Wrexham AFC Women travel down to South Wales as Steve Dale’s side attempt to make it three league wins in a row as they take on Cardiff Met at Cyncoed Campus.
For everything you need to know ahead of the match, read our preview, below.
The opposition
While Cardiff Met are normally a side you’d associate as being a part of the ‘big three’, along with Cardiff City and Swansea City - the south Wales outfit have struggled this season.
Daniel Delahay’s side currently sit fifth in the league table, having had a poor start to the season so far, winning just twice in six matches.
Admittedly, one of those wins did come against six-time league champions Swansea - but they’ve struggled to hit form since then and kick on in their attempts to climb the table.
Despite that, a narrow 1-0 win against Pontypridd United provided crucial points for Wrexham’s opponents, who will be looking to build upon that performance in their pursuit of the top four.
While they might not possess the points total that they would want, Ingrid Aadland will provide a stern threat to the Red Dragons’ backline as the joint-fourth top goalscorer in the league.
In the hot seat: Daniel Delahey
Having joined in the summer, Delahey is in his first full season at the club, having worked as an academy coach at Cardiff City.
Delahay is an experienced operator within the women’s game, having worked with Merthyr Town, the FAW Trust, Bristol City and the Wales’ U16 national team as a coach.
While he has overseen a summer of change at Met, Delahey will be looking to restore his side to their previous heights sooner rather than later.
What our manager said: Steve Dale
“Cardiff Met are a team who once they pick up, they’ll be up there challenging for that top four as well,” Dale explained. “If we can get another good result it will give us a cushion in terms of the teams who are chasing us so i think that it’s important that we continue to prepare the right way.
“We’ll be confident - our away form is very good and coming off the back of the two big wins against Aberystwyth Town and The New Saints, so hopefully we can continue our momentum.
“We just need to focus on ourselves and make sure we’re in a good position. The girls have been brilliant so far and should take a lot of credit for where we are at the moment. We’ve had some really good performances along the way.
“This match is massive. We want to be in a positive position heading into the Christmas period, we have some tough games coming up and it is important we continue to pick up points.
“We don’t really want to be chasing big gaps to that top four, we want to be setting the pace.”
Last time out: Wrexham AFC Women 3-1 TNS
Wrexham AFC Women claimed a derby day victory over The New Saints at The Rock, as Steve Dale’s side recorded an impressive 3-1 victory which saw Rosie Hughes score her 100th goal in a Wrexham shirt.
Carra Jones broke the deadlock after 22 minutes from close-range in the derby - her first league goal since joining the Club in the summer.
Lightfoot, who was straight back into the starting line-up this weekend, had an immediate impact at The Rock. It was her work on the edge of the box that created space for a through ball into Jones, who made no mistake from close range on her left foot.
Wrexham continued to grow into the match in the second half, and it was Rosie Hughes who doubled the advantage with a goal that will go down in the record books.
Having received the ball on the bounce from distance, Hughes produced a truly impressive volley from range which looped over Haydn-Jones in the 53rd minute to extend the lead.
It wasn’t just any goal though. It was the goal that lifted Hughes on to 100 career goals for Wrexham AFC – a tally which no other current player at the Club (male or female) has been able to replicate.
Carra Jones netted her second goal of the match, all but securing three points for Wrexham with 20 minutes left to play.
The visitors scored a consolation late on with three minutes remaining, as Helen Evans scored an incredible free kick from distance which rose past Del Morgan with the Wrexham keeper unfortunate not to keep a clean sheet.
Despite that, it didn’t spoil the party as the Red Dragons held on for an important victory at The Rock on derby day against TNS.
How to watch
Following the announcement that all non-televised Women’s matches, not selected for TV coverage will be live streamed, you can tune into today’s match wherever you are in the world.
In order to access the four-camera stream of Sunday’s match, you must have a registered account on iFollow Wrexham.
If you already have set up an account on iFollow Wrexham, all you need to do is log in and you will have access to the stream.
Live social media updates will be provided on the Club’s official X account, @WrexhamAFCWomen.
