Cardiff Met clinched the Adran Trophy in dramatic fashion with a 1-0 victory over Cardiff City.
In a game where the Bluebirds dominated, it was an 86th minute winner by Emily Allen which won the trophy for the Archers. But they will certainly thank player of the match Annabel Sweeney, who saved a last minute penalty from Phoebie Poole.
In the three league matches between both sides, the first halves have often been cagey and defensive affairs. Today was different, both came out with the intent to create chances and attack.
The first chance went to City in the fifth minute. Lily Billingham dinked a ball over the top to Phoebie Poole, who cut back in the box and appeared to be bundled over in the area. The City fans in attendance and the players all wanted a penalty, but the referee waved away their protests.
Ten minutes later there was a goalmouth scramble in the Met area. Sweeney came out to collect a cross but misjudged it, leading to her dropping the ball. Legs were suddenly flying to try and get the ball into the net. Danielle Broadhurst went the closest, but her effort was cleared off the line by Tija Richardson.
Met got their first opportunity in the 21st minute. Emily Allen made space for herself on the wing, before sending a low cross into the area, but Shannon Evans’ effort went narrowly over the bar.
Ten minutes after Evans’ effort, the Archers hit the post. The ball bobbled about in the City area, before Allen stretched out a leg and got a good connection on it, but it clipped the outside of the post.
The best chance of the half however came a minute before the whistle. Poole was played in and was one-on-one with Sweeney, but the American came out, spread herself well and managed to claw the ball away from the City striker, but Poole knew deep down she should’ve done a lot better with her opportunity.
The Bluebirds came out for the second half the better of the two teams, pushing and pinning the Met defence back and using the ball well. Atkins had their best chance, connecting well with Broadhurst’s cross, but she could only fire over the Met goal.
City continued to put the pressure on and had a glorious chance to go ahead thirteen minutes from the end. Poole did well to keep the move alive and sent a low cross into the middle, where she found an unmarked Broadhurst, but she couldn’t quite connect with it properly, and the ball trickled into the arms of Sweeney.
Yet, even though they were under pressure for most of the second half, Met got their winner four minutes from the end. A cross from Elianna Chavez wasn’t dealt with by Ffion Price, and the ball fell to Emily Allen, who prodded it past an oncoming Ceryn Chamberlain.
But the drama wasn’t over. In added time, the referee awarded a penalty to City after Amy Williams was tripped in the area. Poole was tasked with dispatching the penalty, but Sweeney produced a heroic save which ultimately sealed the trophy for Met.
Player of the Match: Annabel Sweeney
There were so many admirable performances across both teams. Laura-May Walkley, Seren Watkins, Siobhan Walsh and Phoebie Poole all deserve a mention. But Sweeney has to take the plaudits. The American appeared injured for large parts of the game, but produced when it mattered, and clinched the trophy for the Archers.
Cardiff City: Ceryn Chamberlain (GK), Ffion Price, Hannah Daley, Siobhan Walsh (C), Phoebie Poole, Seren Watkins, Danielle Broadhurst, Amy Williams, Zoe Atkins (Danielle Green, 76’), Hollie Smith, Lily Billingham (Eliza Collie, 87’)
Unused Subs: Amelia Forkings (GK), Emily Bayliss, Megan Saunders
Cardiff Met: Annabel Sweeney (GK), Jessie Taylor, Lucy Finch, Tija Richardson, Steph Turner (C), Sophie Hancocks, Emily Allen, Laura-May Walkley, Shannon Evans (Erin Murray, 52’), Lauren Hutton Townsend, Elianna Chavez
Unused Subs: Jessica Rees (GK), Emily Richards, Ellie Preece, Grace Corne
Goals: Emily Allen (86’)
Yellow Cards: Tija Richardson (89’)
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