We talk to ... Leah Burridge (Plymouth Argyle)

Plymouth Argyle have moved into second place in the FAWNL Southern Premier Division after an impressive 5-1 victory against Yeovil Town on Sunday, their third league win in a row.

We talked to Plymouth midfielder Leah Burridge, who described her team’s performance against Yeovil as “outstanding” and admitted that the ambitious side are setting their sights on challenging for at least a top three place in the league:

Leah Burridge (Plymouth Argyle)

WSS: That was an impressive result from you on Sunday, was it an impressive performance by the team as well?

LB: Sunday’s fixture against Yeovil was definitely an outstanding performance from all the players across the pitch. As a team, we were all mentally and physically ready and by far the more resilient team on the day. There were a lot of nerves from former Yeovil players, including myself, knowing it would be one of our biggest challenges, but we didn’t let this affect us.

WSS: Your team has quite a few former Yeovil players such as Tasha Knapman, Jessie Jones, Helen Bleazard and yourself to name a few, do you think that gave the team a bit of extra incentive on the day?

LB: I believe that a lot of the former Yeovil players were very motivated and wanted to prove a point. It was important that we remained focused and played to the best of our abilities.

WSS: After having lost your first two matches of the season, was it the win at Gillingham that really kick started the campaign for you?

LB: I believe that our result against Crawley Wasps was just unlucky. As a team we deserved to walk away with at least a point. Having picked up three points from Gillingham, I do believe this was the turning point for us.

WSS: The win over Yeovil has taken you up into second place in the table, how confident are you of keeping this good form going?

LB: Having now gone up to second place in the league it has given us a positive feel within the squad. I believe that as a team, if we don’t let our standards drop and we keep working hard, we will find ourselves in a very good position to be finishing within the top three of the league.

WSS: This week you start a run of five straight away games in the league when you travel to Hounslow, what kind of game are you expecting there?

LB: Having not played Hounslow before, we can only look at the the first few results from them. I believe that we should be looking to pick up three points from this game. However, I’m sure Hounslow won’t make this easy for us as they will also be looking to pick up their first win of the season.

WSS: Given where you are located, does it make it tougher when having to undertake so many long journeys for away matches?

LB: I am quite used to the lengthy journeys now! Having played for former club Yeovil Town Ladies, playing Manchester City in midweek, I generally feel that I am used to the longer journeys and how I prepare myself.

WSS: The division is showing signs that it could be a closely contested one at the top, do you think it could turn out that way?

LB: I believe that it’s still early days and there is a long way to go with the league just yet. As a player for Plymouth Argyle Ladies, we are pushing for promotion and I do believe there will only be one or two teams pushing for this.

WSS: The next level up from this division is the Championship, what do you think it would mean for Plymouth Argyle and the area if you were able to get there in the future?

LB: As a club, we are more than ready and always looking to take the next steps forward. We have a great backing from the men’s club who are allowing us to play some games at Home Park, which is a great experience for us to get a real feel of what surfaces we could be looking to play on if we go up. I feel that this will give us a bigger fan base and will inspire a lot young girls and women wanting to participate in the women’s game.

Our thanks to Leah!