FA Women's Cup News and Results 11/10/22 (Collie, Francis, Freeman, D Green, Gunney, Horgan, Hosford, N Jenkins, Lake, Saunders, Rees, Tiley, Watkins, J Williams)

FA Women's Cup holders Cardiff City Women beat Cascade YC 5-0 as they begin their defence of the trophy. Danielle Green, Megan Saunders, Seren Watkins and Eliza Collie were all on the scoresheet, with Eliza netting twice.

News 8/10/22 (Switzerland v Cymru)

FAW have posted ticket details for Cymru's World Cup play-off in Switzerland.

News 7/10/22 (Fishlock, Grainger, Wiltshire)

Jess Fishlock relives her dream goal, but Gemma Grainger is already looking forward to the next match.

Result: Wales 1-0 Bosnia-Herzegovina AET

(Click on any of the links for a more official match report)

Last night, Wales played their first ever World Cup play-off - and won. If it was men's football, that would be enough, but as this is women's football, they have another game to win. The exact specifics of the win are as complicated as everything else, but today, let's just celebrate.

News 6/10/22 (Grainger, Holland, Ingle, Carrie Jones, Lancaster, R Roberts, Rowe)

BBC Sport previews Wales' World Cup play-off against Bosnia-Herzegovina. The kick-off is at 7.15pm today (Thursday 6th October) and you can follow the match on BBC One Wales, BBC Radio Wales, Radio Cymru, Cymry Fyw and the BBC Sport Website.

News 5/10/22 (Wales v Bosnia-Herzegovina, Ingle, Carrie Jones, Ladd)

Wales are set to break their attendance record again in their World Cup play-off against Bosnia-Herzegovina.

News 4/10/22 (Wales v Bosnia-Herzegovina, Rowe)

Information for supporters about Wales' play-off match against Bosnia-Herzegovina at the Cardiff City stadium. Tickets are still available.

Wales News 3/10/22 (Filbey, Rowe)

VAR will be used in all the World Cup play-offs.

Wales made history by making the World Cup play-offs, but Anna Filbey and Rachel Rowe want to make more history.

Other Results (played 2/10/22) (Atkins, Broadhurst, Hosford, Jenkins, Emma Jones, Lake, Legall, Poole, Power, F Price, Rossiter, Stevens, J Williams, Ward)

FA Women’s Championship

Oxford United 1-1 Watford

Oxford haven’t lost at home for nearly three years and Watford were within minutes of ending that run. After a very long period of stoppage time, Oxford found the equaliser they needed – though Watford themselves are unbeaten in three. Helen Ward came closest to giving Watford a second goal after replacing Annie Rossiter in the 81^st minute. Lily Stevens played 90 minutes for Oxford.

Women's League Cup Part 3 (played 2/10/22) (Dudley-Jones, Gemma Evans, Griffiths, Gane, Hoare, McAteer, Rowe, Woodham, Wynne)

If you have no idea what's going on with regard to how the competition works and why teams who lost haven't been knocked out, this page might help you. On the other hand, it might not....

GROUP E

Coventry United 2-0 Southampton

Coventry United haven’t been doing so well in the league, but they made up for it today. The game started slowly, though Megan Wynne, restored to the starting line-up, nearly helped Southampton into the perfect start when she dodged her marker got down the wing and sent in a cross which none of her team-mates quite got to. Alice Griffiths also started for Southampton

Women's League Cup Results Part 2 (played 2/10/22) (Bull, Clark, Cleverly, Estcourt, Filbey, K Green, Elise Hughes, Longhurst, F Morgan, Powell, Smith, Soper, Teisar)

If you have no idea what's going on with regard to how the competition works and why teams who lost haven't been knocked out, this page might help you. On the other hand, it might not....

GROUP C

Birmingham City 3-2 Brighton & Hove Albion

Charlie Estcourt was an unused substitute as Birmingham of the Championship beat the Super League’s Brighton. 

Birmingham went ahead after 25 minutes and remained in the lead for the rest of the match, but Brighton kept the pressure on, twice reducing a two-goal deficit, though unable to find the equaliser that could have got them a point or two. Forward Kayleigh Green played as a left-sided centre back for Brighton. Highlights can be watched here.

Birmingham are top. West Ham are second with two points after beating London City Lionesses in the penalty shoot-out. I’ll let you guess where Brighton are.

