My North Wales women’s football dream team: Meinir Thomas (Amlwch)

Meinir Thomas lets fly with a powerful shot. Picture: Gethin Jones, Amlwch Town FC

Amlwch Town’s evergreen Meinir Thomas is the latest to choose her All-Time North Wales Women’s Dream Team XI.

She is the seventh selector in a Grassroots North Wales series which has also included Abby Williams (Airbus), Gwenno Gibbard Bolton (Bethel), Lexi Crawley (Amlwch Town), Claire Colville (Llandudno), Cerys Gadd (Amlwch Town) and Libby McClelland (NFA).

Meinir’s Star XI

GOALKEEPER

Nicky Davies

Nicky (green) celebrates with Carol Lewis (left) and Sara Furlong after an Ynys Môn victory at the 2019 Inter-Island Games. Pic: Dai Sinclair

Played with her in the Island Games Ynys Môn team in Jersey 2015 and Gotland 2017. Fantastic keeper and a Wales international capped 64 times. Having her gave us such a boost. She had so much experience which helped us enormously.

DEFENCE

Lowri Hughes (Pwllheli)

Great defender who is solid in defence but so good at scoring goals too.

Laura Eynon (Amlwch)

Laura (red) puts in a tackle for Ynys Môn. Picture: Dai Sinclair

A leader on the pitch. Reads the game and hard to get past. Brilliant tackler.

Erica Jones (Pwllheli)

The fearless Erica Jones wins a header. Picture: Dai Sinclair

Another player who is a natural leader. Communicates constantly and is a brilliant reader of the game.

Jordanne Greenough (Bethel)

Jordanne Greenough (red) on the ball for Llandudno. Pic: Duncan Roberts

I played with Jordanne in the Ynys Môn team. Great attacking full back but good at tracking back and defending. Very quick and has an eye for goal.

MIDFIELD

Catrin Evans (Amlwch Town)

Catrin (right) with Amlwch Town joint manager Mo Eynon after signing for the club. Picture: Gethin Jones

Watching the things Catrin does in training really leaves me in awe at times. So skillful, super fast and scores fantastic goals.

Ffion Owen (Amlwch Town)

Ffion Owen (red) in Ynys Môn action. Pic: Dai Sinclair

Brilliant player, fully deserving of Player of the Year. Superb passer of the ball, scores loads of goals and can control the game. Complete player. Learnt so much by playing in midfield with her.

Cerys Gadd (Amlwch Town)

Cerys Gadd (blue) battles for the ball. Picture: Gethin Jones

Another player who’s taught me a lot about the game. Skillful, wonderful passer and can score cracking goals from outside the box.

Katie Davies

Katie (yellow) challenges for Caernarfon

Played in the Island Games with Katie. Leader on the pitch and just a fantastic player. Another with so much experience and scored an absolute beauty in the Jersey games. One of the stars of great Bangor City and Caernarfon Town teams of the past and capped many times for Wales.

FORWARDS

Lexi Crawley (Amlwch Town)

Lexi celebrates a hat-trick goal for Ynys Môn in the 2019 Inter-Island Games. Picture: Dai Sinclair

Prolific scorer. She has an instinct for goal. Can score anywhere just given half a chance. I remember playing Caernarfon in the 2015-16 Betty Pickering final. It was 0-0 with 15 minutes or so left. I saw Lexi come on as a sub and had this feeling that it was bad news for us. I was right. She scored a few minutes later and Caernarfon won the cup.

Becky Lees (Airbus)

Another player who can score goals from nothing. I once got the job of man-marking her – so difficult! She can read the game so well and is a skillful player.