While the weather played a major factor across the Adran Leagues, we still had some great action across all the divisions.
The wet weather only left us with one game each from the Adran North and the Adran South, along with three matches in the Adran Premier.
Adran Premier
We start our roundup at Park Hall. On paper, TNS against Cardiff Met looked like a close matchup, particularly with the way the Saints have played of late. Add to that the Archers coming off a 5-0 defeat at home to Cardiff City in midweek, an upset was on the cards. Nevertheless, Met came out on top in a close encounter, winning 2-1.
Yzzy Taylor’s side got off to the perfect start as they took the lead eleven minutes into the contest. Amy Long made a good run down the wing, and her cross found Ellie Preece lurking at the back post, who tapped the ball into the net. 15 minutes later their lead had doubled. A wicked corner from Sophie Hancocks found the head of Tija Richardson, who powered her header past Sarah Parkes, as the Archers headed into the break with a comfortable lead.
TNS needed something at the beginning of the second half to make sure the game didn’t run away from them, and ten minutes after half time they had one back. Chantelle Teare rising highest from a Caitlin Chapman corner. Both sides had chances to score more; the Saints through Emily Ridge and Danielle Staley, while Met went close through Erin Murray.
However, Met will be delighted to come back to South Wales with all three points, as they try and chase down the top two. TNS remain in fifth.
The team above Met are Swansea City, and they kept up their title challenge with a professional 6-0 win over Barry Town United. After last weekend’s cup defeat to Llandudno, the Swans bounced back with a 5-0 midweek win against Abergavenny, and they kept up their scoring streak against the Town.
For the majority of the first half, Barry did well to thwart their opponents’ attacking advances, and had a chance to go ahead themselves, as Nieve Jenkins bought down Mackenzie Olden in the area, leaving the referee with no option but to award the penalty. Olden dusted herself down and stepped up to take it, but she could only blaze her effort over the bar. Barry were made to rue that miss as Stacey John-Davies scored on the stroke of half time to put Swansea ahead.
Ceri Phillips knew his side could turn the screw at the start of the second half, and boy did they as they stormed their way to a dominant win. Nia Rees started the second half scoring spree, as she latched on to a loose ball that Barry keeper Erin Brennan failed to gather. Jenkins was next on the scoresheet, as her bullet header rebounded off the underside of the bar and in to make it three.
As the game entered the 90th minute, the Swans still had three goals left in them. Monet Legall converted from a Katy Hosford cross, before John-Davies grabbed her second with a cool finish. Shaunna Jenkins finished the rout with a stunning free kick from 30 yards out, in a good win for the visitors, who stay second. Barry remain in seventh.
Our final game in this weekend’s Adran Prem takes us to the USW Sports Park. Whenever Pontypridd United and Aberystwyth Town meet, it’s always a spicy affair, and this one was no different, as the Dragons ran out as 2-1 winners.
It was a fast start from the hosts. Two glorious chances, one for Jasmine Turner and one for Anais Trinci, fell to them early on, but a combination of poor finishing and superb Aber defending kept the scores level. But it was Aber who stunned the home support as they took the lead. Gwenllian Jones with a superbly driven effort into the bottom corner.
The goal seemed to knock the stuffing out of Ponty and their first half performance wasn’t up to their normal performance levels. However, they staged a superb fightback with two goals in the space of two minutes. Alison Witts’ deflected effort sailed over Elen Valentine, before the mercurial Liv Francis drove through the heart of the Aber defence, before unleashing a stunning strike into the bottom corner.
Aber did have the ball in the net in stoppage time as Rebecca Mathias scored directly from a drop ball, but after consultation with his assistant, the referee ruled out the goal, to the anger of the Aber team and management. The result strengthens Ponty’s grip on fourth, while Aber remain in sixth.
Adran North
The only game to survive the weather in the Adran North was between Wrexham and Rhyl, and it was the Red Dragons who continued their goon run of form with a thumping 7-0 victory.
The star players in this game for sure were Ava Suckley and Amber Lightfoot, and they combined for Wrexham’s first. Lightfoot playing in Suckley, before the latter curled her effort into the top corner. Suckley then turned provider for Wrexham’s second, as her cross found Sophie Hodson who tapped home. Suckley then fed the ball to Lightfoot in the box for Wrexham’s third, before Libby Mackenzie scored Wrexham’s fourth. Suckley then capped off a remarkable half for Wrexham, who headed in from a Lightfoot cross.
Rhyl were in danger of really of really fading away in this one, but their defence was certainly tighter in the second half, but they did give up two goals, both coming from substitute Lauryn Lyons. Her first was a good finish after Katy Sharp’s lay off, before she rounded off the scoring with a well-executed volley. Wrexham are now three points clear at the top of the Adran North; Rhyl remain in fourth.
Adran South
Our final game takes us to Singleton Campus, where Swansea University scored a late winner to oust Pontardawe Town 3-2.
It was a quiet first half, but Pontardawe got it going with a goal from Millie Everest as they went into the break ahead. However, the student side came out of the traps quickly at the start of the second half and found their equaliser through Hannah Pinney.
The closing stages were tense with both sides pushing for that illusive winner, and it was Katie Horsburgh who popped up with 15 minutes to go to put the university side back in front. However, their hard work was undone four minutes later as they conceded a penalty. Adran South top scorer Caitlyn Cook duly converted the penalty to make it 2-2.
With the game looking like it was heading towards a draw, American Angelika Barris stepped up and became the hero as she scored with two minutes left to play to seal the win.
The result sees both sides stay in fourth and third respectively, but now four of the five teams in the league are joint top of the table with six points each.
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