After a stunning home win against defending champions Llandudno Ladies in the Genero Adran North last weekend, Wrexham AFC Women’s winning start to the season faces its toughest so far… a trip to Genero Adran Premier opposition, TNS, in the FAW Women’s Cup.
The match will be the third time Wrexham AFC Women have taken on Genero Adran Premier opposition since Welsh domestic women’s football was restructured in 2021.
So far, TNS have beaten them 3-0 in last season’s FAW Women’s Cup while they also suffered a 6-0 reverse to heavyweights Swansea City in the Genero Adran Trophy.
Steve Dale’s side know the size of the task ahead of them therefore, as they bid to cause a cup upset with a quarter-final place up for grabs.
The match at Park Hall kicks off at 2pm and is open to spectators.
Match preview
Five different goalscorers found the back of the net as Wrexham beat CPDM Y Felinheli 5-1 away in the previous round to book their place in the last 16.
Amber Lightfoot, Rebecca Pritchard, Sophie Hodson, Rosie Hughes and Ava Suckley were all on target as part of what has been a fine start to the season for Steve Dale’s side.
However, they now face the team that ended their cup run last season – TNS winning 3-0 at Colliers Park against a Wrexham team then managed by Mari Edwards – if they are to progress further in the competition.
TNS go into the game having earned six points from six league games so far, but in the FAW Women’s Cup they were in clinical form in the last round – putting an incredible 12 goals past Airbus UK Broughton.
Wrexham will be keen to fare much better than their fellow Genero Adran North side, but are yet to score against top-flight opposition in two attempts since the start of last season.
However, they go into the game buoyed by a stunning 5-2 win against Llandudno Ladies last time out – in front of co-chairman Rob McElhenney.
Rosie Hughes and Ava Suckley each scored twice and Lili Jones was also on target in a game in which Del Morgan was just as integral in between the sticks as the players up front.
That result made it five wins from five in all competitions at the season, and Wrexham will put their winning start on the line again in this game.
Team news
Del Morgan missed out in the last round of the FAW Women’s Cup, due to her coaching commitments with Wales Under-19s, but the goalkeeper – one of Wrexham’s star players last weekend – will be available for this match.
Amber Lightfoot faces a late fitness test, while Libby Mackenzie is pushing for a starting place after dropping to the bench last time out.
Wrexham AFC Women Under-19s star Natasha Spearing, who has made several first-team appearances, will definitely miss out, however, after fracturing her ankle.
The opposition
TNS have won three of the seven matches they have played so far this season, including their crushing 12-0 defeat of Airbus in the last round of the FAW Women’s Cup.
That was victory number three in a row for TNS at the time, following up wins against Aberystwyth Town and Abergavenny in the league.
Since, however, they have lost 3-1 to Swansea City and last weekend were beaten 3-2 away to Cardiff City.
Beth Lewis has scored four penalties in the last four consecutive matches. Chantelle Teare also scored last time out, but Lucie Platt was sent off.
Previous meetings
Wrexham and TNS have met once before, in this same competition last season. Lucie Platt, Lexie Harrison and Caitlin Chapman were on target in a 3-0 win for the visitors at Colliers Park.
Harrison scored the goal of the game – a stunning long-range strike to beat Morgan from distance. The goal proved a sucker-punch to a Wrexham team who, though still in their infancy, had been in the game until that point.
Nevertheless, it proved to be one of only two games in which Wrexham failed to score last season – both of which were against Genero Adran Premier opposition.