The recent bad weather claimed more matches this weekend, as part of the Adran Trophy was disrupted.
Y Felinheli vs. Barry Town, TNS vs. Rhyl, and the mouthwatering rematch between Wrexham and Briton Ferry fell over the weekend.
Nonetheless, we still had five matches in the Trophy, along with a sole fixture in the Adran North.
Let’s take a look back at the week that was.
Adran Trophy
We begin this week at the USW SportsPark. Put simply, Pontypridd United needed something to go their way and soon. Winless in the Adran Premier and currently managerless, a win in this competition would provide them some level of comfort. Opponents Swansea University were enjoying a good season in the Adran South, and having knocked out Barry in the Welsh Cup, could smell another top tier scalp. In a wild game, the students did provide another shock, knocking out the Dragons on penalties.
The first blow was struck shortly after the half hour mark. A Charley Haynes free kick from deep was floated into the box, and goalkeeper Anna Phelps failed to clear the ball with a punch. After bobbling around in the box, the ball was eventually swept in by Jessica Goucher. The Uni side ahead.
Efa Preece Jones had hit the post and the crossbar in the first half, but right on the stroke of half time she pulled Ponty level with a smart finish into the bottom corner. Now level, Pontypridd spent most of the second half pushing for a second goal. However, the second-tier side’s defence were strong and stout and snuffed out everything coming their way. They would be rewarded for their resilience, as the game went to penalties.
The shootout was chaotic and dramatic. Wrong players going up for penalties, officials and club staff shouting at each other, spot kicks having to be retaken, ball’s sneaking over the line; it simply had it all. In the end, Madison Williams saw her effort saved by Isobel Platten, and Swansea Uni advanced. A red card for the Pontypridd coach after the final penalty an indication of how much things got out of hand.
A stunning result for everyone involved with Swansea University, and make no bones about it, they will fear no one in the quarter finals.
To North Wales now. Connah’s Quay had stormed their way to first place in the Adran North and were looking unbeatable. A tie against Aberystwyth Town would serve as a good test of their credentials, especially with Gavin Allen’s side fighting for a top four spot in the top tier. At full time, the Nomads now knew what the level was if they wanted to be competitive in the Adran Premier, as Aber came away with a 5-0 win.
The undebatable and undisputed star of the show was Gwenllian Jones. The forward has been in good form, being a part of four goals in her last three games, and she kept the good times rolling by scoring a hat-trick in the first half. Her first came after a good run at the far post, and nine minutes later she had her second. Before the half came to an end, Aber had a chance to stretch their lead from the penalty spot, and Jones struck home to claim her and the Seasiders’ third. An eleven-minute hat-trick. Unbelievable.
In unfortunate circumstances, and having made all the subs available to them, the Nomads had to play a large part of the second half with ten players, after Mae Hodgers suffered a bad injury. Despite this, the home side make a good fist of it and defended well. But their barricades were broken once more in the final quarter of the game. Imogen Scourfield and Rebecca Mathias added their names to the goals column to seal a good win.
For the Nomads, all eyes will be on winning the Adran North, having been knocked out of both cup competitions. For Aber, could they be the darkest of dark horses for the Trophy this season?
Staying in the north and to a matchup has a bit of history. At this stage of last season’s competition, Llandudno produced one of the most shocking results in the history of Welsh football, as they defeated Swansea City away from home. As fate would have it, both were drawn against each other this season; this time with the game being played at the OPS Wind Arena. There was to be no repeat of last season, as Swansea downed Dudno 13-0.
By the 20-minute mark, the Swans were four up, and Emily Thomas had already bagged herself a hat-trick. Having moved over from Aberystwyth in the summer, Thomas hasn’t gotten on the scoresheet for her new club, but she well and truly made up for lost time, as she scored five goals in total in this game.
There were plenty of braces handed out too for some of the Swans’ more experienced players. Robyn Pinder, Chloe Chivers, and Stacey John-Davis will all be happy with their contributions on Sunday afternoon. There was also one each for Katy Hosford and Jessica Williams.
Over the last few years, Swansea haven’t had the best of luck in cup competitions. They will certainly be hoping this is their year to finally get their hands on one of the cup competitions.
Back down to the capital now and to the runaway league leaders Cardiff City. Having only dropped points in one game all season, there seemed to be no stopping the tidal wave of blue dominance. Given the tricky task of trying to stop them were Pontardawe Town. Unfortunately for the Adran South side, they were powerless to stop City, as the home side romped to a 21-0 win.
Remarkably, only four of the matchday squad didn’t find the back of the net. For all the names we’ve become so accustomed to over the years, this game really showed some of the up-and-coming stars in the Bluebirds system. Olivia Basham scored two, there was one for Demi Parry, and a goal for Grace Phillips. Phillips also recorded three assists, as she was named Player of the Match.
As well as the youngsters, there were goals aplenty for some of City’s more established members. There were four each for Mackenzie Olden, Rhianne Oakley, and Eliza Collie, while Danielle Broadhurst also scored her first goal since coming back from injury. It’s going to be difficult to stop Iain Darbyshire’s team by the looks of it.
Finally, to the holders. Cardiff Met have failed to impress in the Adran Premier so far, sitting in a lowly sixth place, a position so unfamiliar to the giants of Welsh football. The Adran Trophy has been a competition where the Archers have found a lot of success over recent years, and they were hoping for another run this time around. Adran South side Coed Duon were their challengers in the round of 16, but there was nothing they could do to stop the reigning champions, as they came out on top 10-0.
This really has been a weekend where some of the league’s youngest talents have shined, and this game was no different. Esme Kilburn-Thompson was only playing her second game for Cardiff Met, but she made sure to give manager Daniel Delahey a selection headache in the league, as she scored five goals in a magnificent first half performance.
Braces for Eve Pearson and Anna Houghton, coupled with a goal for Kennesha Nanette made it a comfortable afternoon for the Archers, as they look to win the Trophy for the third season in a row.
Adran North
The only fixture in the Adran North came at Bangor University. Coming off the back of their first win of the season last weekend, Bangor were looking to keep the momentum going this weekend. Up against them were Llanfair United, who sat bottom of the table without a win to their name. They left it late, but the visitors were able to take a point back to Powys, as they drew 1-1.
Things started well for the home side as Alys Davis struck to put Bangor in front. They had a chance to double the lead just before the hour, but substitute Ella Jones missed a penalty. That miss would prove costly, as in the 90th minute, captain Mary Bailey hit an equaliser for the away side. Llanfair now move to within a point of seventh place, while Bangor rise to fifth.
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