 

Women's League Cup Results Part 1 (played 2/10/22) (B Davies, Francis-Jones, J Green, Holland, Carrie Jones, Leek, R Roberts, Walters, Chloe Williams)

 FA Women’s League Cup Results

It all could have been so simple. Teams play each other; if there’s a draw, there’s a penalty shoot-out. The winner of each match progresses to the next round, and so on until there’s only one team left. That’s how the men do it and it only gets complicated when the FA Cup winners manage to get themselves relegated (yes, Wigan Athletic: I mean you. You legends).

Other Results (played on 18/9/22) (Atkins, Broadhurst, Chamberlain, D Green, E Hughes, Nolan, Oakley, Poole, F Price, E Roberts, Rossiter, S Walsh, Watkins, Watson)

Watford 6-0 Cheltenham Town

Watford bounced back from a defeat in the best possible way, with an emphatic victory Cheltenham Town. Andria Georgiou got her second goal in two games after just two minutes, her shot too much for Cheltenham keeper Aimee Watson.

Women's Championship Results Part 2 (played 18/9/22) (B Davies, Dudley-Jones, Francis-Jones, Gane, Hoare, Leek, Thomas, Walters, C Williams)

Durham 3-1 Blackburn Rovers

Durham got their first win of the season when they hosted Blackburn Rovers. Durham started very strongly, registering several attempts on goal early on before Saoirse Noonan finally put the ball into the top corner. Sarah Robson made it two before half-time when her strike went in off the post.

Women's Championship Results Part 1 (played 18/9/22) (C Bull, Clark, Estcourt, Filbey, Elise Hughes, F Morgan, Powell, Teisar,)

Bristol City 1-0 Sunderland

Bristol City got their third win and third clean sheet in three games, but it wasn't an easy afternoon against a strong and physical Sunderland team.  A couple of early shots were off-target for Bristol City, then Chloe Mustaki had a penalty appeal rejected. Abi Harrison had the ball in the net shortly before half-time, but it was disallowed for a foul on Claudia Moan.

Women's Super League Results (played 18/9/22) (J Green, Harding Holland, Ingle, James, Carrie Jones, Ellen Jones, McAteer, R Roberts)

Aston Villa 4-3 Manchester City

Much as I take issue with the view that all 0-0 draws are boring, there is always something to be said for a game with this many goals. Aston Villa had never beaten Manchester City until today - indeed, they hadn't even scored against them and had lost all four of their previous matches against them with an aggregate score of 17-0.

News and Results 18/9/22 (Beynon, John-Davis, Emma Jones, Lake, Legall, Powe, Skinner, Stevens, Wynne)

Swansea City 1-0 Barry Town)

Stacey John-Davis scored the only goal as Swansea City beat Barry Town to make it two wins from two games. After team-mate Monet Legall was brought down illegally, Stacey stepped up to place the penalty in the top right corner. 

Women's Super League Results (played 17/9/22) (Gemma Evans, Ladd, Rowe, Le Tissier, Woodham)

Manchester United 4-0 Reading

Manchester United made a great start to the new season in front of a record crowd at Leigh Sports Village.

It's always great to score on your debut, but it's not something you'd expect of a centre back. You certainly wouldn't expect a debutante to score two on their debut - but that's what Maya Le Tissier (no, not one of those Le Tissiers) did. Maya was born in Guernsey (yes, so was the other Le Tissier, but they're still not related) so I believe she could play for Wales. If she would like to, that's absolutely fine with me. (I'm a Wales fan. I'm good at dreaming. And some of my dreams come true.)

Women's Super League Result: Arsenal 4-0 Brighton & Hove Albion (K Green)

Arsenal opened the Women's Super League season with a 4-0 hammering of Brighton & Hove Albion. If anyone is likely to topple Chelsea from the top of the league table come the end of the season, the general consensus is that it's most likely to be Arsenal - and a comprehensive win was a great way to start..

News 17/9/22 (Estcourt, FA Women's Cup)

Charlie Estcourt has joined Birmingham City on a one-year contract following a successful trial. She has been without a club since leaving Coventry United this summer.

The FA Women's Cup qualifying round takes place this weekend.

