James Fishlock has announced that he has stepped down as head coach of Pontypridd United.
Fishlock joined the Dragons at the beginning of last season, when then manager Fern Burrage-Male left the club.
The former Cardiff City Ladies manager oversaw a good season, pulling off some impressive results, including being the first team to take points away from eventual Invincibles Cardiff City.
Despite some good performances, Ponty narrowly missed out on a place in the top four, losing out to TNS by one goal.
They did dust themselves off and went unbeaten in the Adran Premier Plate, and they retained the trophy they won the season before.
Adran Premier Young Player of the Year Liv Francis shined during Fishlock’s tenure, but she departed for Manchester United in the summer, while experienced players like Alison Witts and Kirstie Pervin-Davies also left.
Pontypridd had a very busy summer, with over 15 players coming in through the club’s door: including former Wales internationals Nadia Lawrence and Nia Jones, and former player Alana Murphy.
With all the new players, the team have struggled at the start of this season, losing all of their opening five games. Fishlock’s final game in charge was Sunday’s 5-1 home defeat to Cardiff City.
In a statement, Fishlock said the following.
“Today I’ve stepped down as Head Coach of Pontypridd United’s Women’s Football Club.
“My staff and I have worked tirelessly to improve the culture at the club both on and off the pitch as well as improving footballing performances.
“I’ll always be very proud of our achievements from the 2022/23 season where we positively impacted individual players as well as the group, which resulted in a club record 31 points being accrued.
“I feel I’ve just not been good enough for the players or the club this season and this has been evident in the performances on Sundays.
“I underestimated the effect so much change would have on the players, and I believe the players at the club need to hear a voice which may suit them and their aspirations better.”
It is unclear who will manage Pontypridd United for their next Adran Premier game, which will be away to Cardiff Met on Sunday.
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