Argyle progressed into the final eight of the FA Women’s National League Cup on Sunday afternoon, with an exciting 3-2 comeback win over Oxford United.
In rainy conditions at Home Park, second-half goals from Layla Proctor, Ellie Noble, and Phoebie Poole turned the tie in the Greens’ favour, after Oxford took a 2-0 lead through Nicole Barrett and Emma Thompson.
With a place in the quarter-finals secured, Head Coach Marie Hourihan shared her delight with the final result but emphasised the need to battle for 90 minutes in future games in order to progress as far as possible.
“If ever there was a time that you could describe that as ‘a game of two halves’, I definitely think today was the day,” Hourihan laughed as she spoke to Argyle TV. “In the first half, we must give Oxford credit. I thought they were better than us with their intensity, intention on the ball, and aggression; they showed a lot more appetite than we did. They went into the break with a 2-0 lead and deserved it, in my opinion.
“They scored quite an early goal, and it probably knocked our confidence a little bit, and we may have lost our way slightly. We had some words at half-time, sorted some things out and corrected where things were starting to break down, and started to switch the ball with a lot more quality straight away in the second half. I think you saw the intent in the first 20 seconds, with us winning a corner.
“The aggression and appetite were so much better in the second half. That reaction was what I wanted. We'd given ourselves a mountain to climb, but I think anyone who watched that second half saw the momentum and energy that we had. We were relentless with our approach, so the pleasing factor for me was that reaction.
“We know we can't allow ourselves 45 minutes to get a real foothold in the game, and we must maintain that consistency when we start games and stamp our authority earlier on.
“At the end of the day, we were 2-0 down and we've come back to win 3-2. To show that resiliency is really pleasing, but we move on to another game against the same opponent next week, which will be a completely different game, and we need to be better prepared and better with our intentions when we start the game.”
Of Argyle’s goals, Proctor’s header got the Greens back into the tie, but Noble’s long-range free-kick and Poole’s conversion from the spot will undoubtedly be talking points for the Green Army.
Hourihan could not hold back a smile when talking about the big impact that both made in the second half of the tie.
She said: “From any sort of range, Ellie's got unbelievable capability with both feet. I think she’s needed to build her confidence a bit into believing in herself a little bit more, but you saw today, and you've seen previously, that she's got unbelievable technique in striking the ball. It's a massive asset for us.
“She was another player who massively stood up in the second half, I thought, and really pulled and drove the team along.
“Phoebie epitomised that second-half performance; with the ball, without the ball, her quality when the ball was played in, it stuck. She released players and her runs in behind, out of possession play, press, and intensity were all excellent. I knew I'd get that reaction from Phoebie because that's the type of player that she is, and it's now our job to keep elevating her.
“She's definitely a player that can really push on and play at a higher level, and there are aspirations to play for her national side as well, which we are trying to really support her with.
“I thought today she was excellent, very similar to Ellie. They were both real standouts in terms of leading the team.”
