Reaction | AFC Wimbledon 1-2 Argyle Women

Argyle Women picked up an important and much-needed three points with a last-gasp 2-1 victory over AFC Wimbledon at the Cherry Red Records Stadium on Sunday.

A Charlotte Whitmore brace, with the winning goal coming in the 96th minute, propelled the Greens out of the relegation zone and back to PL2 full of jubilation.

Assistant head coach Jon Dawe had nothing but praise for the gritty and determined 90-minute performance in South West London, and the continued growth of the Greens since the turn of the New Year.

“[It was] just a fantastic effort from the girls,” Dawe told Argyle TV. “It was just incredible. They're a special group and deserve everything that they get. 

“Losing Giota [Papaioanou] very early on with an injury could have unsettled us, but I thought young Amii Kearley stepped in and did a magnificent job to see us over the line alongside Caitlin [Smith]. I thought it was a resolute performance from everyone. 

“This group of players, based on that performance today, are more than capable of staying in this division. I think that they will build on this even more and take that forward, hopefully, into Oxford next week.

“I thought Charlotte was fantastic today. We did identify that particular area that we were getting in numerous times down that side.

“We spoke to the girls about trying to play those quick slide passes forward where we can exploit Char’s pace, and they did. I think the way she held her nerve for the winner, inessentially the last minute of the game, was just top class.” 

Whitmore’s three goal contributions in two games have helped Argyle secure an important six points in a tight battle at the bottom of the table. After the game, with a beaming smile, she could not fathom what had happened on the pitch in Wimbledon.

“I'm speechless, to be honest,” Whitmore told Argyle TV. “It was a good shift from every single player on the pitch today. We managed to nick it at the last minute and take all three points.

“I didn't believe it [when I scored the winner]. I just saw it rolling into the back of the net! I’d caught it well but it's down to the hard work of everyone that we kept pushing until the end. I don't think we can fault anyone on the pitch, or the players that came on off the bench. I thought the support was unbelievable.

“We never had any doubt in any one of the girls that we'd be able to get out of it [the relegation battle]. Hopefully, we can, obviously depending on results, start looking up the table and start pushing for more points.”