Wales midfielder fully focused ahead of Euros squad announcement

The clock is ticking down towards June 19^th when we will know the 23 players that will represent Wales at the Euros, and for Alice Griffiths, it’s a date that’s driving her every day.

It’s been a great season for Griffiths. Along with a number of appearances in a Wales jersey, the midfielder has played a number of games in the Championship, including having a strong finish with Durham.

After a couple of seasons on the periphery, especially for Wales, Griffiths has thoroughly enjoyed this past campaign.

“It’s been a great season for me personally. The change at Durham was good and I was very grateful to have the opportunity to go there, and the staff, the players were all great with me.

“I’ve appreciated being able to play a lot of minutes towards the end of the season, and it’s been a great campaign for me overall.”

Griffiths, along with everyone else hoping for a place on the plane, will be hoping that these two games will be standouts for them, especially with Rhian Wilkinson saying in last week’s squad announcement that she’s clear on 20 of the 23 players in her Euros squad.

Wilkinson is keeping her cards close to her chest for now, but Griffiths says the announcement date is all the motivation she needs to give it her all.

“Rhian has not said anything or hinted anything about whether any of us are in or out of the Euros squad. Nobody knows where they stand, and I think that’s the best way for it to be.

“Rather than seeing it as a pressure and focusing solely on the 19th, it’s something that is driving me every day. I’m giving everything I can to make that squad, and whatever the outcome might be, I know I’ve given it absolutely everything.

“It would mean the world to get to play in the Euros. My career, especially with Wales, hasn’t been plain sailing.

“I’ve been in and out of the squad, but it would make all the hard work worth it if I was selected. I’m reluctant to let myself go there and think about it until I know that it’s happening.”

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Nations League survival

Wales head into their final two Nations League with one clear objective, survival.

Cymru, realistically, need to pick up all three points against Denmark in Odense on Friday night to give themselves a chance of staying up when the final game against Italy rolls around.

For Griffiths, she and the whole squad know just how important it is to try and stay in League A.

“We’re fighting with everything that we’ve got to stay in League A. We know how important that will be for us when it comes to qualification for other tournaments. The mentality has been the same throughout this League A campaign; to compete against the top nations and to beat them.

“We want to be winning these games, and we’re not where we want to be which is bottom of the group, but we know we need results in these next two games to make sure we stay there.”

This team have put in a number of impressive performances in this group, but it feels like the only thing that’s missing from their CV is a win.

Wales have never beaten a side in the top 15 of the FIFA Rankings, but Griffiths believes the key to flipping a draw to a win is to be more clinical.

“We have come a long way as a team. We’re now producing consistent performances against these top nations.

“I think we’ve learned our lessons the hard way in terms of being punished for our mistakes, and we need to start doing that against this kind of opposition.

“We need to be more clinical and remain resilient in our defensive work.”

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Met Memories

Griffiths has played for some stellar clubs in England, including Charlton Athletic and Southampton, but the club that really kickstarted her career was Cardiff Met.

The former Archer enjoyed plenty of success down at Cyncoed before moving to the Championship.

Now, Met find themselves in the second tier for the first time in their history, yet Griffiths is confident her former side can bounce back into the Adran Premier.

“I had a great time when I was at Cardiff Met, and it’s probably a very different environment now to what it was when I was there and played in.

“I’ve got very fond memories of playing down in Cyncoed and hopefully they’ll be able to bounce back.”

(Featured Image: Ashley Crowden/FAW)