Ffion Ashman: Seasiders eager to compete with league’s elite

This time last year, Aberystwyth Town Women were battling at the bottom of the table, heading into fixtures against the likes of Swansea City expecting defeat. 

Fast-forward to now and the mentality of the Seasiders has completely changed, with the club taking steps to compete with the league’s elite. 

Playing a huge part in the side’s vast improvement this season has been goalkeeper Ffion Ashman. 

The talented shot-stopper expressed that Gavin Allen’s side are keen to further showcase their capabilities to mix it with the very best. 

“When we finished fourth at the end of Phase One, we knew that it couldn’t be the end, we had to keep going.

“We want to try and take as many points from the top three as possible. That would prove a point that we are here to compete, put Aberystwyth on the map and try and finish the season strongly. We want to push on and keep building as a club.”

This weekend, the Seasiders face the almighty task of welcoming league-leaders Swansea City to Park Avenue. 

Allen’s side head into the contest on the back of a 5-0 defeat to Cardiff City in the Adran Trophy semi-final, with the scoreline not reflecting the hosts’ performance, frustrating the Bluebirds in the first-half.

Ashman insisted that the squad are now looking forward and are keen to bounce back quickly.

“I felt that the scoreline was a bit harsh, but we knew that Cardiff City were going to be clinical with the quality they have. They had five opportunities and they took them. 

“We’re looking to bounce back this weekend with a massive game against Swansea. We know that they’re going to want to react from their loss to Cardiff as well, so it’s going to be a tough game.

“We know from playing them away and seeing other teams playing against them that we can go there, put a gameplan in place and get a result.”

Aberystwyth can take huge encouragement from their previous result against the Swans, as they were the first this season to force the league-leaders to drop points. 

Claiming an impressive 0-0 stalemate with a superb defensive performance, Ashman conveyed that the result felt even better than a point.

“In many ways, it felt like a win. We had a gameplan and everyone worked tirelessly for 90 minutes. 

“I couldn’t fault anyone that day, from the coaching staff to all of the girls, everyone was on it. We knew what we needed to do, we had to give everything and put our bodies on the line. 

“The feeling when that full-time whistle went was unbelievable to take points and a clean sheet from a team who hadn’t lost in three and a half years was a credit to how hard we’ve worked behind the scenes and in training.”

One of the main differences in the Seasiders this season has been their confidence when facing the league’s top three. 

Having proven that they can compete in the draw to the Swans, Ashman expressed that the result was a big step for the mentality of the squad. 

“It gave us massive confidence. Going into games in Phase Two now, where we’re playing a top team every week, we know that we can compete. 

“That’s where we’ve always wanted to be, competing against the league’s best, fighting for Europe and trying to win cups, that’s what we aim for. It gives us massive confidence now knowing that nothing is impossible and we can get a result against anyone.”

Allen’s side were impressive in Phase One and got their reward, finishing in the top four to secure a place in the Championship Conference. 

With a visible improvement, Ashman feels that the squad have taken huge steps this campaign.

“We’re all massively delighted with how the season has gone so far. We’ve put a lot of hard work in behind the scenes. 

“We’ve had new players, new coaching staff, Gavin (Allen) has been such a great asset to us and the club this season, that’s helped us massively. 

“For us to finish in the top four at the end of Phase One was an unbelievable achievement. It gave us so much confidence that we deserve to be where we are.”

The top four berth was secured on a dramatic final day of Phase One, in which the Seasiders needed to avoid defeat at Port Talbot to ensure the place. 

Despite falling behind, Allen’s side turned the game on its head and secured an invaluable victory. 

Ashman expressed that the feeling at full-time, knowing that a place in the top four was secured, was a huge highlight. 

“In training that week, we knew that we just had to avoid defeat. Going to Port Talbot was never going to be easy with a different pitch to ours and they have a great manager in Hayley Williams, but we knew that if we played the way we had been playing in Phase One, then we could achieve what we needed to do. 

“Even though we went 1-0 down, the squad showed a lot of character to win 2-1 and it was such an unbelievable feeling at full-time. Some of us were very emotional; it was a bit of a relief in a way, because we’d worked so hard and anything less than that fourth place would have been so heart-breaking for us. To achieve that was a fantastic feeling.”

Despite a great campaign so far, the Seasiders are now competing in the Championship Conference, with some key fixtures in the coming weeks. 

While there are huge positives to take for Ashman and the squad, the shot-stopper insisted that the club are keen to build on the performances in Phase One. 

“We know that we can potentially upset any team in the league. This year, we weren’t scared to play anyone. 

“We’ve gone out with a game plan every week. They’ve worked wonders for us in some games and we’ve picked up some great results. 

“It shows how far we’ve come that in some games, like the loss to Cardiff City over the weekend, we were so disappointed to lose in a semi-final to a top team, which shows how much we’ve developed. It’s about keeping that going now.”

(Featured Image: Lewis Mitchell)