After qualifying for Europe, Cardiff Metropolitan skipper Bradley Woolridge says this season has been the best in the clubs history.
The 26-year-old lifted the Nathaniel MG Cup in January and the Play-Off Cup on Sunday in what has been a memorable season for the Students.
Met have gone viral, receiving recognition from around the world for qualifying for the Europa League, having been in the fourth tier of Welsh football six years ago.
The Student Wellbeing PhD student said: To win the Nathaniel MG Cup was massive for us.
“It’s always been a dream for us to get into Europe. A lot of us have been here since Division Three, we never ever thought we’d get this far. It has to be the best season in the clubs history.
Much has been said on the Student background of the club since news broke of their qualification.
The club find themselves in a unique situation compared to their other preliminary round opponents.
Met don’t pay their players and won’t do so even with the £193k windfall the club will receive for playing in Europe.
So for these Met players, they have to sacrifice their summers to get ready for the football season.
“We’ve got a couple of weeks off and we’re straight back in, it’s going to be a quick turnaround.
“It means a lot, not just for me but the boys who played today, the first team and the second.
“There’s a lot of us who put the hours in. We start pre-season in July.
“Other university students don’t come back until September. It’s a big commitment we have to make.
“We’ll try and rest the best we can. Wherever we go it’ll be an amazing journey for us.”
This season has been one of redemption for the Met.
Having suffered two consecutive Europa League playoff final defeats and a Nathaniel MG Cup defeat last season, the Archers have gone one better.
Not only did they beat Cambrian BGC to win their first ever League Cup, but they beat Bala to get over their final hoodoo.
Those days of heartbreak have been used as motivation to beat Bala.
“We get to finals that it’s such a big occasion that the occasion overrides the game.We spoke about that the last couple of weeks, we’ve had the experience and that’s helped us.
“Considering it’s taken us three Cup finals to get into Europe, it means a lot to us to get the job done.”
(Featured Image: Matthew Lofhouse)
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