Women's Championship Previews Part 2 (played 18/9/22) (Bull, B Davies, Clark, Cleverly, Dudley-Jones, Gane, Longhurst, E Morgan, F Morgan, Powell, Walters)

Lewes v London City Lionesses

Kick-off: 2pm, The Dripping Pan

Lewes are unbeaten in their first two games (or winless if your cup is half-empty) following draws with Birmingham City and Southampton. London City picked up their first points in a 3-4 away thriller against Charlton Athletic. Lewes now welcome the Lionesses to the Dripping Pan. Lewes were the winners the last time they hosted the Lionesses.

Rhian Cleverly and Josie Longhurst are likely to be part of the squad for Lewes. Manager Scott Booth is excited about the potential of new signing Zoe Smith, but there's no word on whether she's ready to be involved tomorrow.

Women's Championship Previews Part 1 (played 18/9/22) (Estcourt, Filbey, Elise Hughes, Leek, T McGowan, Soper, Thomas, C Williams, Wynne)

Durham v Blackburn Rovers

Kick-off: 12pm, Maiden Castle Sports Park.

This match can be listened to on RoversTV.

Durham are searching for their first win of the season, while Blackburn hope to get back to winning ways.

Ellie Leek and Lauren Thomas have started every match for Blackburn so far. Chloe Williams made her debut in the defeat to Bristol City as a 29th-minute substitute.

Women's Super League previews 17/9/22 (J Green, Harding, James, Carrie Jones, Ellen Jones, R Roberts

Aston Villa v Manchester City

Kick-off: 12.30pm

This match will be played at Villa Park.

Natasha Harding, who briefly played for Manchester City earlier in her career, will not make her debut for Aston Villa due to injury. She has been given shirt #17.

Preview: Manchester United v Reading (Cain, Ladd, B Roberts, Rowe, Woodham)

Saturday 17th September, 12pm, Leigh Sports Village

Manchester United open their season a week later than originally planned when they welcome Reading to Leigh Sports Village.

Hayley Ladd has been photographed in training on Manchester United's official site and seems likely to be involved. She will wear the #12 shirt.

News 16/9/22 (Cain, Gemma Evans, J Green, K Green, Harding, Holland, Ingle, James, Carrie Jones, Ellen Jones, Ladd, R Roberts, Rowe, Woodham)

If Wales progress to the second World Cup play-off, they will face Switzerland in Zurich at Stadion Letzigrund. If the match happens, it will be broadcast on BBC Wales at 6pm.

News 15/09/22 (J Green, K Green, Harding, James, C Jones)

Our Game Mag previews the new Women's Super League season and the players who could play a big role for their clubs.

It's an interesting article with in-depth coverage for every team, but here are the Welsh highlights.

News 14/09/22 (E Jones, E Morgan, Rossiter, Ward)

Coventry United have signed two new players on season-long loans, including Wales forward Esther Morgan from Tottenham Hotspur.

Although Esther's last couple of seasons at Tottenham and subsequent loan to Leicester City were restricted by competition for places and then a long-term injury, she did prove she could play at the highest level when she was given chances. Esther only celebrated her twentieth birthday a couple of weeks ago so there is a lot of potential there and I can only agree that Coventry have done well.

News 13/9/22 (Grainger, Elise Hughes, G Lewis, O'Sullivan, Smith, Valentine)

Gemma Grainger hopes for another big crowd when Wales face Bosnia-Herzegovina in the play-offs. She feels the fans played a big role in Wales' achievements so far and with their help, Wales can go even further.

News 11/09/22 (Wales v Bosnia-Herzegovina)

Tickets will go on sale for Wales' play-off against Bosnia-Herzegovina on 12th September at 12pm.

News 10/9/22 (Wales v Bosnia-Herzegovina, Wales U17, E Jones, Ward)

Wales will face Bosnia-Herzegovina in the first of the World Cup play-offs. If they win, they will face Switzerland. (Perhaps it's better not to think about how many goals Switzerland put past Moldova.) The match will be played at the Cardiff City stadium.

Result: Wales 0-0 Slovenia (World Cup qualifiers)

Wales managed to hold on for what seemed like a lot longer than ninety minutes in order to claim a place in the World Cup play-offs for the first time in their history.

If you missed it (or if you just want to see it again because who wouldn't?), the highlights are here and Wales Online have some amazing photos.

News 7/9/22 (C Jones, Nolan)

We all know what happened last night. If you don't know, you might be on the wrong website. But anyway, here's all the news that isn't related to it.

