Over the last few seasons, there’s been a trend in the Adran Leagues that players have come into the league and departed to bigger clubs.
Some of league’s brightest talents have gone on to play for the likes of Manchester United and Newcastle United and are taking great strides. It’s very rare, however, that people come back, especially when they’re at the start of their careers.
Niamh Duggan was young when she left Aberystwyth, choosing to move to Reading in what was, at the time, a big move for her.
“It was a massive move for me. Coming from and living in Aber, not many people kind of get out, just in general. If you’re born in Aber, you stay here. But when the offer came about, I felt like I couldn’t say no to it, because it was a huge opportunity.”
At the time, it felt like every and any Welsh international were plying their trade at the then called Madejski Stadium.
For Duggan, seeing and being able to train alongside some of her idols was certainly a pinch me moment.
“It was the best experience and I had so many good opportunities. I got to experience training with the first team at Reading, and that was crazy.
“Everyone else was English in my team, but when we went to the first team there were players like Tash Harding, Lily Woodham, and Rachel Rowe, and I had idolised them all.
“I was totally starstruck and the rest of my team couldn’t really understand why!”
For newer fans of women’s football, of which there are many, perhaps they won’t know or understand how big Reading were.
The Royals were mainstays in the WSL and would often be competing in the upper echelons of England’s elite female competition.
But last season was a tough one for Reading. They were marooned at the bottom of the table, and as the end was coming, the players were becoming aware of the downward slope the Berkshire side were on.
“There was so much going on. For example, people would get taken out of lessons to go and be a mannequin at first team training, because they were struggling.
“With the academy, we knew things were going downhill, and it was really hard, especially because we didn’t get much support from the men’s side of the club.
“The academy team didn’t even train at the training ground. We would go and train in a school.
“In the end, our coach just refused to take us across to the first team, because by then, everything was just falling apart slowly. It was tough for everyone at the club.”
Duggan knew what was coming, and she knew what she had to do.
“I 100% knew I wanted to leave at the end of the season. All of my closest friends were leaving and have now gone off to other clubs in England or gone to America.
“I had to pay too. Because I was staying with a host family, we were paying £800 a month just for me to be living in Reading, so from a financial point of view too, it wasn’t the right thing to stay.”
With some of her former teammates jetting off to play Stateside and other branching out of Reading, Duggan had some offers from different clubs.
But one club had a slight edge over others. There was only one club Duggan could call home.
“I wasn’t really enjoying my football towards the end with Reading. I had played for Aber before I left for Reading, and I wouldn’t say I loved it then because I was only 15 and it was hard to get used to the environment of the women’s team.
“But family just bleed green. My Dad is a director at the club, my brother plays for the U19s, and it’s just a family club for me. I also know how good of a coach Gavin Allen is, and I knew I could learn a few things from him.
“I came home for the summer, played one pre-season game for Aber, and I knew after that I just couldn’t leave. I don’t know why, but I just loved being home.”
With home comforts around her, Duggan has played a vital role for Aberystwyth this season. But it’s a different Seasiders side this year.
Aber’s established players have done a remarkable job of stabilising the club in the Adran Premier, even finishing in the top four in their first Adran Premier season.
But this season, the team is flooded with youngsters who are hungry and eager to push the Green and Black Army to the next level.
“This season just feels really different for us. We’re utilising the local players who have come through. Lily Moralee-Hughes is outstanding, Lleucu Mathias is something else, and I feel like we’re giving them the opportunities that they need.
“That’s something Gav has done really well, is to just trust his young players.
“Some people may have doubted it at the start of the season; people were asking if we could stay up and all that, and not many believed we could stay up.
“With where we are now in the season, we’re in a quite comfortable stage. We can give more youngsters opportunities.”
The team will be hoping to break into the top four come the end of the season, and look set to be involved in a close battle with TNS and Cardiff Met for that final spot.
As far as Duggan’s future is concerned, there is a feeling that she does want to spread her wings and give England another go. But for now, it’s a case of home is where the heart is.
“I’ve got friends playing in the English leagues, and I could go back there and play some day. But for me, it’s different playing for Aber.
“I walk down the street and little girls ask me to sign stuff for them. I’d love to go and player higher football one day, but for now, I want to get back to loving football, and Aber has helped me a lot to do that.”
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