The evolution of Cardiff City, as Bluebirds win third straight Adran Premier title

Cardiff City are Adran Premier champions for the third straight season, but this is by far their greatest title win yet.

Trophies and Cardiff City have gone hand in hand, and in the past two seasons, they have stormed their way to the Adran Premier trophy with minimal fuss.

But this season, things have been different. Very different. The traditional title contenders have fallen by the wayside, while new teams are forcing their way into the championship picture.

There was also plenty of change at Cardiff City Stadium last summer, with so much experience heading out the door. Their influential former captain Siobhan Walsh retired, fellow defender Hannah Power hasn’t been able to play all season, current Player of the Season Seren Watkins headed to West Brom, as did Rhianne Oakley, while midfielders Emma Beynon, Kelly Adams, and Tija Richardson also departed.

In total, that’s seven highly experienced players that were no longer at Iain Darbyshire’s disposal. A big rebuild had to happen.

We’ve seen rebuilds before at clubs, and often, it takes time to see the positives instantly. Cardiff Met is a prime example of that. But there’s something about this Cardiff City side, and club, that’s unique, as captain Kerry Walklett explained.

“It’s been really difficult this season not having so much experience around us. It really has been a total rebuild. You look at the starting eleven from last season compared to this one, and nearly every position has changed.

“What hasn’t changed, however, are our principles, our character, our work rate, but we’ve had to learn on the job. I came in last January and I had to find my feet, but I’m grateful to the players who have now left who really helped me settle in.

“We’ve still got so many good professionals who have that experience too. The likes of Ffion, Lisa, Ceryn are all brilliant characters who’ve really helped this squad this season.”

Cardiff City clinch third straight Adran Premier title

And culture is something that is set by those at the top. Manager Iain Darbyshire has guided the Bluebirds into this trophy laden era, and while him and his staff have reshaped this team, he explained winning habits don’t die easy.

“We knew we were going to have to have a rebuild. We lost six to seven of the best players this league has ever seen. You take those stars out of any team and they would struggle. We sat down in pre-season and said, yes, it’s a rebuild, but we’re going to win.

“Every week we make training as intense as we can, we’ve brought a lot of new players in, and I think 90% of the U19s have played senior football this season, because we’ve had to rotate so much. But if you set the right culture, these are the rewards you can have.”

And in many ways, this season for City has been about young players coming in and stepping up. These senior caps aren’t token gestures; they are handed out because these players have shown they can hang in Wales’ top tier.

Grace Evans, Lucy Malin, Seren Thomas, Georgina Bull, Holly Jones and Grace Olsen have all played big parts in the senior team this season. Summer signings Fiona Barry and Lily Billingham are also under-20, and again, both have played vital parts in City’s title charge.

Then you add the likes of Madison Lloyd and Scarlett Baker-Perry, and you begin to realise that the conveyer belt of talent in Leckwith shows no sign of slowing down, and that will only lead to an even brighter future for the Bluebirds.

“The future of this club is so bright,” Darbyshire explained. “We pride ourselves in developing our U19 team. They themselves went through their own big rebuild last summer, and if they manage to win on Friday, they’ll be champions of their league.

“It goes to show again, with the right culture, if you demand the right standards, then you can be successful. Ultimately, this team has been built around being successful. The culture allows people to thrive, and if you give a young player a chance, they will pay you back.”

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In many ways, it does feel the “superstar” era has come to an end at Cardiff City. In previous iterations of City squads, you did feel like in every position, they did have the best player in the league. You can certainly make an argument that isn’t the case this year, but that isn’t to say they don’t have world class players.

Ffion Price and Ceryn Chamberlain have continued to perform at the top of their game, but another part that we’ve seen with the Bluebirds is the improvement of squad players who have now become vital cogs in their system.

Before picking up injuries, Lisa Owen and Mikayla Cook were making strong cases to be involved in some end of season awards, Shannon Evans has been a revelation in defence, while Nieve Jenkins has been a reliable option for Darbyshire.

But it’s perhaps the development of Walklett that’s been the biggest indicator of this. Joining last January, it took some time for the former West Brom midfielder to get to grips with the team and the league. Yet, with those former players leaving, a chance opened up for Walklett, and she’s grabbed with both hands to the delight of her manager.

“Kerry is one of those who sets the culture. She’s been fantastic. Last year, moving to a new team in January, she was finding her feet, and we were also trying to find ways of getting her into the team. This season, with the players that left, she had an opportunity.

“She started the season as vice-captain, and with the injuries we’ve had she’s now captain, but she’s an unbelievable person to have around this squad. You can see that, when someone is confident, they will perform, and Kerry has been unbelievable this season.”

And you only need to spend a couple of minutes with Walklett to see just what that confidence has done to her. She’s a vocal leader on the pitch and a real metronome in the middle of the park, and she was full of thanks to those around her who helped her get to this stage.

“I’m so proud and blessed to be able to wear the captain’s armband for these last six games. The group are fantastic as well and I am always so grateful to them for giving me the opportunity.

“I came in last January and signed as an attacking midfielder, but with all the changes that have gone on I’ve stepped into a different position, and one that’s more defensive. I’ve had to learn, but I’m proud of myself for sticking to it.

“I’ve really worked hard off the pitch with the analysts at the club and the fitness coaches, but I’m so thankful to Iain, the coaching staff and my teammates for the opportunity.”

There has been a lot of change at Cardiff City this season, but one thing that remains the same is a winning mentality that many cannot match. Two league games remain before a Welsh Cup final against Wrexham. If they are to the double, it will certainly cap off what has been a truly sensational campaign for the Bluebirds.

(Featured Image: Ashley Crowden/FAW)