The Irish Examiner has named Carrie Jones as a Player to Watch in the Women's Super League 2022-23 season. She actually played in a football match yesterday evening and she was definitely worth watching in that.

Kylie Nolan has joined Cheltenham Town. She departs Cardiff City after three years and has played five or six times for Wales, depending on which part of Wikipedia you look at.

Wales v Slovenia News 6/9/22 (Harries, Ingle, James, Grainger, McAllister, R Roberts, Ward)

Wales have updated their Match Hub page on the official site and provided information for the record number of fans (it's possible I might mention this once or twice more in this blog post) attending the game. Wales kick off at 7.45pm BST and the match will be live on BBC1 Wales, BBC Radio Wales, Cymru Fyw and the BBC Sport website.

Gemma Grainger hopes the record crowd at the Cardiff City Stadium will be Wales' twelfth player against Slovenia as they play for what she's happy to describe as the biggest game of their lives.

Results 4/9/22

Cardiff City Women 2-0 Pontypridd United

Danielle Broadhurst and substitute Phoebie Poole were both on the scoresheet as Cardiff City Women (not to be confused with Cardiff City Ladies) won the opening game of their Adran Premier League season. 

News 5/9/22 (Harries)

Gwennan Harries' injury problems and the premature end to her career remind us that while there are definitely still improvements to be made, there are undeniable advantages for today's female players.

News 4/09/22 (Beynon)

Emma Beynon made her Champions League debut just 103 days after giving birth. After receiving advice from former Wales team-mate Helen Ward about combining professional football and motherhood, Emma will bring football and family together as her baby son Theo becomes a Swansea city mascot.

Result: GREECE 0-1 WALES

Carrie Jones scored her first goal for Wales to give them a 1-0 away win over Greece, and securing three of the four points they need in order to claim second place in their group and reach the play-offs.

News 3/09/22 (Fishlock, Grainger, John-Davis)

Gemma Grainger says Wales will not be playing for a point when they host Slovenia on Tuesday. A point is all they need, but as Wales prepare to play in front of a record crowd at the Cardiff City Stadium, they are not thinking of settling for the minimum. Jess Fishlock, who was on the substitutes’ bench due to a training injury, is likely to be involved. 

 

News 2/09/22 (Greece v Wales TONIGHT, Fishlock, Ingle, James, O'Sullivan, R Roberts)

Greece v Wales is tonight at 6pm BST. It will be live on BBC2 Wales, BBC Radio Wales Extra and Cymru Fyw. Wales need four points from their final two qualifiers to guarantee a play-off spot. 

News 1/09/22 (Fishlock, James, Ladd, R Roberts, Wiltshire)

Wales are in pole position for second place in the group and a play-off spot as they prepare for their penultimate qualifier in Greece on Friday 2nd September.

News 31/08/22 (Wales v Slovenia, K Green)

The Wales official site has provided more information for supporters attending Wales' World Cup qualifier against Slovenia at the Cardiff City stadium.

Result 28/08/22 (Georgia Evans, Rossiter, Ward)

Bridgwater United 0-2 Watford

Helen Ward opened the scoring for Watford as they took a 7th-minute lead against Bridgwater United,  The scores could have been level after Bridgwater's Georgia Evans unleashed a strike on goal, but the crossbar came to Watford's rescue. The ball then rebounded off keeper Georgie Ferguson but did not go into the net. Helen came close to a second after getting into a good position, but Poppy Wilson's pass didn't quite reach her.

National League South Results and Friendly Results 28/08/22 (E Jones, Stevens)

National League South

Plymouth Argyle 0-2 Oxford United

Lily Stevens played 90 minutes for Oxford United, helping them to keep a clean sheet as they won 2-0 at Plymouth Argyle. Oxford are yet to concede a goal in the National League South after winning their first match by the same scoreline

 

Women's Championship Results 28/08/22 (Griffiths, Leek, F Morgan, Powell, Soper, Teisar, Thomas, C Williams, Wynne)

Bristol City 2-0 Blackburn Rovers

Bristol City made it two wins in two games with a home win over Blackburn Rovers. The result would almost certainly have been different had Blackburn been awarded a penalty in the early stages of the game, but the appeals were waved away.

