Wrexham AFC

It's been an historic season for Wrexham, finishing our first season in the top flight in 3rd place. Now we bring it to an end with an exciting prospect: a first Welsh Cup Final. It'll be a wonderful occasion, but to claim victory we'll have to overcome the best team in Welsh football.

THE WREXHAM ANGLE

A pioneering spirit colours Wrexham journey south to contest our first Welsh Cup final. We're the first North Walian side to reach the final since Llandudno in 2016, and hope to bring the trophy back north for the first time since 2002. Having played so well in the Championship phase of the season, and with a break before the final allowing tired and injured players to recover, manager Steve Dale has had sufficient opportunity to plot and prepare for the challenge of facing the champions.

Reflecting on his team's efforts this season, Dale told the FAW: “Quite a few teams would have written us off early days, but we’ve gone about our business quietly, we’ve been efficient, secured a third-place finish, and it’s an amazing achievement.

“It’s always a tough game against Cardiff. They’ve been outstanding in the league and getting those results week in and week out, and we’ve got to give them the respect they deserve. Even though the scorelines against them don’t reflect it, the games don’t reflect how we feel those games have gone. We manage to get a lot of positives out of those games, and to run them close those times has been fantastic.

Winning the Bute Energy Welsh Cup would mean everything. There’s a lot of sacrifice and hard work that’s gone in to get us into this position. We pinpointed the fact that one of the cups could be a chance for silverware for us.

-Steve Dale

“We have been able to find positives against them and cause them problems, but we know Sunday has to be a complete performance. We have to be better than what we have been, because we’ve conceded far too many goals against them. They’re strong all over the pitch and can change things during the game, and we have to be ready for that and to adapt quickly. It’s a cup final, league form goes out the window, so anything can happen.”

“The start of the game is vital for us. We’ve been on the back foot and looked a little nervy against them early on, and then you find yourself a goal down within five minutes, momentum goes against you, and everything you’ve been working on changes quickly.

“If we get a good start in the opening 20 minutes, it will allow us to build and progress through the game. Cardiff are ruthless, they can take the game away from you, and we’ve been guilty of missing a lot of chances against them. We have to match that ruthlessness and we have to be resilient.”

“We’ve managed to get to a final, all the preparation is done, and it’s important we turn up on the day. To bring that trophy back, it rewards all the hard work the players, staff, and supporters have put in, and we want to reward the club with the backing they’ve given us. It would mean everything to cap off a brilliant season.”

Dale also took time to talk about a couple of his team's award winners this season, players' player Phoebe Davies and Young Player Lili Jones:

“As soon as we had the conversation with Phoebe about trying to get her into Wrexham, we knew exactly what she’d bring to us. Her experience is unbelievable, she had a fantastic career before she joined the club. Being a mother as well, she uses that personality trait to help the younger players.

“She’s seen as one of the more senior members of the team, but you know what you’re going to get from Phoebe. She gives a nine out of ten performance every week, she’s so consistent. She’s been asked to play in a number of positions this season and hasn’t moaned once. She’s just cracked on and been really effective wherever she’s played. She’s a credit to the club, and we’re very lucky to have players like Phoebe representing us.”

“Lili has the potential to go all the way. We’re really privileged to have a player like Lili with us. You still have to pinch yourself when you realise, she’s only 18! She’s so mature with a really good head on her shoulders, and she’s a real credit to her family with the way she conducts herself.

“She’s Wrexham through and through, so you know you’re going to get 110% from her. The way she’s had her upbringing around clubs like Everton, representing Wales at youth level, you can see the full potential of Lili.”

LAST TIME WE MET

Wrexham face a tough challenge against a side who have a 100% record against us. Our most recent clash, at Cardiff City Stadium, saw them maintain their record against us and then lift the league trophy post-match.

THE VIEW FROM THE OTHER SIDE

Having already won the Adran Premier and the Adran Trophy, Cardiff look to complete a clean sweep by winning the Welsh Cup for a third successive year. Manager Iain Derbyshire has enjoyed a remarkable season, and he'll hope to finish it in style at Rodney Parade, as he explained to his club's website.

Eliza Collie summed up City’s sense of excitement before the game to City’s website: "All the girls are excited for Sunday's game. It's a big occasion for us and for our fans coming to watch. We want to go out and win the game, but also and put in a good performance for everyone watching.

"It would mean a lot to all of us to get a third trophy this season. We've done the double, but there's still a job to do. It's a Cup Final, so we can't take anything for granted. We’ve missed out on the treble in the past, but we’re hoping to bring all three trophies home this season."

Collie has turned up for the big games, and has begged 7 goals in 5 games against Wrexham so far this season.

"I want to go out and play well for the girls. I've scored a few goals against Wrexham over the season and I'm going to push for some more on Sunday.

"There's always nerves going into big games like this. I enjoy every moment of playing football with this group of girls. It's a big occasion for us and we're all excited."

Collie ended the season as the Adran Premier’s top scorer, and also won Cardiff’s Young Player of the Season trophy, which she was delighted by: "I'm very pleased and extremely grateful to win the award. It's a brilliant feeling knowing that all my hard work has paid off.

"It's been a great season for me personally and I'm really glad to be able to contribute to the team with goals."

THE HISTORY OF THE WELSH CUP

First contested in 1992-93, this is the 30th year of the Welsh Cup. The first two editions were won by Pilkington from Rhyl, but since then the trophy has only ventured north twice, after Bangor's victories in 1997 and 2002.

The dominant club has been Cardiff City Ladies, a separate entity to Cardiff City, who dominated the tournament winning 8 consecutive titles in the 2000s. However, they are no longer eligible to enter as they are the sole Welsh women's team in the English pyramid.