There was some major clashes this weekend, with large ramifications at both ends of the league tables.
Along with all the fixtures in the Adran leagues, there was a lone fixture in the Adran Trophy, and each game had a huge amount of drama. Let’s take a look back at the action.
Adran Premier
Our first stop on our whistlestop tour is under the lights at The Rock. There’s a reason why Sgorio picked the game between Wrexham and Cardiff City to be televised. Firstly, they are two storied sides with a magnificent history. But secondly, they were on shock alert, especially with Wrexham’s good start to the season. But that start came to a jittering halt, as the Bluebirds swept them aside with a 3-0 win.
Almost instantly, City dominated possession and kept the ball away from their opponents. The Wrexham attack, who looked electric last weekend against Barry, couldn’t get into their stride. Rebecca Pritchard had their brightest moments, but they were few and far between. Before the break, Cardiff struck their first blow. Molly Kehoe won the ball, before weaving past player after player into the box. Her first shot was saved, but she poked in the rebound. Magical Molly was at it again.
As soon as the second half kicked off, the lead was doubled. Kehoe beat the onrushing Del Morgan to the ball, before rolling it into an empty net. The sustained Bluebirds pressure continued as the half went on, and they found their third later in the second half. Morgan managed to punch a free kick away, but only to the feet of Ffion Price, who powered in from close range.
For City, it’s a win that cements their position as, probably, the best team in the country. For Wrexham, there’s certainly no shame in that defeat, and now they know what it will take to try and win the league title in years to come.
The surprise package so far have been Aberystwyth Town. The Seasiders have enjoyed an excellent start to the campaign, but this week they faced a tricky trip to Cardiff Met, a team they have never taken a point off since the Adran Premier began. But that changed on Sunday, as Aber left Cyncoed with a 1-1 draw.
Captain Amy Jenkins put the away side in front 18 minutes in with a composed finish but Met captain Erin Murray executed a great finish after Ingrid Ådland’s pass. Murray’s goal was the first Aber have conceded all season. The second half was very open. Both sides wanted to win, but credit to both defences, who both made excellent tackles throughout the game.
The draw, for Aberystwyth, once again goes to show this is not a team to be messed with, and to be unbeaten in the capital so far this season, shows how far they’ve come from last season. For Met, they have certainly showed some bright points so far, and they will look to kick on from this point.
The runup to Swansea City’s latest fixture has been difficult to say the least. After losing away to Met, manager Ceri Phillips unexpectedly departed the club on Friday night. With a bit of turmoil surrounding them, opponents Pontypridd Untied may have fancied themselves. However, Swansea got back on track with a 3-1 win.
Captain Katy Hosford put the Swans ahead after tapping home from Chloe Chivers’ searching cross. Hosford would then turn provider just a few minutes later, as her whipped corner was finished off by former Ponty forward Robyn Pinder. The Dragons’ only goal of the season prior to this game was a stunner from Carys Bufton, and they got themselves back into this game with another scorcher. This time, Nadia Lawrence managed to find the net from long range.
The home side then had a chance to reestablish their two-goal lead from the spot, but Stacey John-Davies couldn’t find the back of the net. Luckily for interim manager Chris Church, Swansea managed to wrap up all three points in stoppage time, as Nieve Jenkins found the back of the net. The Swans are back on track, but Ponty are still winless.
Another winless team heading into this weekend was Barry Town United. Their task this weekend saw them head north to take on TNS, who were looking to bounce back after losing to Cardiff City last week. Barry would remain rooted to the bottom of the table, as TNS recorded their biggest ever win in the Adran Premier with a 5-0 hammering.
While the scoreline suggest a dominant performance, the first half was a battle for both teams, but just as it looked like Barry would head into the break with a clean sheet, Emily Ridge headed home. Ridge would go on to have a great game, as she bagged another two in the second half to seal her first hat-trick of the season.
TNS captain Beth Lewis also converted two penalties on her 50th appearance for the club, as the Saints produced a captivating display in the second half. They now join Wrexham and Swansea City on seven points after four games.
