After coming close on two occasions to winning the Adran North, Connah’s Quay are hoping their young squad can take them to league glory this season.
There was plenty of hope and optimism at the start of last season, but it ultimately ended in disappointment, as the Nomads finished second behind champions Llandudno.
For Polly Wild-McGregor, while she and the squad were disappointed not to get their hands on the league title, she believes not being promoted may prove to be a good thing.
“I think some of last season came down to the commitment of the players. There were some things that went wrong, and we couldn’t keep our fitness levels up and things like that. It was a very up and down season.
“We did still manage to win the NEWFA Cup for the third time in a row, the U19s won their league, and we’re of course proud of those achievements, but I don’t think we were ready to make that jump to the Adran Premier.
“In the end, I think that will work out for the better this season.”
The reason for optimism on Deeside is down to the fact that the Nomads have assembled a young squad ahead of this campaign.
The likes of Sophie Rawling and Phoebe Ellis all had stellar seasons last time out, but they’ve added the likes of Nicole Samson and Natasha Spearing, who both had Adran Premier experience last year, and now, this is a squad with many different components.
The youth is certainly getting the green light, and Wild-McGregor is delighted to be a part of that.
“The recruitment this summer has been really good. All the players that have joined the club are quality players, and they’ve settled into the environment instantly.
“We’ve brought in a lot of young talent over the last couple of seasons, and we need to stick with the youth because we’ve got a lot more trust in it this year.
“On top of that, the girls look a lot more determined this year. We’ve got experience too which has given us a good mix, but we’ve got a nice blend.
“The younger players don’t experience much pressure. We just get told to go out there and do what we can do. Our manager Jordan Parry has a lot of trust in the younger players, and it’s shaping up to be a really exciting season for us.”
On top of all the movement, there’s also been a change in captaincy, with Wild-McGregor taking the armband from the retired Kylie Jones.
The youngster is honoured to be leading the team out, and the change is a further statement of the Nomads’ intent to play the youngsters.
“It’s an honour to have it passed down to me from Kylie, and I’m thankful to Jordan for trusting me with the armband. I’m so excited to be leading out a group of young, talented girls and hopefully take them to the Adran Prem.
“I do take everything in my stride and go along with it. I always try my best, but I’m also not someone who dwells on anything for too long, I just want to enjoy my football.”
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While it is a young team, expectations remain sky high for Connah’s Quay.
The club want to win everything; however, the Adran North is an improving league, and Wild-McGregor is fully aware of the difficulties facing them.
“The expectation is to win every game realistically. We want to push forward and carry on. We obviously won some trophies last season, but we want to win the Adran North this year and then be able to get into the Adran Premier.
“I do feel the league has gotten stronger, and it’s gotten a lot more competitive over the last few years. I’ve enjoyed playing in the Adran North, because there are some great players here, the coaches are really good, and teams are getting better.
“Even though the likes of Wrexham have been promoted, the standard across the league has still been just as high and competitive.”
No doubt one of the main contenders for the title along with Connah’s Quay will be current champions Llandudno.
Games between the two are often tightly contested, and the captain is looking forward to igniting that rivalry once more.
“It’s always a good game when we come up against Llandudno. You don’t really know what’s going to happen because it’s always full of all sorts. But they push us, and we push them, and that’s what makes it a good rivalry.”
But their first game of the season sees the Nomads come up against Felinheli.
Both sides tussled alongside Dudno for the title last year, and y Felin got the upper hand in the last fixture between the two, beating Connah’s Quay 4-0.
The big loss did shock Wild-McGregor and her team, but this time around, they are ready for the battle.
“We’re really looking forward to kicking off the season against Felinheli, because it feels like every year they’re getting better. They’re a really difficult team to play against because they’re a team that doesn’t stop, they’re ruthless in that sense.
“That 4-0 was a massive shock to us, and I feel like we did underestimate them. We have put that game behind us now, but we’ll be going out there to win. We won’t mess about.”
It’s a new dawn on Deeside, and the Nomads certainly seem ready to rise to the challenge.
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