Argyle Women continued to apply pressure on their promotion push in the FAWNL Southern Premier Division on Sunday, with a 3-0 win over Cheltenham Town.
Goals from Tianna Teisar, Ellie Noble and Paris Dalton handed the Greens three more points at Home Park, in their penultimate home game of the season, with the visiting Robinesses unable to cause many issues for Marie Hourihan’s side.
The Greens now hold a three-point advantage over third-placed AFC Bournemouth, who dropped points in a 2-2 draw with Exeter City in Devon, but the Cherries still have their games in hand, whilst Watford’s one-point advantage and sole game in hand place them in good stead heading into the final stages of the season.
Head Coach Hourihan made just one change to her starting XI that faced Lewes a week prior, with Ella Stephens replacing Phoebe Hampson on the right side of defence.
Hermione Cull kept the gloves, once again, with Stephens, Arabella Suttie, Katie Wilson and Roisin Kivel as the four in front of the Greens’ number one. Layla Proctor played in front of the defence, with Noble and Tamara Wilcock as more advanced midfielders. Teisar and Olivia Francis played out wide, in support of former Cheltenham forward Phoebie Poole.
The game kicked off and started rather hectically, with neither side controlling possession, but Argyle were hunting early for the opening goal. The first corner of many throughout the 90 came in the fourth minute and caused issues for the visiting side.
Wilson’s left-footed, inswinging delivery picked out Proctor, but the midfielder’s header back across goal found the far post - rather than the back of the net – and bounced back into play.
Suttie had a header of her own moments later, after Argyle recycled play on the right side of the box, but Cheltenham goalkeeper Poppy Irvine dealt with the attempt well and was able to claim easily in her six-yard box.
A flurry of attempts followed over the next 20 minutes, but none were executed well enough to be the decisive opener that Argyle were chasing. Teisar had a close-range effort pushed away from goal, whilst Wilcock could only strike the bar with her shot from inside the box after being played through by Poole into a one-on-one opportunity with Irvine.
Cheltenham did work their way back into the affair slightly. Casi Evans was shown a yellow card for delaying the restart, but it seemed to light a small spark in the visiting side, with a close chance coming in the next stages of the game.
Play down the right ended with a small scramble at the back post to try to turn the ball over the line, which might have happened, but seconds prior the referee had blown the whistle, with the linesman’s offside flag raised, ruling the potential goal out.
More chances fell to Argyle, through Poole and Wilcock, as the game edged closer to half-time, making many feel as though the opener might not come, but in the 44th minute, it did just after Emily Owen had her free-kick saved by Cull in the Argyle goal.
After a barrage of corners for the Greens, and more missed chances, Francis picked up the ball on the right, worked play centrally through Poole, Wilcock and some deflections from Cheltenham bodies, and managed to get a shot away with her left foot. The attempt struck Teisar and ricocheted into the back of the net, leaving the Welsh duo with a look of shock, confusion and happiness combined on their faces.
This was not the last action of the half, however. Captain Kivel created space on the left and delivered a perfect cross to Poole, who cleanly struck towards goal and watched her effort bounce off the crossbar and possibly over the line, but no goal was given.
A second effort came very quickly afterwards, through a header from Poole, but this was off-target and out of play, with referee Rebecca Halford’s whistle following.
After the restart – and one change for Argyle, with Caitlin Smith replacing Suttie – the game continued in the same vein as prior. Wilcock, Proctor and Francis all tried their luck over the first 20-odd minutes, but a second goal could not be found.
In the 65th minute, however, Cheltenham could no longer deal with the mounting pressure, and Noble headed home a Poole cross to double Argyle’s lead and further cement their position in the game.
A flurry of substitutions followed over the next 25 minutes until additional time. Hourihan turned to her bench, bringing on Una Lue, another former Cheltenham forward, who nearly found the back of the net with a curling effort. Dalton, Hampson and Charlotte Whitmore, who returned to action following a spell out through injury, all came on as subs, too.
With the final major chance in the game, Dalton added a third for Argyle, rounding out the scoring with a controlled volley into the bottom left corner and securing the Greens another victory at Home Park in front of the Green Army.
Argyle: 1 Hermione Cull, 6 Layla Proctor (3 Phoebe Hampson, 82), 9 Phoebie Poole (2 Una Lue, 66), 11 Roisin Kivel (capt), 14 Katie Wilson, 15 Tamara Wilcock (17 Paris Dalton, 66), 16 Ella Stephens, 19 Ellie Noble, 23 Olivia Francis, 24 Tianna Teisar (7 Charlotte Whitmore, 97), 26 Arabella Suttie (18 Caitlin Smith, half-time). Substitutes: 33 Ella Stowell (GK), 5 Giota Papaioannou.
Goals: Teisar 44, Noble 65, Dalton 90.
Yellow cards: Poole 42, Wilson 56.
Cheltenham Town: 1 Poppy Irvine, 3 Charlotte Salisbury-Williams, 6 Casi Evans, 7 Amelie Curtis (8 Megan Arnott, 90+2), 9 Bella Hall (17 Karly Norman, 85), 10 Libby Bell, 13 Ffion Llewellyn, 15 Emily Owen (capt), 21 Millie Pullen, 22 Mary Brittain (5 Courtney Jones, 75), 23 Georgia Galley (2 Anais Trinci, 68).
Yellow card: Evans 24.
Red card: Evans 80.
Attendance: 824.
Referee: Rebecca Halford.
