Cardiff Met are looking to win it all this season, according to influential midfielder Sophie Hancocks.
Last season the Archers came second in the league behind Swansea City and reached the final of both trophies, winning one and losing one against Cardiff City.
While many clubs would be immensely satisfied with the season Met had, these bunch of players and management want to go a lot further, Hancocks says.
She said: ‘You say those stats and they sound really good; I think any other club would be chuffed and quite happy, particularly because we won silverware, however, our ethos is we want to win everything
‘As players and as staff, we all collectively agree that, yes, it’s a good season, but we can do better. We’re really concentrating now, especially in preseason, on making sure that we’re all ready and fit come September, so those statistics at the end of this season look a lot better.
Met have lost a few players ahead of the start of the new season, but Hancocks believes that, while they will be a loss, the team can recover and compete at the top of the table again this season.
‘The players that we lost were significant in our squad and in our team’
‘But we’re bringing in fresh faces and the existing players are in the squad anyway, and we’re working harder than ever this preseason’
‘So, in terms of an impact, there isn’t much of it, if anything we’re carrying on doing what we normally do and go from there.
Possibly the biggest loss to the team will be goalkeeper Annabel Sweeney. Sweeney was nominated for Adran Premier Player of the Year last season and was an influential presence on the Met team.
‘It’s difficult, from a personal level Annabel will be massively missed within in the squad and amongst the girls and it was a big loss when she went back to the U.S.’
‘But that said we’ve got influential players within our squad in terms of making that impact, being that leader, although we’ve got Steph (Stephanie Turner) as captain and me as vice-captain, there’s plenty of other leaders and captains amongst the girls’
Cardiff Met have won the Adran Premier a record-equalling six times along with Swansea City.
Themselves, the Swans, and Cardiff City are often regarded as the infamous three in Welsh football. However, Hancocks says the gap between these three and the other five teams in the league is closing season after season.
‘It’s something that I’ve spoken about recently over the last couple of months where, I’ve been involved in this league now for 8-9 years, and when I first started to now, that so-called gap between the five and the three it’s slowly coming to everyone’s competing together.
‘I don’t think we have that bottom five now. That gap is narrowing and the standard across the league and across different clubs is phenomenal.
‘Aberystwyth is a prime example of that, finishing fourth and they’ve said that’s not something they were expecting, and they did very well. When we faced them, they aren’t an easy side to go up against.
Women’s football is on an incredible high after the success of the European Championships and Wales is on the brink of clinching a World Cup playoff place. Hancocks says we cannot stop now, and we must push on.
‘There’s been lots of things going around, particularly since the EURO final that this is a start of a change, and the key part of it is that start.
‘Just because they won the EUROs doesn’t mean that it stays there, it has to keep growing, otherwise, we’re going to be back in the same position where we’re in a backseat in comparison to men’s football.
‘There’s a buzz around, there was a buzz when the new Adran Prem season and structure came into place, and it made a real difference.
‘Hopefully, Wales will be on the same level as England a couple of years down the line. It’s certainly exciting to be a part of it and to see it grow compared to when I first started.
Met begin their season away to Swansea City, and while many may think that playing the reigning champions at the start of the season may be a good thing, Hancocks doesn’t believe this is the case.
‘Whenever we come up against them, they’re always tough opposition. To be fair you wouldn’t want to play them whether they’re fresh or not.
‘In particular Swansea, it’s always a really exciting game. We played them first last year, and there’s that rivalry that’s always there.
‘It’s always like whoever wins will win the league, which isn’t the case now with the new structure, there’s so much to play for.
When asked what the expectations were for herself and the team for this season, the Met vice-captain showed her leadership and her urge to win it all.
‘For me personally, it’s just to improve on my individual performance from last season, continue to be that presence to lead the team, to lead the girls, especially the younger ones.
‘In terms of the team, it’s to win everything, that’s what we set out to do every season. We’ve got a lot of momentum behind us and a lot of positives to take from last season with the silverware we did win and where we finished.
Met begin their Adran Premier campaign away to Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium in front of the Sgorio cameras on September 4th.
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