Swansea City sail through, while Briton Ferry go top
Despite some teams not being involved in games this weekend, there was still bucket loads of action in the Adran Leagues and beyond.
There was one fixture each in the Adran Premier and the Bute Energy Welsh Cup, while there were also matches in the Adran North and South.
Let’s take a look back at the week that was.
Adran Premier
The sole fixture that took place in the topflight this weekend happened at Park Hall. TNS’ last league outing saw them come from behind to defeat Aberystwyth Town and put them right back into contention for the top four. Making the trip north this weekend were Pontypridd United who, at the midway point of phase one, were still without a point to their name. Their poor run would continue, as TNS made it back-to-back league wins, triumphing 3-1.
Despite still not having a permanent head coach and interim head coach Jonathan Spyropoulos departing the club since their last game, Ponty took a surprising lead. A poor back pass in the Saints defence allowed Efa Preece Jones in to score. That was the Dragons’ fourth goal of the campaign.
However, the lead would only last two minutes, as Caitlin Chapman struck inside the 18-yard box. The youngster from Northern Ireland was proving to be a difficult commodity for Ponty to handle. Whether she was having efforts on goal, setting up teammates, or simply running at the backline, she was everywhere.
Therefore, it was no surprise that Chapman was involved when the Saints took the lead with ten minutes of the half remaining. Her corner found the head of Izzy Redding, and she powered into the far corner.
Hopes of a Ponty comeback were further dented a handful of minutes into the second half. Georgia Griffiths played a good ball through to Emily Ridge, and the striker executed a composed finish into the bottom corner.
In truth, Greg Draper’s side could have scored a lot more, but they will be satisfied with their afternoon, as they move back into fourth place. For Ponty, things really are looking difficult. Maybe a new manager will be able to get them out of this rut.
Bute Energy Welsh Cup
The final round of 16 contest took place at Cwmbran Stadium. Cwmbran Celtic have certainly adapted to life in the second tier incredibly well and a run of impressive results have them punching in the upper echelons of the Adran South table. They welcomed Swansea City who themselves were coming off the back of a big win over Wrexham. In an outstanding game, the Swans advanced with an 8-3 win.
The first half will certainly go down as one of the most entertaining this entire season. The visitors made a blistering start. Chloe Chivers firstly finished from Steph Turner’s dinked ball over the top, before adding her second with a smart finish past the keeper. But Celtic hit back and astonishingly restored parity. Cerys Shipley poked home after a goalmouth scramble, before she added her second, tapping in from a free kick.
The comeback was complete a couple of minutes later, as Jade Crofts weaved into the box and firing into the bottom corner. In just six minutes, Cwmbran had come from 2-0 down to lead 3-2.
Thankfully for Swansea, Chivers was on form, and she dragged the Swans back into the lead. Two goals before the break meant they went into the dressing room with a 4-3 lead, and finally, everyone in the ground could have a bit of a rest.
When both sides emerged for the second half, Swansea had a spring in their step and rampaged through the Celtic defence. Emily Thomas saw her cross deflected into the net through Fiona Anthony, before Chivers scored another two either side of the hour mark to take her tally to six for the afternoon. She is having a remarkable season.
Sophie Brisland-Hancocks added the eighth five minutes from time; her first goal since she joined from Cardiff Met in the summer. An afternoon full of entertainment, but it’s Swansea who advance into the next round where they will face Cascade.
Adran North
There has been no stopping Connah’s Quay so far this season, and their form shows no sign of slowing down, as they dispatched Y Felinheli 4-0.
It was a great start for the Nomads as Polly Wild-McGregor finished off Sophie Hodson’s pass. This team is young, but one of their brightest start is Phoebe Ellis. She managed to score her first Adran North hat-trick to take Connah’s Quay to four for the afternoon.
Ellis’ stats speaks for themselves. Ten goals in November in all competitions, 19 goals in 15 games in all competitions this season, and since joining the club last season, she’s scored 29 in 29. We are talking about a seriously talented striker here.
Llandudno remain three points behind the Nomads, as they recorded a 5-2 home win over Rhyl.
A comfortable first half had Dudno three goals in front at the break, with Maddie Williams, Stacey Treadwell, and Kelsey Davies getting the goals. Ella Jones has made a great start to life at the OPS Wind Arena, and she added a fourth off the bench early in the second half.
But to Rhyl’s credit, they fought back with goals from Sade Benjamin and Laura Williams making it 4-2. But Jones would have the final say, as she bagged her brace to seal all three points.
There were celebrations aplenty in the city of Bangor, as they recorded their first win in the second tier with a narrow 1-0 victory over Airbus.
Mia Roberts scored her first senior goal for the club in the first half, and Bangor defended well to see out the game. The win also means they move off the foot of the table.
There were also celebrations for NFA, as they also picked up their first three points in the second tier with a 4-2 home win over Llanfair United.
A quiet first half saw the teams level in the first period. Jessica Mills put the hosts ahead, but Llanfair captain Mary Bailey pulled them level.
With the game hanging in the balance for large swathes of the second period, Mills was the protagonist again, as she popped up to score her and NFA’s second. A brace from Amy Webster put the game beyond doubt. Hannah Lloyd scored a late consolation goal for the Powys side, but they now sit bottom of the table. NFA rise to fifth.
Adran South
Briton Ferry breathed a huge sigh of relief, as they returned to the top of the Adran South table with a 1-0 win away to Caldicot Town.
From the off Ferry created chance after chance, but the Caldicot defence stood firm and tall and really frustrated their visitors. When they did get in behind, they couldn’t put the ball away. Alice Broadley struck the woodwork, while Lucy Powell saw her penalty saved by Chloe Williams.
The second half was much of the same, with wave after wave of red pressure bearing down on goal, but still, Ferry couldn’t find a way through. But when you have match winners in your team, you’re bound to do something, and Ferry finally broke the deadlock. Laura-May Walkley’s cross found Alison Witts, and she fired in to spark wild celebrations.
That was Witts’ twelfth goal of the season, and maybe, her most vital one to date.
The reason why Ferry returned to the summit is because Cascade suffered an away defeat to Swansea University.
Two quick goals in the first half made it a tense second half. Hannah Pinney had put the students in front with her second goal of the season, but four minutes later, Rebecca Basten scored an own goal to bring Cascade level.
Katie Horsburgh had been pivotal in the home side’s campaign last year, and she once again made her presence felt seven minutes from time, as she slammed home the winner to wrap up a 2-1 win. Another great result for Swansea University.
