Ipswich Town Women host Plymouth Argyle at the Goldstar Ground, Felixstowe this afternoon, the first of five home FA National League Southern Premier Division matches on the trot as the Tractor Girls go into the final weeks of their season (KO 2pm).
Joe Sheehan’s side, whose Women’s FA Cup run came to an end last week when they were narrowly beaten 1-0 by Super League side West Ham, are top of the table by four points from Oxford but with Southampton in third looking the greater threat.
The Saints, who won 2-1 at London Bees on Wednesday, are seven points behind the Blues but with three games in hand. Both they and the U’s are among the five visitors to the Goldstar with Southampton making the trip to Suffolk next Sunday and Oxford on April 24th. A trip to Portsmouth on the final day is Town’s only remaining away match.
Reflecting on last week’s big cup tie, which was watched by a record Goldstar Ground crowd of 2,000, midfielder Lucy O’Brien said: "I think it was an unbelievable experience. It’s a great achievement for any team to get to the last eight in the country and for us to do it as a third-tier team with such a young squad, that’s an unbelievable achievement.
"To get 2,000 down at the Goldstar, to sell it out and have them supporting us for the entirety of the 90 minutes was great. It’s day that many of us will remember for a long time.”
Looking ahead to the quintet of home matches, the 18-year-old added: "It’s going to be great, the support we had on Sunday was unbelievable and all season it’s been great, so to get five games at the Goldstar where we can get as many fans as possible to support us, that’s really going to be a boost.”
Sunday’s game is the second double-header against the Pilgrims this season, the women’s side having played the Devon team, who are ninth having won seven of their last nine, the day after the men’s match in October.
The Tractor Girls won 5-0 in that game, which was played at Home Park, with O’Brien among the scorers.
"I think it was a good performance, I think we played some really good football, obviously the pitch allowed it, playing at their stadium,” she recalled.
"I think if we can replicate that this weekend, then we’ll be playing well. We can’t be complacent, they’re a team that are fighting a relegation battle, so it’s going to be tough.
"But if we play the good football that we know we can, hopefully we’ll get the three points.”
O’Brien knows that if Town win the next six games they’ll be champions regardless of other clubs’ form.
"We all know how important these last six games are and we all know how much work we need to put in,”she added. "But if we work hard and we play some really good football, then we’ll be in a really great position at the end of the season.”