Cardiff City kept their hopes of an unbeaten season alive with a 3-1 victory over Barry Town United yesterday.
The run stretched the Bluebirds’ record to 35 games without a league defeat, while the loss confirmed Barry’s position in the Plate Conference.
Here are four things we learned from yesterday’s game.
Cardiff’s outstanding defence
The attack that the Bluebirds possess has often been talked about and rightly so. The likes of Eliza Collie, Molly Kehoe, and Rhianne Oakley’s talents are frequently discussed in Adran Premier circles, but what City have at the back is truly formidable.
It starts with Siobhan Walsh, a captain unlike any other. The way she can command a backline, the way she attacks the aerial ball is very unique. She had the added challenge of marking her sister Catherine this weekend, and while that may not be ideal, she succeeded in restricting her sister to a few chances. Then there’s Hannah Power. Power played the first half in a defensive midfield role, and while she may not have played there often, she didn’t look out of place. On the ball, there aren’t many better than Power.
Alongside them, you’ve got two comparably young players who are bound to become Welsh internationals eventually in Meg Bowen and Hollie Smith. Bowen plays like a player beyond her years, and Smith is coming back to her best after being sidelined by an injury for a good part of this season.
Attack can win you games, but a defence can win you trophies.
Bluebirds’ youngster reliance
It feels like this is also a City team that’s evolving. Yesterday saw a number of starters out with injury. Eliza Collie and Kelly Adams didn’t start, while Meg Bowen and Mikayla Cook were forced off with knocks as the game wore on.
However, some of the next generation of Bluebirds came into the setup and never looked out of place. For striker Olivia Basham, coming up against a physical Barry side may not be the best way to make your senior debut, but she looked up for the fight and handled herself well throughout the game.
Another forward in Madison Lloyd looked very lively when she came off the bench. She has a speed that is unrivalled in this league and draws similar parallels to how Olivia Francis burst onto the scene for Pontypridd United last season.
Demi Parry and Grace Evans also came off the bench, while others like Anna Phelps, Mali Ackerman and Brooke Arthur have also made debuts for the senior side this season. The U19 setup at Cardiff City Stadium has been lauded over recent years, and now we’re seeing why.
Barry look solid
I know you can look at a result and make assumptions if you weren’t at a game, but I was thoroughly impressed by Barry yesterday.
Going down early is never easy and in the first part of the first half they did look troubled, especially down the wing, but the way the stabilised and recovered was something to be admired. Taite Trivett’s goal on the stroke of half time certainly excited the crowd, only for Emma Beynon to score a minute later.
It wouldn’t be absurd to say that, if Beynon hadn’t scored, that Barry would come back and get something from the game. The likes of Aimee Deacon and Danielle Broadhurst were growing into the game, but they couldn’t quite match the intensity of City. But Barry will be a threat in phase two.
Fortress Jenner Park
A big reason as to why Barry will be a threat is because of Jenner Park.
Over the last few months, support for the women’s team has grown and grown, and there was a boisterous and loud following for the team away at Cardiff Met last week and at home to Cardiff City on Sunday.
The number of supporters attending Adran Premier games has been growing this season, and every club is feeling the benefits. But when Jenner Park gets going, there aren’t many places like it in the country. If the support continues, they could certainly lift the plate come the end of the season.
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