We're in a good place on that front and, for me, it's a good challenge to have. Each game is different, so the approach might be slightly different game to game with who we choose as our starters.
“I think [Gwalia’s] approach will be slightly more aggressive than it was in the previous two games. Their organisation has been good, so we must be really disciplined in possession because on the transition, they are a really dangerous team.
“We didn't control and dominate the ball as much as we would've liked on Sunday, against Burnley, so that is going to be really important going into this weekend.”