Women's Championship Results 28/08/22 (Crystal Palace v Coventry United, Sheffield United v Durham)

Crystal Palace 3-0 Coventry United

Elise Hughes scored a stoppage-time winner in her second game as a Crystal Palace player as they rose to the top of the Championship with a comfortable win over Coventry United. Elise was on the bench after starting the first game, but she entered the fray after half time and it’s fair to say she made an impact. She set up Palace’s second goal shortly after the hour mark, before going on to get the winner with a left-footed shot from close range.

News 29/08/22 (Fishlock, Grainger, Leek)

Wales managers Gemma Grainger and Rob Page talk to Wales Online about the next few months in Welsh football. The managers share views on dogs, Marmite and lucky pants, hold different opinions on what to wear on the touchline, and they're both very passionate about football. One isn't Welsh and the other became manager by default, but they've both done an outstanding job and I'm definitely very excited.

Previews 28/08/22 (Women's Championship)

Lewes v Southampton (Lewes FC, 12.30pm)

Southampton suffered a surprise defeat to Charlton Athletic in their first game of the season. Lewes, who looking forward to playing on the new Dripping Pan pitch for the first time, have one point on the board following an away draw with Birmingham City.

News 27/08/22

Gemma Grainger looks forward to managing Wales in front of a record crowd in their World Cup qualifier against Slovenia. But before that, they travel to Greece.

Previews 27/06/22 (Women's Championship)

Sheffield United v Durham (Sheffield Utd FC, 5.30pm)

Sheffield United’s Championship campaign opened with an 1-0 away defeat to Blackburn Rovers. Durham drew at home to Sunderland.

Manager Neil Redfearn is not expected to change the line-up for Sheffield United. If he doesn't, Bethan Davies will keep her place in goal. Georgia Walters and Maria Francis-Jones, who is dual-signed with Sheffield United and Manchester City, will be on the bench. Georgia made a substitute appearnace last time out, but Maria is still waiting for her Sheffield United debut.

Crystal Palace v Coventry United (Bromley FC, 7pm)

News 25/08/22 (G Davies, Gane)

Gwen Davies, who left Bristol City at the end of last season, has signed for Heart of Midlothian Women.

News 25/08/22

Helen Bleazard has signed for Bournemouth as a player coach. Helen is a former international who has also played in the Champions League.

Wales World Cup qualifiers Squad Announcement

Wales have announced their squad for their final World Cup qualifiers, against Greece and Slovenia. Jess Fishlock and Charlie Estcourt return to the squad. Recent call-ups Chloe Bull and Poppy Soper miss out, with Safia Middleton-Patel selected as the third goalkeeper.

News 24/08/22

Group bookings for Wales v Slovenia at the Cardiff City Stadium will now be available until 31^st August.

News/Result 23/08/22

After suffering a shock relegation last season, Cardiff City Ladies are aiming for an immediate return to the National League’s third division. Winning their first match 7-1 seems an excellent place to start. Chloe Lloyd and Cori Williams (who scored two) were amongst the goalscorers. Wales’ #1, Laura O’Sullivan, who celebrates her birthday today, was in fine form in goal.

News and Results 22/08/22 (Holland, James, E Jones, R Roberts, Rossiter, Ward

Gemma Grainger believes that Angharad James’ move to Tottenham will benefit her as a player because it’s what she needs to make her happy. It’s always great to see an acknowledgement of the importance of a footballer’s mental health.

Women's Championship Results 21/08/22

Birmingham City 0-0 Lewes

It was Birmingham City who looked marginally the brighter, coming very close to grabbing a goal towards the end of the match, but the crossbar proved to be their twelfth man on this occasion, sending the ball out of danger. Lewes also threatened twice, but found the Birmingham keeper in excellent form, and Birmingham City manager Darren Carter felt that to snatch the win at the death would have been unfair on Lewes.

News and Match Reports 21/08/22 (Fishlock, J Green, Ingle, F Morgan)

 

OL Reign-2-1 Racing Louisville FC

Jess Fishlock and her OL Reign team-mates are the winners of the Women's Cup after coming from behind to win 2-1. OL Reign dominated from the start, with Jess just one of the players to have an early chance, though her shot was too high. Louisville’s goal was very much against the run of play, but OL Reign equalised early in the second half and went on to score the goal which won not just the match but the league.

