Ellie Noble’s decision to sign for Plymouth Argyle this summer was a whirlwind.
“I wanted to go somewhere where I was going to enjoy myself and enjoy my football,” she tells SheKicks.net as she looks back on her move to the FA Women’s National League Southern Premier side.
“I remember coming down here, I think it must have been end of August, something like that, just before the season started. I had a look, trained with the team and by the end of the week, I was taking a picture with the shirt on!”
It wasn’t a city she knew well.
“I do remember playing Plymouth years ago when [former club] Oxford first came down into tier 3 – and I remember hating it! It was an overnight trip, it always rained, it was always grey.
“And then when I came down here, [I was] pleasantly surprised.”
She says she has enjoyed exploring the area, dipping her toes into the sea even when the temperature has been a touch chilly: “I live in Oxford, so that wasn’t something that was normal to just be able to have a walk down to the beach!”
Ellie Noble: It’s difficult for clubs to find the right way to invest in their women’s team
Noble spent last season at Blackburn Rovers, where the team avoided relegation to the third tier, but ultimately withdrew from WSL2 as the club’s owners were unwilling to meet the league’s requirements.
“A lot of us Blackburn girls, we could see the direction it was heading in,” she recalls. “Some clarity and communication would have gone a long way.”
The 26-year-old has plenty of experience in the second tier and has no illusions about the cost of running a football club.
“It is difficult for clubs that aren’t blessed with Premier League money to find the right way to invest in their women’s team,” she says. “Here at Argyle, it’s not going to be the same as, say, the Premier League clubs or the WSL2 clubs or, say, a Charlton who have been investing heavily for a long period of time – but I think it has been a breath of fresh air in terms of just having that clarity and seeing what the club are doing.
“It’s one thing investing money, but there’s other things in terms of accommodation, medical help, staff – and being able to see that [at Plymouth] is nice and it’s really pleasing, particularly because you’re working with a club that wants to improve its position.”
Noble: People’s livelihoods are on the line
Noble suffered an ACL injury during her time at Crystal Palace, which cut short her 2022-23 season, and is now getting back to what she thinks is her best form.
“That season at Blackburn was my first season back from the ACL and it was difficult in terms of the way we were playing. We were trying to avoid relegation, so we were playing in a low block, and everything was very defensive-based. The hardest thing I found was trying to gain some consistency just in terms of my performances. That’s harder when you’re in that situation – people’s livelihoods are on the line.
“This season, obviously [I have] gone down a tier, but my consistency and my performances this season have been a lot better. Just having that clear game time every week and just knowing what was needed from me and being able to perform on the pitch has really helped.”
Noble finished the first half of the season in goalscoring form (“a nice surprise!” she confesses), scoring a brace in a 2-1 win against Hashtag United and then another two in a 3-0 win over Real Bedford as Plymouth Argyle held on to second spot going into the winter break.
And they begin 2026 by facing third-placed Watford on Saturday, 3rd January. The two teams know each other well – they have met twice already this season, once in the WNL Cup, when Plymouth picked up a 3-0 away win, and once in the league, when the Golden Girls won 2-0 at Kings Langley.
“We always love playing at home,” says Noble. “We love playing on that Home Park pitch. It’s probably one of the best pitches I’ve played on. So we can’t wait, to be honest.
“It will be a really tough game because we’ve played Watford before in the league and in the cup and we’ve won one, they’ve won one. So it’ll be a battle and they’ve probably got one of if not the strongest squad in the league.
“So even though we’re at home, we know it’s going to be hard, but hopefully we can put a really good performance in.”
