Argyle Women’s season came to an end on Monday afternoon, after they were defeated by Wolverhampton Wanderers in the FAWNL play-off final.
Charlotte Greengrass’s goal in the second half separated the two sides, with Wolves coming away from the Pirelli Stadium, the home of Burton Albion, as 1-0 victors.
Chances fell to Phoebie Poole, Olivia Francis and Ellie Noble in the first half, and Charlotte Whitmore and Tamara Wilcock in the second, but the important goal never came Argyle’s way.
Head Coach Marie Hourihan, along with staff and players, shared hugs and words after the full-time whistle was blown, but it will understandably hurt for some time, despite the extremely positive season when compared to years gone by.
“The way that we performed today, certainly in that first half, I felt warranted a lot more from the game,” Hourihan told Argyle TV. “I’m really disappointed, not just the players and staff, but also for the supporters that have come today and stuck behind us all season. This has been a culmination of 10 months of pure graft, and to come and perform and not get the result that we wanted is disappointing.
“This season we've achieved things that have never been achieved at this women's football club, finishing in the league position on 52 points off the back of the previous season is unheard of, and to also back that up with a League Cup final as well, there's loads of things this season that we can be immensely proud of. As you can imagine, right now, it's a bit of a tough one to take, but over the coming days and weeks, it is certainly something that we can reflect on with immense pride.
“I've always said the Green Army is a testament to the football club because they travel the length and breadth of the country to be with us. Today, I thought they added to the atmosphere and made it a really electric place. At times, it was end-to-end, and the players needed that energy, and I thought they really brought it in absolute abundance.
“In football, there's always a winner and a loser, and unfortunately, in the last two big occasions, we've been on the wrong end of it. You've got to learn from these. You've got to take these experiences and channel them in the right way so that when you do get another opportunity, you make that next step.
“We've got a very young group of players, and this is their first real experience of consistently winning. This will be an opportunity for them to be able to build upon and, going on into the rest of their career, something that they will look back on and will help them.”
