Argyle were held to a goalless draw on Sunday afternoon in Wales by a defensively strong Gwalia United side.
Both sides are fighting battles at different ends of the FAWNL Southern Premier Division table, but could not be separated when it came to 90+ minutes of football at USW Sports Park.
The Greens had chances in the game compared to their opponents, but a Benedicte Haaland penalty save and a bit of luck with the crossbar on their side meant Gwalia held on and pulled a positive point away from the game.
For Argyle, Head Coach Marie Hourihan was disappointed and felt her side had been drawn into the game plan set by the hosts, thus making the promotion challenge harder, as Watford picked up three points in a victory over Oxford United.
“We have to give Gwalia the credit today,” Hourihan told Argyle TV. “They did everything that we thought that they would do, frustrated us and made it a very first-ball-second-ball game. We played into their hands and got sucked in, but I think the most disappointing thing for me is that, despite not playing anywhere near our capabilities, we've still created four or five clear opportunities to take this game.
“For me, the biggest takeaway is that our clinical nature and being ruthless in front of goal were certainly missing today, and ultimately, that's cost us.
“This result is a massive reality check. Last weekend was fantastic and amazing, but you've got to be consistent. If you want to win the league and cup finals, you’ve got to be consistent and relentless, and that's something that we are not at the moment.
“We still are a very young women's team. We've come a long way in a short space of time but, in my opinion, there's still a long way to go and we need to be better.
“We’ve got a bit of time before the Exeter game [on 18 February], and we will have to be significantly better. We always reflect and review; there are a lot of things that we can be better at.
“Taking the positives out of the situation, we've kept a clean sheet. Ella [Stowell] has come in today and done very well on her debut, but we've set really high standards for ourselves. I think we have come a long way, but I think today has also highlighted that if you do want to achieve big things and win, you've got to be consistent, and we have to be better.”
