New Briton Ferry signing aiming for Adran South title and beyond

After missing out on promotion to the Adran Premier, Briton Ferry are hungrier than ever ahead of the start of the Adran South.

New signing Alison Witts only joined the club this summer, but she has seen what the team had to endure at the end of last season.

While admitting it has been difficult, the players are now chomping at the bit to go one step further this season.

“I went to the playoff final, and I know how hard it was for the whole team. I think the team needed that time to process everything that happened at the end of the season.

“Every single person, on and off the pitch, wanted that ultimate prize at the end of the season, but unfortunately it didn’t happen. They took the time to recover over the summer and everyone dealt with it in their own way.

“As soon as we came back to training, we had a meeting, and everyone understood what happened, but now we’re back to it and we’re in such a positive environment.”

For Witts, this has been a summer of change, as she swapped the white shirt of Pontypridd for the red of Briton Ferry.

Witts spent four years at the USW Sports Park, and while it was a difficult decision to leave the Dragons, she has nothing but respect for everyone at the club.

“I was at a stage in my life where I wanted a different challenge. I had been at Ponty for four years and did a lot on and off the pitch and I thoroughly enjoyed my time there.

“It’s never easy leaving any club and it was really difficult for me to leave Ponty. But I didn’t leave on bad terms and was very respectful to the club and explained my decision.

“They were understanding, they were happy with my decision, and they were supportive of me and that’s all I could have asked for.”

When it came to choosing Briton Ferry, it was an easy decision for the striker.

“I spent a lot of last season watching Ferry and I was really impressed with the squad and the setup and the environment that they created for themselves.

“I had a really good conversation with Rhys James. I was open and honest with him, he never expected anything different from me and gave me the time that I needed to make a decision, and I really respected that.

“I know some of the girls already and I knew how supported I would be if I was to sign with the club. That made my decision a lot easier, and it only took me a couple of days to make my decision.”

With the season starting on Sunday, the Ferry squad, management, and fans only have one thing on their mind, promotion.

“There’s no doubt in our minds that the only thing we want to achieve this year is promotion. The cup run was fantastic, and the girls did brilliantly to get to the final, but what we keep talking about is promotion.

“After narrowly missing out two season in a row, it’s the third time running now, so it would be disheartening if we didn’t achieve it.

“The bottom line is, if we perform like we did last year and convert those chances, then there’s no doubt in my mind we’ll be close to that promotion spot.”

Having spent four years in the Adran Premier, Witts knows what’s required to play at the highest level.

There are many in Rhys James’ squad who have played in the Prem, and if everyone pulls together, they can get over that final hurdle, according to Witts.

“I know what it takes to play at tier one level, but I’m not the only one in the squad who has played at the highest level. There are players in the squad who have played at a higher standard than me.

I’m not the only one with experience, but I’d like to think that because I’m older, I do bring a level of experience.

“But there’s a lot of players in that team that can provide something and bring in their experiences to the group. That’s what makes this team special.”

Without a doubt, with Ferry going as far as they did last season, that many people will have them nailed on for promotion this year.

However, Witts says tier two brings different challenges compared to those faced in tier one, and playing down any opponent is an incredibly dangerous move.

“It’s incredibly important not to underestimate any team. The one thing I have seen watching tier two last year is that no game is easy.

“It’s a really physical league, and if you’re not willing to put up that fight, you’ll really struggle. That is one of the slight differences to tier one. Tier one is a good standard, but sometimes not as physical as the second tier.

“We need to make sure we go into every game with the same mindset and that nothing is ever a given.”

Even though Witts will look to score goals, she will happily trade in any award just to help Ferry over the line this season.

“As a striker I want to score goals, but I don’t really care if I’m top scorer. Everyone would say the same; promotion is what we want to achieve. We want to make Ferry a tier one team and that’s where we want to be come next season.”

Featured Image: Perry Dobbins