Wrexham AFC Women’s bid for promotion to the Genero Adran Premier reaches its conclusion on Sunday (April 16) with a winner-takes-all play-off against Genero Adran South champions, Briton Ferry Llansawel, at Newtown’s Latham Park.
Steve Dale’s unbeaten Genero Adran North champions will be looking to round off an incredible season, which also saw them reach the quarter-finals in two cup competitions, by securing promotion to the top flight.
Standing in their way are a Briton Ferry Llansawel side who themselves have enjoyed an excellent campaign – reaching the FAW Women’s Cup Final in addition to their Genero Adran South title.
The match kicks off at 4.30pm at Latham Park, with tickets available on the gate a cost of £3 for adults and £1 for concessions.
And tickets also allow entry into the Genero Adran U19s Championship Final which precedes the game – when Wrexham AFC Under-19s take on Cardiff City Under-19s in a repeat of last season’s final.
The curtain raiser
Gareth Owen’s Under-19s side successfully defended their Genero Adran U19s North title, completing the season unbeaten with ten wins and two draws.
It has set up a national final against Cardiff City for the second consecutive year, after the Bluebirds beat a very young Wrexham side with a strong second-half performance last season.
Unfortunately Wrexham’s double success does limit the options available to the Under-19s in the final, however, with several players unavailable due to their first-team commitments later in the afternoon.
Top goalscorer and captain Lili Jones will be with the first team, alongside full-backs Ella Clifton-Stringer and Mia Roberts, and striker Lily Whitefoot.
Nevertheless, there is strength in depth in this Wrexham side, with 14-goal striker Siwan Williams and creative midfielder Natasha Spearing both available.
Players with first-team experience this season, meanwhile, include Ruby Jones, Bethan Jones, and goalkeeper Faye Jones.
The match kicks off at 1.15pm, and if you can’t make it to Latham Park, we’ll have live commentary here.
Winner-takes-it-all
The main event kicks off at 4.30pm, with live television coverage via S4C available online and worldwide from 4.15pm.
Follow the game with English commentary here or with Welsh commentary here, or via S4C.cymru/Clic
Both Wrexham and Briton Ferry have been granted a Tier 1 License for the 2023/24 season, meaning the winner of this tie is guaranteed to take the promotion spot.
Wrexham go into the game having won 12 from 12 in the Genero Adran North, including their win at the Racecourse Ground on the final day, in front of a record-breaking crowd of 9,511.
TJ Dickens opened the scoring in that game with a stunning long-range free-kick, and while Nomads equalised later in the first-half, Wrexham took the game to the visitors after the break.
The pressure was eventually rewarded late on, when top scorer Rosie Hughes skipped inside a defender’s challenge, rounded the goalkeeper and scored a tap-in to seal victory.
The opposition
Briton Ferry Llansawel go into this game still looking to seal a league and cup double, with an FAW Women’s Cup Final against Cardiff City also awaiting them.
The Genero Adran South champions narrowly missed out to Abergavenny in the league last season, but like Wrexham have managed to go one better this season.
They won 15 of their 16 matches, only losing one league game all season – against second-placed Cascade, who finished 11 points below them.
Megan Kearle topped the league’s goalscoring charts, with 20, while team-mates Lowri Baker and Fleur Jenkins were also in the top five – helping Briton Ferry to 78 league goals in total.
They warmed up for this match with back-to-back wins earlier this month – beating Cascade 5-3 and Pontardawe 9-2 to conclude their league campaign.
Team news
Lauryn Lyons is a long-term injury concern for Wrexham, but Steve Dale otherwise a full-strength squad available and some selection decisions to make.
Mari Gibbard is available again in midfield, while the performances of Sophie Hodson and Lily Whitefoot off the bench against Connah’s Quay show the strength in depth available to Dale.
Follow the action
Tickets are available on the gate at a cost of £3 for adults and £1 for concessions, but you can also follow the action online.
Follow @WrexhamAFCWomen on Twitter or listen to live audio commentary via the Wrexham AFC club website here.
The match will also be live on S4C and can be streamed worldwide via the links above.