Amlwch Town Ladies re-sign two colossal defenders

Amlwch Town Ladies‘ already formidable squad has just got a lot stronger.

The Anglesey club have re-signed two quality defenders who were at Lon Bach last season.

Laura Eynon and Charley Smith have both made welcome returns to the North Wales Women’s League Division Two leaders.

Long-serving Laura retired last season, but has now decided to put her boots back on.

A powerful and committed central defender, she captained the Ynys Môn squad which broke new ground by reaching the women’s final of the Inter-Island Games on Anglesey this summer.

Ynys Môn had only ever won one match in the tournament previously, but on this occasion made it all the way to the showpiece game where they lost narrowly 2-1 to Isle of Man.

Following the competition, a number of Ynys Môn players signed for Amlwch which, adding to the quality already there, has made the Anglesey side such a formidable force this season.

Charley Smith was part of the Amlwch squad which won the NWWFL Supplementary Cup last term, but in the summer she made the switch to The New Saints, who play in the FA Women’s National League Division One Midlands.

She has now decided to return, however, to the club she regards as home.

Charley has also been a referee/match official for seven years.

In 2018, the 22-year-old was part of an all-women team which refereed a senior men’s match for the first time in Wales.

Charley, along with Laura Griffiths, Sian Williams and referee Cheryl Foster, officiated the Huws Gray Alliance Cup final in Ruthin between Flint Town United and Gresford Athletic.

It was the first occasion all four officials at a senior men’s game in Wales were women.

A commanding, fiercely competitive defender in the traditional mould, Charley has also played for Caernarfon Town in the Welsh Premier and represented Welsh Colleges.