Plymouth Argyle Women have the chance to take revenge on local rivals Exeter City at Home Park this weekend. The two teams face off in the Adobe FA Cup on Sunday afternoon, and Argyle will be hoping for a better result against the Grecians this time round, after being condemned to a tough 3-0 defeat against the same opponents in October.
Greens’ boss Ryan Perks spoke to the club’s media on Thursday afternoon. He said: “We had a good crowd here last time, so hopefully we can get the same in and people can get behind the team and hopefully we can get a better result than last time.”
Almost 2000 fans travelled to Home Park on a Wednesday night in October for the last women’s Devon derby in the Women’s National League Southern Premier Division, which ended disappointingly for the Pilgrims, who will be looking for a more positive result this time round.
The magnitude of the derby is certainly not lost on the players, which former Chelsea defender and summer signing Caitlin Smith made clear alongside her coach at the club’s press conference. She said: “That was one of the first things I learned when I got here is that it’s a huge, huge game.” Fans will be pleased to hear that the importance of the fixture is not lost on the newer members of the squad, and the support of those in the stadium is appreciated. Smith said: “Even with the result last time, the fans were behind us the whole game. It was probably one of the best atmospheres I’ve ever played in.”
It has been an inconsistent start to the 2024/25 season for Perks’ Greens, with impressive wins against MK Dons and Poole Town standing out, alongside heavy defeats to Ipswich Town and Cheltenham Town, and of course October’s derby defeat. The head coach will be hoping that a strong performance against City in the cup can set the tone for the rest of the season, in front of what is set to be a noisy crowd at Home Park on Sunday.
Plymouth Argyle Women – Exeter City Women (Home Park, Sunday 24 November 2024, KO 1pm)