Wales duo prepare to win their 50th caps against Switzerland
PONTYCLUN, WALES - 17 SEPTEMBER 2023: Wales' Ceri Holland and Wales' Ffion Morgan during a training session at the Vale Resort ahead of the UEFA Women’s Nations League fixture against Iceland on the 22nd of September at Laugardalsvöllur Stadium, Reykjavík, Iceland.(Pic by John Smith/FAW)
Wales duo Ceri Holland and Ffion Morgan will win their 50th Wales caps on Tuesday, as Rhian Wilkinson’s side prepare to face Switzerland.
Wales will take on the Swiss in a friendly in the Spanish city of Jerez in what will be their final game of 2025.
Vice-captain Holland said in the build-up to the previous game against South Korea that she wouldn’t focus on her half-century until cap 49 is out the way. Now the time has come, the Liverpool midfielder says it’s an honour to reach this milestone.
“It’s a really proud moment for me and my family. It’s really nice to have Ffion reaching that milestone alongside me. It was all about that 49th cap against South Korea first, but now I can look ahead to the 50th.”
Holland made her debut for Wales against Canada in 2021, but her journey to the senior team was unlike any other.
Having come through the academies of Leeds United and Manchester City, Holland then went to the USA and played college football for the Kansas Jayhawks.
After three years there, Holland eventually made her Wales debut, and she says she wouldn’t change one bit about her journey.
“It definitely didn’t cross my mind in Kansas that I would be where I am now. I wasn’t in the national team setup at that point, so Wales seemed like a long way away. I wasn’t a professional player either back then.
“My journey has been a bit different to a few of the girls who came through the pathway here, but I’ve enjoyed my journey. I wouldn’t change anything, and I look back over the last four-and-a-half years and reflect on the fact that I’ve probably accelerated through quite quickly, but it’s been a very positive time.
“I’ve got a lot of things to improve and work on still, but I’ve got a lot more to give.”
Tuesday will also be a memorable moment for Ffion Morgan, who will also reach 50 caps.
Morgan made her senior debut in 2017 against Northern Ireland in Ystrad Mynach, and she admitted it still feels surreal that she’s now reaching her half century.
“I think it’s crazy that I’m reaching 50 caps. It’s been a fun journey, but it’s mad to think that I’m about to play for Wales for the 50th time.
“It’s an honour and a privilege every time to play for my country, so to reach this milestone is still all a bit surreal. My parents are coming out here too, of course they would be, so it’s a special occasion.”
Throughout her almost nine years in a Wales shirt, perhaps the standout moment for Morgan was her goal away to Slovakia in the Euro 2025 playoff semi-final.
Without that goal, Wales may not have produced a comeback in the second leg, but the West Ham forward says everyone played their part in Wales reaching their first major tournament.
“As a footballer you don’t really think about moments like that. For me, I’m just doing my job when I’m called upon. That’s what every player on the team does.
“There were so many moments in the campaign that led to us qualifying. That was one of them, but without the ball through from Jess Fishlock, then it wouldn’t have happened.
“Everyone is on the same journey, but every single cap for me has been amazing, and it’s been a fantastic year for us. To finish it all off with a 50th cap is special.”
104th minute equaliser ensures a point for Cardiff City in the Adran Premier
South Korea lessons
Wales are heading into this game off the back of a 1-1 draw with South Korea in Malaga.
Cymru certainly had some positive moments during the game, and manager Rhian Wilkinson admitted she’s been pushing the players hard during this latest camp.
“It was a really big step forward for us. This has been a really strong camp where the group has really focused on what we want to achieve. We knew we were going to have two fantastic tests during this camp, and I was really pleased with the number of chances we created.
“We did a lot of things well, but equally, we know there’s that next step to get to, which is putting chances away.”
Wales dominated the first half and could have scored six or seven goals if they were more clinical. Instead, South Korea came back in the second half to secure the draw.
Cymru are yet to win a game this year, and Tuesday will be their final chance to do so.
Wilkinson says if Wales are to reach the next level in their development, they have to finish the chances they create.
“The first step is creating those chances and now we have to make them count.
“We had some really good moments of play, and I’ve been pushing these players and being hard on them to do that, but the reality is, from where we’ve been to where we’re going, there’s a really important step ahead.
“I thought we were on top for a lot of the second half too. What happens is, if you don’t put your chances away in the first half, the opposition can spend half time trying to fix what was going wrong. The key is, we have to find a way to adapt when they fix things.”
Manchester United and Bristol City stars shine as Wales draw in Spain
Switzerland finale
For their final game of the year, Wales will face off against Switzerland.
The Swiss, who hosted Euro 2025 and reached the quarterfinals in the process, have a new manager in the dugout, as Rafel Navarro replaced the legendary Pia Sundhage.
Holland believes facing off against a new manager will present Wales with different tests.
“Switzerland are another top nation. We know that they have some really good individuals and they have a new coach now too, so that’s going to mean we come up against a new style of play.
“That will be interesting for us to deal with, but I’m looking forward to the game. It’s going to be a really good test, but a test we feel like we can win.”
The last time Wales faced Switzerland was in the playoff final for the 2023 World Cup, as a 120th minute goal meant it was the Swiss who reached the tournament finals.
Morgan was part of that squad, and she explained that Wales are a very different team now to what they were back then.
“We’ve grown a lot in the last couple of years. We’ve excelled a lot and we’re in a very different place to when we played Switzerland last time. It’ll be an exciting test and also a good marker to see where we’re at as a team.
“They qualified for a World Cup back then and we couldn’t, then it’s a full circle moment in a way that we play our first tournament in Switzerland. Maybe now is the time to put that result right and get one back on them.”
