Pontypridd Town’s Alison Witts has hailed the club’s positive start to the Adran Premier season.
The striker has played her part in recording six points from their opening three games.
With a clash against Aberystwyth Town at the USW Sports Park next up, Witts was full of praise for her teammates’ start.
“It’s been a really positive start. It’s so nice to be in a position where you’ve had a good start and have something to build on.
“I think we’re really happy within the club and how things are going. Everyone is in a good headspace at the moment, so it’s a nice environment to be in.”
Pontypridd Town began their campaign in perfect fashion a 2-1 win over league newcomers The New Saints.
After netting from the penalty spot, Witts scored the winner with a shrewd finish on-the-turn.
The striker expressed that three points on the opening day has given the club a real platform so far this season.
“I think we all wanted to go there and hit the ground running for the season. It was a long trip up to TNS but I think we were all really happy to put in a decent performance and get the three points.
“I guess there was a little bit of pressure on that game. It was more the unknown because TNS are new to the league this year so we couldn’t really go on what they did last season. We weren’t sure what they were going to bring to the table.
“It was really important for us to go there and put in a performance to show that we deserve to be in the league and that we can perform against those teams.
“I was really pleased with getting two goals on the day. It probably should have been a few more but it was a really positive start to the season for me.
“As a striker, I want to be scoring goals and playing well, not just for myself but I know that my goals can contribute to the team’s results, which is really important for me.”
Having recorded victory on the opening day, Pontypridd then faced the huge challenge of facing Swansea City.
The Swans are back-to-back Adran Premier champions and went the whole of last season unbeaten.
Fern Burrage-Male’s side succumbed to a 2-0 defeat thanks to goals from Katy Hosford and Chloe Chivers.
Despite falling to their first loss of the season, Witts insisted that the performance was hugely positive.
“We went in at half-time at 0-0 knowing that we had put in a really strong performance.
“It was disappointing for us come away with a 2-0 loss. I’m not sure a lot of teams would say that about playing Swansea because it was a valiant effort.
“There’s a lot to take from that game. We played some really good football and had defensive shape.
“Taking those things and pushing them forward into the next games is going to be really important for us.”
Despite a valiant performance, Witts expressed that the first defeat of the campaign came with a huge amount of disappointment.
However, the striker stressed that feeling aggrieved to lose 2-0 to the champions shows the club’s ambition to compete.
“Every game this season, we’re not going to accept being rolled over by those teams. We want to compete with the top teams and be sitting in the top four come Christmas time.
“It’s really important for us to put in those kind of performances. Maybe a few years ago, that’s not what we were aiming for but this year, we’re striving for bigger and better things and to compete with the teams at the top of the league.
Last time out, Pontypridd bounced back from their defeat to Swansea in impressive style, securing a narrow 1-0 victory at Port Talbot Town’s Victoria Road, a notoriously difficult place to go to for an away side.
As Carys Bufton netted a late winner, Witts expressed that the victory was a big step for the club.
“It seems that Port Talbot is a bit of a tough ground for us to go to. We probably didn’t put in the best of performances against them.
“It was disappointing from that aspect, but on the flipside, if you don’t play well but still coming away with three points, that’s something that Cyncoed probably wouldn’t have achieved last season.
“It just shows the additional steps that we’re taking as Pontypridd, so that’s a massive positive.”
Burrage-Male’s side now host Aberystwyth Town at the USW Sports Park looking for back-to-back wins.
The Seasiders have recorded one win and two losses in their opening three games, with those defeats coming against Cardiff City and Cardiff Met.
Aberystwyth look much improved this season under Gavin Allen and Witts admitted that she is expecting a tough game, but a win would be huge for the side’s momentum.
“It’s probably a similar situation to Port Talbot. We know Aberystwyth aren’t going to be rolled over.
“They’re always a tough game and put up a fight. They’ll want to prove that they deserve to be in this league just as much as we do.
“I think it’ll be a really physical game. It’s a big positive that we’re at home, where it’s so important to pick up three points.
“Building momentum would be massive for us. After the win at Port Talbot, if we can build on that and put in a positive performance this weekend, get the three points, it’d put us in a really good position for the next couple of weeks.
“We have a few tough games against Cardiff City and Cardiff Met coming up, so having back-to-back wins going into that would give everyone a positive mindset.”
Pontypridd Town have ambitious goals for this Adran Premier season and for the years to come.
Witts expressed that the club want to be competing at the top of the league, but a top four finish would be a huge step in the right direction.
“We want to be winning and competing with the best so winning against the likes of Aberystwyth is important for finishing in the top four and we can try to compete with teams like Swansea City, Cardiff City and Cardiff Met.
“That’s what we strive for as a club, so winning games like this weekend is really important.
“Top four is definitely the aim. That would be a good starting point. It’s difficult when there’s a few new teams in the league and you don’t know what to expect, but we strive to be up there competing with the best so finishing in the top four would be a good step in doing that.
(Featured Image: Darren Griffiths)
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