Argyle Women’s season ended in devastating fashion with a 1-0 defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the FAWNL Play-off final.
Had Argyle won the game, played at Burton Albion’s Pirelli Stadium, they would have been promoted to WSL2, but instead it will be Wolves taking a spot in the second tier of English women’s football.
Charlotte Greengrass’s second-half goal, after picking up the ball from an error at the back, ended up being the deciding strike after 90 minutes of high-intensity football.
For Argyle, Hermione Cull returned between the sticks from the week prior against Real Bedford, with Ella Stephens, Arabella Suttie, Katie Wilson, and Roisin Kivel placed in front. Paris Dalton and Layla Proctor claimed their normal positions as a holding two, with the attacking group of Olivia Francis, Ellie Noble, and Tianna Teisar providing support for Phoebie Poole.
Argyle had been through the motions of a premiere FAWNL fixture before, with their cup final appearance earlier this season, so the smoke, pyrotechnics and national anthem came familiarly to them.
Kick-off followed, and it was all Argyle from the get-go. Early chances for Poole went amiss, due to saves from Alex Brooks, with corners following and causing more problems for Wolves, but not enough to fully test the opponents’ number one.
Quickly, though, the affair turned into chaos, with attacking and counter-play from both sides becoming a feature of the game. Cull was forced into two excellent punches from corners, as Wolves pushed, but it was the Greens who had the better chances.
In the 20th minute, Argyle should have taken the lead. Francis latched onto the end of a Noble through ball, drove forward and got an effort away across goal, but it was somehow dragged wide. Noble also had a shot from the edge of the box which Brooks saved superbly.
Wolves were shown two yellow cards – to Louanne Worsey and Lyndsey Harkin - for fouls, but soon enough the half-time whistle was blown with the game goalless.
Neither side made any changes at the break and, soon enough, we were back in play. Argyle seemed to come firing out of the gates, but Wolves quickly regained composure and applied high pressure, which was catching Hourihan’s side out.
Greengrass was the main instigator and chance maker, forcing Cull into an important save before a one-on-one, which seemed a sure goal, hit the woodwork. The forward did everything right to get away from two trailing Argyle defenders, but the finish lacked composure, hitting the post and bouncing back into play.
Just after the hour mark, Wolves broke the deadlock. Greengrass stole the ball from a loose Suttie touch and finished home into an open goal, with Cull out of position after looking to play forward to the Greens’ defender.
In the 67th minute, the already booked Worsey committed a late foul on Teisar, sending Argyle fans, staff and players into a frenzy, but no second yellow was shown, with the midfielder substituted seconds later.
Hourihan turned to her bench, making four changes over the remaining period of the game, and momentum swiftly shifted in Argyle’s favour, but to no avail. Poole came closest in the 83rd minute, through a flicked effort, with a Charlotte Whitmore header also causing some problems for Wolves.
The final attacking chance of the game was a Tamara Wilcock header. The attempt was saved onto the post and cleared away before the full-time whistle was blown, ending the game - and Argyle’s season.
Argyle: 1 Hermione Cull, 6 Layla Proctor (2 Una Lue, 85), 9 Phoebie Poole, 11 Roisin Kivel (capt), 14 Katie Wilson (18 Caitlin Smith, 85), 16 Ella Stephens, 17 Paris Dalton, 19 Ellie Noble, 23 Olivia Francis (15 Tamara Wilcock, 77). 24 Tianna Teisar (7 Charlotte Whitmore, 85), 26 Arabella Suttie. Substitutes: 33 Ella Stowell (gk), 3 Phoebe Hampson, 5 Giota Papaioannou.
Wolves: 1 Alex Brooks, 2 Lyndsey Harkin, 3 Anna Morphet (capt), 5 Georgia Marshall, 7 Tammi George (21 Casey Howe, 90), 11 Amber Hughes (24 Chloe Williams), 12 Charlotte Greengrass, 19 Becky Anderson, 22 Beth Roberts, 28 Beth Merrick (17 Katie Johnson, 84), 36 Louanne Worsey (18 Amy Sims, 69). Substitutes: 40 Elise Stocking (gk), 16 Racheal Quigley, 27 Abbi Jenner.
Goal: Greengrass 64.
Yellow cards: Worsey 37, Harkin 39, Morphet 57.
