Argyle Women topped Group A of the FAWNL Cup Group Stages with a 6-0 win over Bristol Rovers at Yate Town FC on Sunday afternoon.
Goals from Katie Wilson, Katie Dickson, Tianna Teisar, Giota Papaioannou, and two from Olivia Francis propelled the Greens to a dominant victory and confirmed their spot in the knockout stages of the competition.
Argyle will find out their opponents for the next round on Monday evening, with the draw taking place at 7.15pm on the FAWNL Instagram account.
Head Coach Marie Hourihan felt her side could have been more effective in the opening 45 minutes of the game, but was delighted with the overall results and progression in the competition.
“The main objective was to win the game and top the group, and we achieved that,” Hourihan told Argyle TV. “I think it was a tale of two halves. We were slow and lethargic in the first half, and yes, we went in one-nil up, but in terms of our standards, our play was just a little bit sloppy, slow, and predictable as well. We spoke about it at half time, and you saw, within the first three or four minutes of the second half, the difference in tempo, the ball speed, the rotations, everything was a lot quicker.
“Scoring five goals in the second half is further evidence of that, but like I said, the main objective was achieved. We’ve also managed to rotate and give players minutes, so overall, it's been a very good day, but we’ve got to give credit to Bristol Rovers.
“They were in a block and made it difficult. We’ve just got to be a little bit smarter in those situations and recognise what's going to get us success against that type of block. I think in the second half, we did that a lot more effectively and as a result, scored and created a lot more clear-cut opportunities. There is a lot for us to take on board from that alone, but this adds momentum for us. It's another win and another clean sheet. We know that we're going into a difficult block of games against some good opposition, so we need to take that with us into next weekend.”
Another exciting moment on Sunday for Argyle was the first-team debut of Chloe Ingrouille. The Under-18s player, who joined the Greens from Guernsey in the summer, came off the bench late in the game, much to the delight of Hourihan.
She said: “It is thoroughly deserved. For me, giving younger players an opportunity is something that I really want to do, and I think Chloe's been a breath of fresh air. She came in and trained with us through the preseason, coming from Guernsey, but she's come back in now after a small break at home, has moved over, and added to the squad.
“We’re all really excited to see how she develops and progresses over the next 12 months with us, as we see real potential in her.”