Result 20/08/22 (Southampton 0-2 Charlton, Griffiths, Soper, Wynne)

 

Women’s Championship

Southampton 0-2 Charlton Athletic

Megan Wynne made her debut for Southampton, but it didn’t go quite as she’d hoped. Megan had at least one attempt on goal, but she had an unfortunate involvement in Southampton’s opener when she tracked back to help the defence and ended up tripping an opponent. Southampton scored the resulting spot-kick. Alice Griffiths almost had a bad moment too when the ball hit her and rebounded towards the net, but luckily, no goal was scored. Poppy Soper was on the bench for Charlton.

News 20/08/22

West Ham United v Liverpool (21st August, 1pm) (friendly)

West Ham’s pre-season friendly against Liverpool will be livestreamed on West Ham’s YouTube channel at 1pm on Sunday 21^st August. The match will be played at Loughborough University and although West Ham has no Welsh players that I know of, Liverpool’s squad seems likely to include Ceri Holland and Rhiannon Roberts.

 

Women's National League Fixtures 21/08/22

 

Women’s National League North

Women's Championship Fixtures 21/08/22

Although I have been a passionate support of the Wales Men for most of my life, I am not so much fashionably late as shamelessly late in giving my support to Wales Women. Mistakes are likely (not least as official websites are often out of date), but my intentions are good.

You can watch highlights of Women’s Championship matches on Sky Sports and FA Player.

Sunday 21 August

FA Women’s Championship

Fixtures 20/08/22

Although I have been a passionate support of the Wales Men for most of my life, I am not so much fashionably late as shamelessly late in giving my support to Wales Women. Mistakes are likely (not least as official websites are often out of date), but my intentions are good.

You can watch highlights of Women's Championship matches on Sky Sports and FA Player.

Women's Championship

News and Match Reports 19/08/22 (Jenkins, Horgan, John-Davis, Lake, Powe, Skinner

Win two tickets to watch Wales’ World Cup qualifier against Slovenia at the Cardiff City stadium.

 

Match Reports 18/08/22 (Ingle, Ladd, Middleton-Patel, C Williams)

Lyon 2-2 Chelsea (penalties 4-3) (Women’s International Champions Cup, friendly)

Sophie Ingle was a 59^th-minute substitute for Chelsea in their Women’s International Champions Cup opening match. Chelsea started well and were 2-0 up when Sophie entered the field of play, but Lyon got one back through an excellent free kick, before scoring a late equaliser.

 

Match Report: Forest Green Rovers 0-1 Cardiff 18/08/22 (Atkins, Billingham, Broadhurst, Bowen, Chamberlain, D Green, Norman, Major, Poole, Oakley, Price, Roberts, Saunders, Smith, Walsh, Watkins)

 

Forest Green Rovers 0-1 Cardiff City (friendly)

Phoebie Poole scored four goals in just 28 minutes as Cardiff City absolutely thrashed Forest Green Rovers. It was just 2-0 at the break, after Danielle Green had forced an own goal and Danielle Broadhurst scored a brilliant goal from long distance.

News 17/08/22 (Bowen, Gane, Harding, R Roberts)

Megan Bowen feels Cardiff City's pre-season has gone well so far and she's looking forward to the upcoming game against Forest Green Rovers.

 

News 16/08/22 (Grainger, Ingle, James, Soper)

 

Gemma Grainger will announce the Wales Women squad on Thursday 25^th August (source: dragonsoccer.co.uk – a brilliant site dedicated to Wales football).

Match Reports 15/08/22 (Cain, Chamberlain, J Green, Griffiths, James, C Jones, Poole, Wynne)

Leicester City 1-0 Southampton (friendly)

Josie Green was part of Leicester's team, but I haven't found details about the line-up so it’s impossible to say whether new loan signing Carrie Jones was involved. Hannah Cain is on her way back from injury so it's highly unlikely that she was part of the squad. Megan Wynne, who started for Southampton, was involved in some promising attacks and came close to getting on the scoresheet. Alice Griffiths came off the bench ten minutes into the second half.

News 14/08/22 (C Williams)

Chloe Williams has joined Blackburn Rovers on loan from Manchester United. Chloe previously played six times for Blackburn in a dual registration agreement, which began in November 2021. She says she is happy to be back.

News 13/08/22 (Cain, Clark, Jenkins, F Morgan, Powe, Rees, Skinner)

Hannah Cain is looking forward to returning to action for Leicester City after almost a year on the sidelines. The forward injured her anterior cruciate ligament in November 2021. Hannah recently returned to the training pitch after a ‘minor blip’ and hopes to be ready for the start of the new season. Hannah also speaks about meeting fans at Leicester’s summer camps and England’s game-changing World Cup win.

