Cardiff City put on a show in front of a record crowd at the Cardiff City Stadium, as they trounced Abergavenny 9-0.
The 5,175 strong crowd (a Welsh domestic football record attendance) were entertained from the first minute as all of City’s stars shone. There was a hat-trick for Phoebie Poole, two for Rhianne Oakley and Eliza Collie, and one each for Danielle Green and Zoe Atkins.
The result leaves both teams as they were going into this one, City stay top while Abergavenny remain bottom.
You could sense in the ground that there was perhaps a sense of expectation, as well as the obvious excitement, that Cardiff would win this game handsomely, and they got off to the best possible start.
Four minutes in, Phoebie Poole received the ball on the halfway line and sprinted away from the Abergavenny players with purpose, before squaring to Rhianne Oakley, who prodded past Charlotte Hastings in the Abergavenny goal.
The fans only had to wait six minutes for their second goal. Danielle Green floated a cross in from the left and Poole rose highest and guided her header over Hastings.
It was easy to see that these Bluebirds players were enjoying their football, and the third goal came in the 14th minute. A sweeping through ball from Danielle Broadhurst found the run of Oakley, who glided her way onto goal and rifled her effort past the keeper.
Their fourth came in the 21st minute in a half where the only thing on the menu was goals. Poole once again drove her way to the edge of the area, before executing a lovely low effort into the bottom corner.
While they may be bottom of the table, Abergavenny weren’t sitting back and accepting defeat, and they tried to play good possession football and wait for the gaps in the City defence.
They were almost rewarded as they hit the bar through an Alana Murphy free kick, but replays showed that Cardiff keeper Ceryn Chamberlain made a tremendous save to tip it onto the bar.
Cardiff almost had five before the break as Poole hit the bar, but City went back into the dressing room well on top.
Sometimes the great players score on the big occasions, and Poole is built for these matches, as she completed her hat-trick ten minutes into the second half.
Oakley again made good progress down the wing, and she found Poole in the six-yard box who helped the ball in at the near post. This is Poole’s second hat-trick at the CCS, as she scored one two years ago against Briton Ferry.
The sixth was there for the taking for Cardiff, but they had to wait for it as the Pennies defended well for a bulk of the second half, but Green provided a moment of magic.
She strode with the ball down the left, before cutting inside and leaving defender after defender in her wake. She took her time before unleashing a powerful effort in off the underside of the bar, to send the Bluebirds bench into a state of awe. It was a goal Lionel Messi would be delighted to score.
Three minutes later City had their seventh. Ffion Price playing in Eliza Collie, who raced away from the defence and calmly placing her effort into the bottom corner past an onrushing Hastings.
Collie wasn’t in any mood to stop scoring, and she bagged her second two minutes from time. Price again was the provider and Collie rounded Hastings before guiding her effort into the far corner.
It was another sub, Zoe Atkins, that completed the rout. She bullied her way through the Aber defence before poking her shot into the corner of the net, and 9-0 is how it finished.
Both sides will next be in action in the Adran Trophy on Sunday. Cardiff will travel to Adran South leaders Briton Ferry, while Abergavenny will go up north to face Adran North leaders Wrexham.
Player of the Match: Phoebie Poole
You speak about an all-round player and my word do Cardiff have one in Poole. Not only scoring a hat-trick but also being part of the build-up play and getting into the right areas, and her deliveries were perfect today. The Wales call up has to come soon surely!
Cardiff City
Ceryn Chamberlain (GK) (Emily Roberts, 58’), Ffion Price, Hannah Power, Siobhan Walsh © (Meg Bowen, 67’), Rhianne Oakley (Michaela Major, 67’), Seren Watkins, Danielle Broadhurst, Danielle Green, Phoebie Poole (Eliza Collie, 58’), Hollie Smith, Lily Billingham (Zoe Atkins, 58’)
Goals: Rhianne Oakley (4’, 15’), Phoebie Poole (10’, 21’, 56’), Danielle Green (75’), Eliza Collie (78’, 88’), Zoe Atkins (89’)
Abergavenny Town
Charlotte Hastings (GK), Ffion Simmonds (Liv Teague, 59’), Caitlin Davies, Sian Bull, Jess Bennett, Jamelia Davies (Elena Scrivens, 65’), Ceri Hudson ©, Katie Williams, Alana Murphy, Lauren Boyd (Meg Stanton, 59’), Eliza Atkins (Ellis Lunn, 65’)
Unused Sub: Lyndsey Davies
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