Swansea City ran out narrow 2-1 winners against a stubborn Wrexham defence in their Genero Adran Premier fixture at the Swansea.com Stadium.
It was an entertaining fixture between both sides, with 3,858 in attendance, which is a record for Swansea City Women. But what did we learn from the fixture? Here is a look at some potential talking points from the clash in South Wales.
Are Wrexham as dangerous without Rosie Hughes?
Wrexham were without the league’s top scorer Rosie Hughes due to suspension, and the away side seemed to lack a cutting edge going forward despite taking the early lead. The goal was the making of a mix up from the back by The Swans defence, and Wrexham failed to trouble them much more for the remainder of then game.
The home side dominated possession for large spells, and created the more clear cut opportunities. The Wrexham defence stood firm until the 54th minute, with some great defensive work, including some sensational last ditch tackles in their own area. But they lacked a presence up top to relieve pressure at points, making you wonder if Hughes was on the field, wether the result could have been different.
Wrexham have big potential
Wrexham manager Steve Dale stated that the loss against Swansea was ‘disappointing’ but they will not dwell on it. Before the game they were on a four-game win streak in all competitions, in what has been a strong start to their first season in the top flight.
With the Hollywood owners also looking to invest and grow the women and men’s team, the future is bright for the North Wales outfit, and it wouldn’t be a shock to see them challenging the more established side’s of the division for trophies in the near future.
Swansea in a transition period?
It was an impressive win for the Swans, bouncing back from their defeat in the South Wales Derby against rivals Cardiff City a fortnight ago. The club are still under the guidance of interim manager Chris Church, with him stating his intentions for the role full-time to the board post Wrexham win.
Club chairman Andy Coleman stated in an interview with the BBC that he wants to drive the women’s game forward in Wales, and now seems like the oppertunity to put the plans in to action, to get their side challenging their bitter rivals for silverware once more.
Chloe Chivers one of the best midfielders in the league?
It would be fair to argue that Chloe Chivers was one of, if not the best player on the field in The Swans win against Wrexham. It was her first opportunity to play at the stadium after missing out last season due to injury, and she recently expressed how much she was looking forward to playing at the ground, with it being ‘heartbreaking’ to miss out last time.
She showed off her very impressive range of passing with multiple defence splitting long range passes to team mates. She is a strong striker of the ball, with one effort destined for goal, if not for the great goalkeeping work of Delyth Morgan. Chivers is also not one to shirk away from the defensive side of the game, getting stuck in for her team, and even picking up a yellow card in the process.
Women’s football in Wales is growing
The fixture was attended by 3,858 fans at the Swansea.com Stadium, which is a record attendance for the Swansea City Women’s team. This fixture along with previous fixtures this season at Wrexham and Cardiff City have shown that there is a demand for the women’s game in Wales. Hopefully, we will see this continue through the season and in to the future, with the huge potential for regular big-attended fixtures.
These games prove that if given the opportunity to play at the bigger stadiums, there is a growing amount of eyes on the league, which can only be a positive, leading to better funding for the league and the players involved themselves.
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