Price: As long as we have each other, we don’t need anyone else

Cardiff City must be fed up of playing Cardiff Met, having played them five times already this season and not winning a game against them.

However, the Bluebirds are optimistic. Their last encounter ended in a draw, preventing their opponents from winning the Adran Premier.

Many would feel that Met are the favourites for this clash in the FAW Women’s Cup final, but Ffion Price, a Bluebirds stalwart this season, is confident that her side can cause problems for the Archers.

‘I feel like we are the underdogs because they beat us in the last final, but I kinda like it like that’

‘I feel if nobody expects you to win there’s no added pressure. We know what we need to do and as long as we’ve got each other and backing one another on the pitch, we don’t need anyone else.’

City finished the season in third place in the Adran Premier, but Price is proud of what her team has achieved in the league this season.

‘We’ve done really well. We’ve competed with both Swansea and Cardiff Met this season. We’ve got a young squad, a lot of young players coming in and they bring a lot of energy to the team. It’s been really good to compete with the teams at the top.’

And those young players have been credited for their good season. Three City players (Phoebie Poole, Hollie Smith, Seren Watkins) were involved in the latest Wales U19 squad, and Lily Billingham has also been involved with Wales’ U17s, and Price is incredibly proud of what her teammates have achieved.

‘We’re all really proud of one another, we all have different attributes that we bring to the team. It’s brilliant to see some of our girls playing on the international stage and in that cup final, we win together, and we lose together, we’re all there as a team’

‘Without each individual player we’ve had this season, we wouldn’t have done as well.’

One of the big talking points in women’s football currently is whether a team is affiliated with a men’s team, and how much help they get from them. When it comes to Cardiff City, there is certainly a family atmosphere which has blossomed over time, and it’s a relationship that Price is certainly happy about.

‘It’s come on a lot, and I’ve been reaping the rewards since I joined recently. Last night we had an awards evening with the men’s first team, we sat down, had food with them and that was nice, because we felt like one team and not just the women’s and men’s teams’

‘We’ve played at the Cardiff City Stadium, and as a big City supporter myself that was unreal. We get to use the facilities in the stadium, we use it for photo shoots, kit launches, we use the top facilities that they use as well and it’s great because we feel like one club.’

Along with this, the management team has been a source of guidance to this young Bluebird team.

‘Ian is great and all the members of staff in our 16s and 19s, you know you can go to them for support, and they understand with work commitments and help you with that’

‘But they also help on a personal level. I know some of the girls have asked how they can improve things that are specific to them, so they can go away and watch games, and we come together for team analysis and see how we as a team can improve, which aids us individually and as a team as well.’

In terms of the FAW Women’s Cup this season, City have had to navigate tricky challenges, particularly against TNS and Swansea City. But Price believes this experience gives them an added edge going into the final.

‘That will come in our favour, especially the TNS match. When we were down to ten players, we came back to win that game 3-2 and it showed our determination and grit to get back in it’

‘Especially against Swansea, that was a tough game in itself. We scored, they scored, but we kept going and we’ve built up that resilience now’

‘If we do go a goal down, that we as a team can come together and come back from anything.’

But the Archers will be the biggest test they’ve faced in the competition. Price, however, is aware of what’s at stake and thinks anything can happen.

‘We’ve done it against Swansea and we’ve beaten them twice, and following our draw with Met, we were dominant in parts but we just couldn’t quite get that final ball or that final goal that we needed’

‘We know we can do it, and anything can happen in a final, so we can put those results behind us and it’s anyone’s taking on the day.’