 

News 12/08/22 (Bull, Cain, Clark, Ingle, F Morgan, Powell)

 

Hannah Cain enjoyed taking part in a Q&A session at Leicester City’s first Belvoir Drive Summer Camp. There will be two more camps, both featuring appearance from Leicester players, though there’s no news at present on who they will be. Leicester’s other female Wales internationals are Josie Green and Manchester United loanee Carrie Jones.

News 10/08/22 (Grainger)

Manager Gemma Grainger will be at M&S Cardiff City Centre, Queen Street tomorrow (Thursday 11th August) from 4-6pm to meet fans, sign autographs (if people still do that) and pose for selfies. If you'd like to meet the players too, there is a competition you can enter...

News 9/08/22 (Fishlock, Valentine)

This summary of OL Reign's 2-1 defeat to Houston Dash reveals that Jess Fishlock was responsible for three of their six shots that were on target.

News 8/08/22 Part 2 (B Davies, Fishlock, Francis-Jones, Walters)

This post is in two parts due to the limit on the number of tags.

Sheffield United 2-1 Burnley (friendly)

Bethan Davies started in goal for Sheffield United and made at least one great save early on to keep her team in the game, though she played an unfortunate role in Burnley’s second-half opener when she was robbed of possession. Earlier in the match, half-time substitute Maria Francis-Jones had a chance to open the scoring for Sheffield United, but she could only find the side netting. However, it was Bethan and Maria who finished on the winning side, even without the help of Georgia Walters, who remained on the bench.

OL Reign 1-2 Houston Dash

News 8/08/22 Part 1 (Clark, Gemma Evans, Holland, Leek, F Morgan, Powell, R Roberts, Rowe, Thomas, Woodham)

This post is in two parts due to the limit on the number of tags.

Bristol City 2-1 Reading (friendly)

Ffion Morgan was a constant threat for Bristol City, with her first attempt on goal coming after less than a minute. She continued to trouble the opposition with counter attacks, free kicks and other chances before setting up Bristol City’s equaliser. Ffion was eventually substituted on 75 minutes, by which point she was probably exhausted.

News 7/08/22

Katie Sands of Wales Online considers the future of women’s football in Wales and the problems we’re still facing – but also the achievements which have already been made, and the success which is definitely within reach.

News 6/08/22 (Cain, K Green, Rogers, S Williams, Bowen, Evie Hughes, E Roberts, CONCACAF)

Give Me Sport previews the new season for the Women’s Super League and Championship. Although the focus is primarily on players who featured in the Euros, Kayleigh Green (Brighton & Hove Albion) and Hannah Cain (Leicester City) are named as players to watch out for.

 

News 5/08/22 (McGowan, Poole, B Davies, Francis-Jones, Walters, Fishlock, Soper)

Wales are up one place to 30^th in the new FIFA rankings following some excellent performances in World Cup qualifying.

 

News 4/08/22 (Wales v Slovenia, Filbey, E Hughes, Soper, Stevens)

The recent achievements of England in the European Championships have really helped to raise the profile in women’s football, but now it’s time for Wales to qualify for a major tournament. 

News 3/08/22 (RECORD BROKEN, Wales v Slovenia, Filbey, Fishlock, Ingle)

Wales have broken their record for highest number of tickets sold for a single match, having sold more than 5,455 tickets for their home World Cup qualifier against Slovenia. This article includes a statement from Wales captain Sophie Ingle. Tickets are still available and can be bought here. 

News 2/08/22 (Wales v Slovenia, Grainger, Harding, E Morgan, James, Ward, Wiltshire)

 

There has been a ‘huge surge’ in tickets bought for Wales’ World Cup qualifier against Slovenia. Wales need four points from their remaining two games to guarantee a play-off place.

News 1/08/22 (Holland, R Roberts)

Rhiannon Roberts scored the third goal in Liverpool’s 6-0 home friendly victory over Nottingham Forest. The match was played in three thirds of 30 minutes each, with Rhiannon and Ceri Holland both starting the first third. 

News 31/07/22 (Fishlock, F Morgan)

Jess Fishlock scored for OL Reign in the 54^th minute of a 3-2 away win over Angel City. It was OL Reign’s first away win of the season.

