Preview: Wrexham v Aberystwyth Town

Football is back!

The Wrexham Angle

The Welsh champions (forgive me for indulging myself by starting like that!) are finally able to start defending their title after an incredibly long pre-season. Playing in the Champions League so early in the Summer and then managing the preparations for a season which starts months later is a real logistical challenge, but the pre-season matches against second tier opposition from across the border in the last couple of weeks suggested we’re ready to go.

We might have lost to Watford and been trailing at the break to Wolves when MIchael Fish intervened (I’m sorry, but if you can’t blame weathermen for the weather, you’ll go mad. I don’t want to be a mad old man, waving his fist futilely at the skies. Yet.)

However, we were competitive in those fames, got a chance to work on our shape with and without the ball, and got proper work-outs. Putting nine goals past Connah’s Quay will have been great for morale, but we will have got more from the more testing work-outs.

Of course, that’s exactly what we’re aiming for. The aim is to retain the title and establish ourselves as the predominant force in Welsh football, as a bridge to consistently featuring in the Champions League, and making an impact in that. It won’t be a process we can complete swiftly, but the direction of travel is highly promising. Jodie Bartle’s rallying call this morning just adds to the sense of anticipation.

Let’s not run before we can walk though. Aberystwyth are the immediate challenge, and they showed last season that they should not be under-estimated. Experienced top tier campaigners, they are flexible and resilient: they will also be the first time to face us with the extra motivation of trying to bloody the nose of the champions this season.

Five Wrexham players are possible debutants: Lucy Farrell in goal, Lydia Sallaway at the back, Bella Reidford in midfield, Mikayla Cook on the wing and Natasha Thomas up front. They all offer the requisite quality to take the club closer to that long term goal as well as achieve our objectives for this season, and the club did well to get them all in for the Champions League. It means there has been plenty of scope for them to familiarise themselves with how we play.

Speaking of which, Jenny Sugarman has had the opportunity to get a full pre-season in, unlike last Summer when she was appointed late. We didn’t drop many points last season, and three of them came in our third game when we switched to a back four at TNS and didn’t look fully familiar with the changed responsibilities. As the season progressed, we looked happier with switching shape, and the pre-season has seen us use a back four increasingly as the games went on. We might well decide that’s the way to go at The Rock against Aber, but I would be wary of second guessing our set-up from game to game. This is a well-assembled squad with quality and versatility, so expect a number of different approaches, tailored to the requirements of the fixture and the need for rotation. Expect that to be a major characteristic of our season too, as we ensure players are kept sharp for the gala fixtures.

One obvious factor will concern opponents. The addition of Thomas gives us a physical, crafty presence to bounce the ball off and move around. Her combination with Katie Barker and Faye Knox is a mouth-watering prospect: with that level of fire power, you’d imagine somebody is going to take a bit of punishment at some point this season! That’s without even factoring in the likes of Ava Suckley, Mariam Mahmood and Evie Sadler, who will be eager to what she can do after a season which was wiped out by injury. She made a terrific impression on the left against Wolves, offering further evidence of the adaptability of Sugarman’s squad.

With Mikayla Wildgoose the only injury reported – and pleasingly, she seems likely to return sooner than initial fears suggested – and Liv Fuller looking impressive as she completes her rehab, that squad is only getting deeper, and there are still two weeks of the transfer window left should Sugarman wish to dabble further. The liklihood is she will not unless a known player of quality suddenly becomes available. There’s no need to have a flurry of activity when your options are as strong as ours.

Known injuries: Mikayla Wildgoose

Possible debuts: Lucy Farrell, Lydia Sallaway, Bella Reidford, Mikayla Cook, Natasha Thomas

The View From The Other Side

Rhys Jon James, who took the reins last season at Aberystwyth after a chaotic club-wide situation needed a steady hand, has made a positive impression and while he could not improve on the seventh place finish achieved the previous season, there was a real sense of development. There was never a danger of relegation in either of those campaigns, as first Cardiff Met and then Pontypridd United proved to be uncompetitive wooden spoon teams, and James’ recruitment this season hints at a refresh of the squad with youth to the fore.

That’s typical for The Seasiders: their strategy, picking up talent from the University to supplement talent from the west as they are the dominant club in that area, has stood them in good stead over the years. It’s an approach they’ve maintained, with perhaps the most interesting addition being Llio Henshaw. She has arrived from Felinheli to add to their defence – she played for them in the 10-0 win we enjoyed against them in the Welsh Cup two seasons ago and our final game at Ponicau Banks, which ended 8-1. Indeed, in her three matches against us, going back to when she was a 19-year old, she has been part of a defence which conceded 23 goals. Don’t judge her on that: she was one of the strongest talents in the Adran North and Y Felinheli were sad to see her go but couldn’t stand in the way of an opportunity to take a first step into the top tier.

They suffered a blow when goalkeeper Sophie Steele, who consistently impressed against us, departed, but two young goalkeepers with real promise and top tier experience will fight it out for the gloves. The imposing figure of Anna Phelps, who has been involved with the Thailand national squad, arrives from Pontypridd United having gained first team experience earlier in her career with Cardiff City – she was in goal when Abbie Iddenden scored that remarkable hat trick in our first home victory over the Bluebirds (albeit at Denbigh!) two seasons ago – and Megan Bowen the most recent signing, on loan from TNS. Elsewhere in the squad, five other young talents have arrived: Wales Under-16 international Chloe Edwards from the FAW Girls’ Academy South; Poppy Jones, Ffion Davies-Williams, Sydney Pugh and Carys Davies-Williams from Llanidloes Town; and Mali Yim-Jones from Llanilar.

Signing capable youngsters allows James to develop good habits and tactical flexibility, as an ability to adapt during games characterised their efforts over the last season. They showed exactly what they are about at The Rock last season when they put an uncharacteristically insipid home performance against Wrexham, which ended in a 5-0 defeat, behind them and caused us problems in both the league and the Adran Trophy on the first two Sundays in December.

A pair of remarkable performances by club legend Amy Jenkins characterised both matches. In the league encounter she struck twice in the first half, one a remarkable effort from midfield, to counter an early Rosie Hughes goal, and although goals from Mariam Mahmood and Hughes enabled us to come from behind and win 3-2, there was no question that we had faced one of the toughest examinations of the season.

A week later we were given another stern test by Town; indeed, they nearly prevented us from celebrating our first national silverware. Jenkins was forced by injuries to go in goal (not for the first time against us!), and was excellent, although that’s not to suggest that we had it all our own way. Lily Moralee-Hughes was outstanding when switched to the right flank after the break, and led a stirring late charge by Aber.All the goals came in that second half as Town twice equalised – one in the 8th minute of injury time – to force the Adran Trophy quarter-final to penalties. The shoot-out was a high quality affair, decided only when Imogen Scourfield put Aber’s fifth penalty wide, allowing Faye Knox to stroke in the winner.

The exceptional Libby Isaac – nominated for the Adran Premier team of the season last term – remains at the heart of defence, and further experience is provided by the likes of Rebecca Mathias, Shauna Chambers and Ffiona Evans, while they boast a match winner in Carys Bufton, who hit eight goals and three assists in ten games last season, including hat tricks against Briton Ferry and Barry Town United.

Known injuries:

Possible debuts: Anna Phelps, Megan Bowen, Llio Henshaw, Chloe Edwards, Poppy Jones, Ffion Davies-Williams, Sydney Pugh, Carys Davies-Williams, Mali Yim-Jones.