Shannon Hobbs is a real talent who most teams would want in their side

Shannon Hobbs is just 22 today but she has already achieved much in her football career.

Back in 2014-15, she was a member of the Prestatyn side which won the Under-16 Girls Welsh Cup, then the following season landed the 2015-16 North Wales League title with Northop Hall.

Shannon has also played in the Welsh Premier League and been selected for various age group Wales squads..

Last season she was part of the highly impressive Connah’s Quay Nomads side which reached the Welsh Cup semis and were unbeaten runners-up in North Wales League Division Two.

Born on March 19, 1999, Shannon began playing football around the age of 10 and her first team was the successful boys’ side Flint Juniors.

In 2014, a 15-year-old Shannon earned selection for the Wales Under-17 side, being named in a 17-strong squad for a development tournament in Lithuania, which also featured Latvia and Ukraine.

She was later picked for the Wales U-17 party which played two matches against Northern Ireland. Another personal highlight was playing in Spain with the U-16 Wales development squad.

By the 2014-15 domestic season, Shannon had plenty of experience under her belt and became a key player for Prestatyn Girls Under-16’s.

After winning the North Wales Girls U-16 League title, the team went on to lift the Welsh Cup, beating Coed Duon Dragons of Gwent 4-0 in the final at Latham Park, Newtown.

Shannon netted Prestatyn’s second goal, with Ashleigh Mills (2) and Becca Bannister grabbing the rest.

The team went on to complete a treble when they defeated Caernarfon 3-0 in the League Cup Final at Colwyn Bay.

Shannon stepped up to senior football the following season, playing for Rhyl in the Welsh Premier Women’s League before later joining Northop Hall, who ended up North Wales Women’s League champions.

Hall were indebted to Shannon for a series of vital goals in the closing weeks of the season.

In 2016, Shannon was selected for the Wales Under-19 squad and switched clubs to Prestatyn.

She remained there before joining the exciting new Connah’s Quay Nomads outfit for 2019-20.

Although the season was cut short because of Covid-19, Nomads made it to the last four of the Welsh Cup, eliminating Welsh Premier Port Talbot along the way.

Their semi-final against Swansea City never went ahead because of the coronavirus situation.

The Quay also went unbeaten in North Wales Division Two and finished runners-up.

Shannon notched five goals in all competitions.

Hailing from Flint and a former pupil of the town’s St Richard Gwyn RC High School, Shannon’s strengths include her speed, strength and ball control.

She is capable of accurate long passes as well as pinpoint corners and on target shots.

As for weaknesses, Shannon regards herself as a little too quiet on the field. She also struggles with asthma so sometimes finds a full-paced 90 minutes difficult.

The fact Connah’s Quay wanted to bring her on board speaks volumes and she remains one of the finest young players on the North Wales scene.

Happy birthday Shannon, have a fantastic day.