Let’s keep the momentum going.

The Wrexham Angle

Same again, please! Last Sunday’s statement win against Cardiff sent the desired message across the Adran Premier: we’re not resting on our laurels this season; we’re looking to be better than last time. The margin of victory could have been greater, and the result gave Cardiff some early problems as they’re already six points off the pace.

There were so many positives arising from the match, not least Mikayla Cook being able to start, and showing just what a terrific signing she is. Lydia Sallaway continued to look a long way above Adran Premier standards and Evie Sadler got her first goal for the club. The depth of the squad is exciting, and with Faye Knox and Mikayla Wildgoose on the verge of returning, the options have increased. Knox’s availability would be potentially useful as, after what happened to them last weekend, it’s very likely Barry will present us with a low block and challenge us to break it down: Knox’s ingenuity and ability to beat a player is invaluable when we’re faced with such a challenge, although we have shown an increased threat from the flanks this season, both in terms of working overloads for crosses in to Natasha Thomas and Katie Barker cutting in from a wider starting position on the right.

The big question for Jenny Sugarman is how far does she rotate?

Millie Davies will be eager to get involved, Mariam Mahmood has not been used much this season (having not featured in the Champions League she has just the 11 minutes off the bench against Aberystwyth under her belt), while Phoebe Davies, Liv Fuller and Sadler have all shone when brought on. Sugarman could wait until the cup competitions kick in to give meaningful minutes to the squad, but she certainly has the resources at hand to refresh the side within a diminution of quality. That’s important, because relentlessness must be the watchword this season: we will be aiming to set a strong early pace and burn off our competitors. Opening that gap up between us and Cardiff feels like the dream scenario, but both Swansea are on full points with us. We don’t know whether they will be serious threats to our title defence yet – Swansea have certainly got off to a terrific start, while TNS have fully cashed in on two winnable fixtures – but we can’t afford any slip-ups. Either of them could be the real deal, and we certainly don’t want to let Cardiff back into the conversation: we saw last Sunday how they never know when they’re out of the fight.

We’re the ones with the target on our back. So, this season’s going to be very, very different for us in comparison to last season.

-Jodie Bartle to Sgorio

CIty’s awkward home game against Briton Ferry really isn’t the fixture they would have wanted with no points on the board: they start as favourites, but Ferry are unbeaten and we all know how much they relish giving bigger clubs a bloody nose. TNS and Swansea, meanwhile, both have winnable games and will hope to be on nine points at the close of play. Our minimum goal from this match is to ensure we are on that number too.

Known injuries: Mikayla Wildgoose, Gaye Knox.

Possible debuts: Millie Davies

Last Time

The View From The Other Side

Barry Town United have not had the best of starts. An opening day home defeat was a disappointment, but things really got grim last weekend. We all know Abbie Iddenden is good, but when she’d marked her TNS debut by scoring a hat trick in the opening five minutes of the match, the writing was on the wall for Barry. The game concluded in a 9-1 defeat and the spiral would continue in the week: it was announced on Tuesday that manager James Fishlock and his assistant Jonathan Spyropoulos had both departed by mutual consent. There was a cruelly ironic look to their website, with the club statement announcing their departure nestled up next to the last-but-one story they’d posted, on Fishlock’s optimistic hopes for the coming season.

Obviously, the defeat at Park Hall was catastrophic, but having steered Barry to a sixth-place finish last season, it was something of a shock to see the relationship collapse so swiftly.

Barry have acted swiftly in reappointing Stevie McCarthy-Campbell as manager. He was in charge at Jenner Park between 2023 and 2025, leaving to take charge of Gwalia United, the sole Welsh club in the English pyramid. He departed after just three months, though, and after taking chrge of Stourbridge for the second half of last season he has returned to his local club.

Firstly, it’s great to be back at the club that means a lot to me personally as a local and proud Barry man. It’s clear we have work to do and with some tough fixtures coming up, we need to hit the ground running over the next few weeks following a disappointing start to the season.

However, with the group of players we have, I have no doubt that with hard work, we will turn a corner. The club has great potential moving forwards, and the staff and players will be giving everything for the shirt to get us up the table in the coming weeks.

-Stevie McCarthy-Campbell to Barry Town’s website.

He’s right to point to a tough start to the season, as they follow this match up with games against Cardiff City and Swansea City. With the other obvious candidates to get drawn into a scrap for survival, Aberystwyth Town and Cardiff Met, shaping up well in the opening two matches of the season, there’s a serious danger that the table could look very ugly for The Linnets in a fortnight.

They lost a fair amount of experience in the Summer with Anya Grunewald, Keira Harris, Isabella Caunt and Ellie Preece all heading over the border to join English clubs. Grunewald picked up a cap and a goal for Wales Under-19s shortly after departing, iullustrating her potential, but Barry have a proud tradition of developing young players through their youth system, and have brought a couple of the players who have come through the club back into the fold this Summer in Liv Barnett and Paige Parsons. Barnett’s return is an emotional one as her father, Tony, was a driving force behind the club who sadly passed away this Summer.

Terrific experience in the Adran Premier has been drafted in to compensate for the departing players: Amy Long is a familiar face having been a versatile presence for Cardiff City as they hoovered up trophies in recent seasons; Niamh Duggan is a forward who was surprisingly in the third tier with Cambrian United last season, scoring 12 goals and making 8 assists from 11 games; and Summer Kilby is a defender who played a key role in Cardiff Met’s promotion campaign.Young centre back Holly Jones joins permanently after her successful loan spell from Cardiff City last term, while incoming teenagers Ruby Medcraft, Aliyah Hull and Mollie Murgatroyd are youth prospects.

Erin Murray has been absent so far this season. The experienced and versatile player (she even played a game in goal against us!) is suffering from a long term injury, but made a comeback on Saturday for the Under-19s. Her knowhow will be a welcome help to McCarthy-Campbell as he looks to turn the corner.

Known injuries: Erin Murray

Potential Milestones

Lizzie Craven’s 50^th Wrexham game.

Ava Suckley needs four more goals to become the second Wrexham player to score 50 goals for the club.

Lili Jones needs two more assists to become the first Wrexham player to make 25 assists for the club.

Wrexham have won our first three league games of the season once, in 2022.

Wrexham have never won our first three league fixtures in the Adran Premier.

Wrexham have never been involved in a goalless draw.

Wrexham’s record against Barry: P7 W6 D0 L1

Wrexham have won all 3 home games against Barry, all by a one-goal margin.

Wrexham’s three biggest wins against Barry (6-1 in 2026, 5-1 in 2023, 3-1 in 2024) all came in away games.

Biggest win against Barry: 6-1 2025-26

Biggest loss against Barry: 0-1 2024-25

Biggest home win against Barry: 4-3 2024-25

Biggest  home loss against Barry: –