This women’s football squad must have taken some beating !

This photo of a Welsh Colleges women’s squad from a few years back certainly caught my eye.

I instantly recognised a handful of the players but not all.

The photo includes (back row, second left) Alaw Davies-Smith, current coach of Corwen Ladies and former Welsh Premier defender with Rhyl.

Alaw was named Grassroots North Wales Women’s Player of the Year in 2017-18.

Furthest left in the front row is Ffion Mair Roberts, a dynamic forward who starred for Llanberis in the North Wales Women’s League last season.

Also an ex-player of Bethel and Bethesda Athletic, it was Ffion who very kindly provided the team photo of this Welsh Colleges side for me to publish.

Ffion, 24, has also represented Caernarfon Town in the Welsh Premier League and Kinmel Bay.

Three along from Ffion on the front row (fourth left) is the brilliant Charley Smith.

Charley, 23, has been an Amlwch Town player for the past two seasons.

She won the Supplementary Cup with the team in 2018-19 and the North Wales Women’s League Division Two title last season.

Defender Charley certainly adds strength to the Amlwch back-line. She has also turned out for Caernarfon Town in the Welsh Premier and The New Saints.

When interviewed by Grassroots North Wales last year, Charley said her proudest moment was representing Wales Colleges in a 1-0 win against Australia.

Charley is not just a footballer – she has also been a match official for several seasons.

In 2018, she 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.

To Alaw Davies-Smith’s immediate right in the back row is none other than Shannon Evans.

A centre-back who converted superbly into a forward, Shannon played for Cardiff City Ladies, Cardiff City FC Women and was capped several times for Wales U17 before being named Orchard Welsh Premier Women’s League Player of the Season for 2017-18.

She took a year out of the game before returning to action in a Barry Town United shirt last season.

This term she has joined Cardiff Metropolitan, for whom she scored a hat-trick on debut.

As well as the names I’ve mentioned, Ffion Mair Roberts also recalls Nia Jones, Amy Roberts, Laura Turnbull and Katy Hosford all being part of the 2014-15 Welsh Colleges squad.

Ffion recalled: “The photo is from 2014/15 and was the Welsh Colleges team. This was my second season for the squad.

“It was a mix of girls around Wales selected from trials in South Wales. We played numerous teams such as England and Australia.”

Do you recognise any other players in the picture ? Please send an e-mail to dave@nwsport.co.uk if so. Thank you.