Adran North
In the early stages of the season, it certainly seems that Connah’s Quay are going to sweep aside everyone in their way, and that sentiment continued on Sunday, as they strode to an 8-1 win at home to Rhyl.
Shannon Hobbs bagged a brace in the first half, meaning that in all competitions so far this season, she has nine goals. A stunning start for the forward. Elana Harley, Ella Harvey, and Alisha Wright also got themselves on the scoresheet in the first half. Sade Benjamin did score for the visitors five minutes before the break, but the league leaders led 5-1 at the break.
The goals continued to fly in for the Nomads in the second half, with Anais Bathily, Polly Wild-McGregor, and a stunner from Mel Barlow taking their tally to eight for the afternoon. Connah’s Quay remain top, and their attack looks frightening.
A team that could challenge Connah’s Quay are Llandudno, and they continued their free-scoring lifestyle, with an 8-0 home win against Airbus.
It was perfect symmetry for Dudno, as they scored four goals either side of the half time break. It did only take star striker Stevie Donougher a minute to break the deadlock, and she added another two in the fist period to seal an early hat trick. Maddie Williams also etched her name in the goal column, in what was a strong first half display.
Donougher, remarkably, added a fourth in the second half, while Cara Hughes, Kelsey Davies, and Sofie Owen all scored their first goals of the season. It’s early doors, but those games between Dudno and the Nomads look mouthwatering.
Adran South
On paper, the potential biggest game of the weekend across the leagues was the game between Cascade and Briton Ferry. Both teams have ambitions of winning the title, but one staked their claim louder than the other, as Ferry won 6-0.
Cascade’s high line was broken early on, as Alison Witts kept up her hot streak by striking in the opening goal. With one under their belt, the goals began to flow for the away side. Mollie Jones, who is having a solid start to the season, added a second, before veteran Laura-May Walkley made it three with a tremendous effort outside the box.
Meg Kearle, on the hour mark, fired home inside the box to score her 100th goal for the club. Witts, who has been the player of the season so far, went on to score another two in the final ten minutes to score yet another hat-trick. A fabulous Ferry display. For Cascade, they’ll need to respond quickly to keep the pressure on them.
Few would have expected Swansea University to be in the upper echelons of the Adran South, but they kept up their good start with a last gasp 2-1 win against Coed Duon.
The visitors haven’t won a league game so far, but they took the lead heading into the break, as Megan Stanton scored her first Adran South goal of the season. As expected, the University side responded in the second half, and with a quarter of the game remaining, Katie Horsburgh drew them level.
With the game seemingly heading for a draw, Horsburgh struck again in the 99th minute to seal all three points and kept up their unbeaten start to the season. Caitlin Seaborne was sent off for Coed Duon after the final whistle, as her side were shellshocked by the late winner.
Of the three new sides who’ve come into the Adran South, Cwmbran Celtic have got off to the better start, and they produced a statement 5-1 home win against Pontardawe Town on Sunday.
Incredibly, it was Ponty who took the lead in this game within two minutes, as Keira Harris notched them in front. But after that, it was all one-way traffic. Two key protagonists put the visitors to the sword, and they were Eloise Meaney and Fiona Anthony. Both scored barrels of goals last season, and they show no sign of slowing down in a higher division, as they scored two each before the break.
It was Anthony who would go on to grab the hat-trick, but it was a performance the Celtic faithful will be immensely proud of, as they look comfortable in the second tier.
It was a big weekend for Llanelli Town, as they recorded their first win in the second tier, with a 2-1 home victory over Caldicot Town, who remain pointless.
The damage was done in the first half, as goals from Stacey Webber and Lynsey Morris had Town two in front at the break. Jade Perry’s spectacular effort did make things interesting in the final stages of the second half, but Llanelli defended well and ensured their first win in the Adran South.
Adran Trophy
And finally, to Mount Field, where Llanfair United defeated NFA 2-0 in Group 1 of the Adran Trophy.
Both goals came in the second half for the home team. Emma Williams scored four minutes after the break, before Caitlin Hadaway’s own goal three minutes later sealed all three points for the Powys based side.
Both teams can still go through to the round of 16, and it’ll be all to play for when the final fixtures come around at the end of the month.
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