Iain Darbyshire: Bluebirds squad “best I’ve had” ahead of new campaign

Cardiff City Women manager Iain Darbyshire has hailed the quality of his squad ahead of the new Adran Premier campaign. 

The Bluebirds had a positive season last time out, finishing third in the league and reaching the League Cup final. 

Darbyshire has moved quickly this summer to freshen and bolster his squad, making a number of new signings. 

Megan Saunders and Seren Watkins have joined from Pontypridd Town, formerly known as Cyncoed Ladies; Amy Williams and Zara Mujica sign from Abergavenny Women, as well as the arrival of former Caldicot Town defender Emma Bayliss. 

After a busy summer of recruitment, the Bluebirds boss feels that his squad is now the strongest it’s been since he took on the role.

“I think we’ve had a summer of transition. We’ve moved a few players on who didn’t quite fit what we’re looking to do and there were some who wanted more game-time. We had open and honest conversations with them. 

“We’ve brought players in who fit what we’re looking to do. They’re young, talented players who are looking to challenge. They’re players with international caps and are very driven footballers.

“I feel that the squad I’ve got at the moment is the most talented squad I’ve had and I’m really looking forward to working with them. 

“They’ve been great in pre-season. We’re looking forward very positively both on and off the pitch and the new signings have added to that.”

A huge positive last season for Cardiff City Women was the breakout season of Phoebie Poole.

In her first season for the Bluebirds since joining from Barry Town in 2020, Poole netted 22 times in 19 competitive appearances.

Her performances saw her named Welsh Premier Women’s League Young Player of the Season. 

After a stellar campaign for Poole, Darbyshire expressed the value of the attacker to the Bluebirds’ side.

“Phoebie is one of the most talented players that I’ve coached, she’s got a very bright future ahead of her. 

“She’s got her head screwed on. She’s always asking how she can improve, what she can do better and reflecting on her own performances. That’s exactly what you want to see from one of your better players. 

“We’ve got high hopes for Phoebie. We’re delighted she’s still with us. We’ll hang onto her for as long as we can and we’ll use her skills to our advantage while we have her. 

“Hopefully, this season, she can go one step further and finish top scorer, score a lot more goals and that’s what we’re looking for. 

“To be up there, you have to score goals. She was our top scorer last season and it took her a couple of months to get into things. If she’d have had a full season, I’m very confident she would have been the top scorer in the league. 

“She’s got to build on that now and if anyone has Phoebie Poole in their squad, they have a massive chance.”

With a recruitment focus on young, talented players in the Adran Premier, Cardiff City Women have one of the youngest squads in the league. 

Although Darbyshire’s side features raw talent, he also stressed the value of a strong core of experienced leaders. 

“They’re massive. If you look at any successful team down the years, they have raw and talented players, but you need them senior players to get them through those tough moments and put their arm around their shoulders. 

“But also, they give just as much as the younger players do. Players like Siobhan Walsh our captain, Cath Walsh our striker, Hannah Daley, Danielle Broadhurst, Zoe Atkins, we’ve got so many players who can help mature these players and it’s good for their development as players as well. 

“They’re seeing these young players come in and it’s making them step up to a level above and that’s what we want. 

“We don’t want them to rest on their laurels and expect to be in the team every week, we want players who can compete, players who want to push on further and that’s exactly what we’ve got. We’ve got a great mix of senior and young players.”

Cardiff City Women had a positive campaign last year, finishing third in the league by recording ten wins, two draws and four losses in their 16 fixtures. 

Darbyshire’s side also reached the Welsh Premier Women’s League Cup final, in which they fell to a 4-1 loss to South Wales rivals Swansea City. 

However, the Bluebirds finished nine points behind second-placed Cardiff Metropolitan University and ten points behind title-winners Swansea. 

Darbyshire expressed a determination to close the gap this season and compete with the league’s top two. 

“We want to be up there and we should be up there with the size of our club, the following we have and the players we have. 

“We’ve underachieved in recent years in my opinion. It’s been a long time since we’ve been challenging for titles. That’s part of my job to turn that around and I feel that we are doing so step by step. 

“We’re also realistic that we have a very young squad with players that are playing international caps at U17’s and U19’s, but it’s about developing those players. 

“We are confident that we will put pressure on the teams above us and that’s all we can do. 

“If we do things right, I believe we can be up there, but it’s not about that end goal, we have to do it in little steps and build that confidence and belief.”

A highlight for the Bluebirds last season were perhaps their positive results against Cardiff Metropolitan University. 

Despite succumbing to a heavy 5-0 loss to the Archers in November, the two sides played out an entertaining 2-2 draw at Leckwith Stadium in which Cardiff City Women felt they deserved the three points. 

In the Welsh Premier Women’s League Cup semi-final at Cyncoed Campus, the Bluebirds achieved the feat of defeating Met, as they progressed to the final with a 3-2 victory. 

After a hat-trick in the semi-final, Pheobie Poole put Cardiff City Women ahead in the final, as they competed well with the double-winning Swans for large parts.

Darbyshire feels that his squad can take confidence from their positive performances against the top two sides last campaign. 

“We’re not far off, but there’s still some big steps to take, not so much from a technical perspective, but it’s about belief. 

“Ultimately, with the way our league goes, if you pick up a good result against Met and Swansea, you’re challenging for the title.

“If we can take points off the top two this season, we know we’ll be up there, but it’s having the belief to do so. 

“Our results previously will give us hope and confidence to do that. It’s given us things to build on and that’s what we’re looking to do. 

“It’s about having that belief that we can take points off these teams and we can be challenging for titles. 

“It is a bit of a confidence boost, but we have to use that to our advantage this season.”

Cardiff City Women begin their Adran Premier campaign with a challenging trip to face Port Talbot Town. 

The Bluebirds claimed 5-1 and 3-0 victories over the Steelwomen last season, who finished fifth in the table. 

Despite securing convincing wins over Port Talbot Town last year, Darbyshire insisted that his side expects a difficult battle. 

“It’s always tough going away to Port Talbot. We know what to expect. They’re going to settle really well. 

“Hayley Williams does a fantastic job there, she’s a credit to our league and their club is a big part of our league. We enjoy going down there, but it’s always a difficult game. 

“We’ve worked on ways we can cause them problems and on the day, it’s down to the players to perform. 

“We’re confident that we can do so, but we’re very aware of the challenge that we’re facing. We’ll be cautious in the game, but we’ll be definitely looking to win and get those three points.”

(Featured Image: Mike James)