News 30/07/22 (J Green, C Jones, James, Ward)

Josie Green and loanee Carrie Jones both featured in Leicester City’s home friendly with OH Leuven. The visitors won 1-0.

News 29/07/22 (James)

Angharad James has decided to return to Europe and her contract with Orlando Pride has been cancelled by mutual consent. Angharad’s fiancée Amy Turner, who was also at Orlando Pride, recently joined Tottenham Hotspur.

News 26/07/22 - (B Davies, Fishlock, Gane, E Jones, Walters, Wynne)

 

An interesting article from BBC Sport about all the Wales players who will be at different clubs next season. Olivia Clark, Josie Green and Natasha Harding have all made permanent moves to new clubs, while Maria Francis-Jones has signed a duel registration and Carrie Jones has gone out on loan. Anna Filbey, Elise Hughes and Poppy Soper are still searching for the perfect club.

It’s great to see this article on BBC Sport – it shows that the increased amount of coverage of the women’s game isn’t restricting itself to the admittedly-brilliant England or the Euros.

News 24/07/22 (CONCACAF Girls U15 Championships, McGowan)

The U15 squad has been announced for the 2022 CONCACAF Girls U15 Championships in Florida. The U15s will also be travelling to Serbia later in August for the UEFA WU15 Development Tournament.

Although I can find no record of the transfer online, it does seem that Arsenal’s Bethan McGowan is now Birmingham City’s Bethan McGowan. Bethan played the second half of a 2-2 friendly home draw with Nottingham Forest.

News 23/07/22 (J Green, Ward, Wiltshere)

Josie Green is one of the Leicester City players who will be appearing in a special signing event on Friday 29^th July. It’s for Leicester fans rather than Wales fans, but it’s always great to see players getting involved in events like this.

 

News 22/07/22 (Curran, K Green, Harding, Humphrey, Miller)

Kayleigh Green believes the Women’s Euros will encourage more fans to attend WSL games next season. She also previews Brighton & Hove Albion’s first game of the season, against Natasha Harding’s new club, Aston Villa.

News 21/07/22 (C Jones, Leek, Thomas)

Carrie Jones has moved from Manchester United to Leicester City on a season-long loan deal. Man Utd see the forward as being part of their future, but they believe the time with Leicester will be great for Carrie’s development as a player.

News 20/07/22 (G Davies, Fishlock)

Tickets are now available for Wales’ home FIFA Women World Cup qualifier against Slovenia. Wales are one of three teams in their group who could qualify via the play-offs. Wales are in pole position with 16 points. Their opponents Slovenia have 14 and Greece have 13.

News 19/07/22 (Fishlock, B Roberts, Woodham, Wales-U15s)

Jess Fishlock played an important role in the managerial career of Paddy Kisnorbo when they worked together at Melbourne City.

News 18/07/22 (Fishlock, Woodham)

Jess Fishlock played 77 minutes of OL Reign’s away match against Kansas City yesterday (17^th July). The midfielder had a couple of shots at goal and also set up a chance for a team-mate, but OL Reign were unable to find the net and the match finished 1-0 to Kansas City. Coach Mark Potter credits their win with a change in mindset – previously, he believes, the team was giving top players like Jess too much respect.

News 16/07/22 (B Davies, Woodham, E Morgan, Griffiths, Wynne)

 

Goalkeeper Bethan Davies has signed for Sheffield United from Huddersfield Town and is very excited to be returning to the Women’s Championship. Bethan’s new head coach, Steve Redfearn, is looking forward to working with her again, having previously coached her at Doncaster Rovers Belles.

 

Reading defender Lily Woodham and Tottenham defender Esther Morgan

News 14/07/22 (Wynne)

Winger Megan Wynne has signed for Southampton, who have just been promoted to the Championship for the first time. Megan is looking forward to the new challenge and hopes to use her experience of playing at this level to help the younger players at her new club.

News 13/07/22 (Wales v Slovenia, Foster, Woodham)

The kick-off time for Wales v Slovenia (FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifier) has been changed to 7.45pm. The match will take place at the Cardiff City Stadium on Tuesday 6^th September.

Former Wales international Cheryl Foster

News 12/07/22 (Cleverly, Francis-Jones, K Green, Harding, Stevens, Clark, J Green, Longhurst, E Morgan)

Lewes captain Rhian Cleverly has signed a new contract and also speaks about her new role at the club. Rhian joined Lewes in 2019.

Maria Francis-Jones