In-depth preview: Adran North – 2022-23 season
Just seven teams will compete in the second season of the tier 2 Adran North League, which kicks off this Sunday, September 4.
The late withdrawal of CPD Pwllheli means one team will be without a fixture on every matchday throughout the campaign.
Despite the best efforts of league administrators to restore an eight-team competition in recent weeks, the uneven number has remained.
Airbus UK Broughton will miss out in round one and are scheduled to make their 2022-23 debut at home to champions Llandudno on September 11.
These will be the opening matches.
Round 1 – Sunday 4th September (2 pm kick-offs)
CPDM Y Felinheli v Connah’s Quay Nomads
Llanfair United v Wrexham
Llandudno v CPD Y Rhyl 1879
Free date: Airbus UK Broughton
Let’s look at the seven teams in profile….
Airbus UK Broughton
Airbus finished next to bottom last season, but a fresh injection of talent over the summer suggests better times are ahead.
New head of female football and women’s team coach Luke Wynne is a real asset to the management set-up.
Former Wrexham manager Luke will oversee all Airbus girls sides from Under-12’s to the newly-formed Under-19’s, along with joining Lee Starkey coaching the senior women’s team.
@sunkendream5
New signings include: Charley Smith, Jade Scott, Georgia Spibey, Phoebe Rintoul and Kiera-Melek Altintas.
Airbus will become Charley’s SEVENTH club. The 25-year-old nurse has previously represented Llandudno, Bethel, Caernarfon Town, Bangor 1876, TNS and Amlwch Town.
An experienced operator who plays mainly in defence, she has featured for Wales Colleges.
Jade is a goal-scoring central midfielder who won the NEWFA Cup with Connah’s Quay Nomads last season, but now returns to Airbus, with whom she has spent most of her career.
Georgia is a long-throw specialist and a dynamic player down the left. She was very impressive for North Wales League runners-up NFA last term and formerly represented Liverpool FC Girls.
Full-back Phoebe joins having made 20 appearances last season in all competitions for Adran North runners-up Wrexham. She spent over 1,000 minutes on the pitch during the 21/22 season!
Kiera-Melek has returned to the country having spent a few years playing in America. Previously she had come through the ranks at Crewe Alex.
Connah’s Quay Nomads
Nomads ended last season – their first at tier 2 – on a high by winning the NEWFA Cup.
This was a natural progression for a team formed in 2019-20 which finished runners-up and went unbeaten in North Wales League Division Two and reached the Welsh Cup semi-finals.
Last season was a new set-up and the Quay introduced some brilliant quality to the league, not least Kirstie Kural, who scored 26 goals in all competitions from central midfield.
The likes of Francesca Scott and Shannon Hobbs (both 17 goals), outstanding keeper Charlie Bolland and attackers Niamh Grimshaw and Tamara Hamer also shone bright.
Nomads have played eight summer warm-ups and won the lot – but no prizes were ever gained by winning friendlies (well, except the Community Shield etc to be precise – 😂😂).
There have been a few summer ins-and-outs. Arrivals include Emily Bentley, a prolific scorer for CPD Y Rhyl 1879 in their North Wales League title-winning season.
Ella Harvey, Beth Hayes and Polly Wild-McGregor are other new faces, the latter being a regular marks-woman for the hugely successful Penrhyn Bay Under-16 side last season.
Aimee Hopkinson and Cally Reid land from Altrincham and Willaston in the Cheshire Women’s League respectively, while Lauren Jones joins via Shrewsbury.
Departures: Jade Davies, Emma Roden, Neve Twomey, Jade Scott.
Noelani Bouckley, a real defensive colossus last season, is currently pregnant – we wish her well.
CPD Merched Y Felinheli
The first time I did some research on CPDM Bethel this summer, I discovered they had changed their name some weeks before!
Last season Bethel finished a superb third on their Adran North debut, the goals of Fflur Williams (23), Ffion Williams (22), Mari Gibbard (16) and Katie Midwinter (16) making them a major force.
A few top performers have left the newly-named CPD Merched Y Felinheli over the summer, including the gifted Gibbard, who was nominated for Adran North Player of the season 2021-22 and is now with Llandudno for a second spell.
Defender Jenna Allsup has switched to CPDM Bangor 1876, while Shona Roberts rejoins champions Llandudno. Young midfielder Jody Cain is slowly progressing following last season’s serious leg injury.
Felinheli will be hoping more of their young talent emerges this season.
One big plus is the signing of CPDM Bangor 1876’s top-scorer last season Jordan Roberts, who has looked tremendous in warm-up games.
Llandudno
Can the inaugural champions do it again? Or will it be someone else’s turn?
Pre-season has gone well, tournament wins and some brilliant new signings.
One of the league’s finest, Mari Gibbard, has moved over from Bethel, with defender Shona Roberts also returning to Maesdu Park after spending last season at Cae Seilo.
Two magnificent captures are young midfielders Mia Rawling and Erin Doran, both past stars of the Penrhyn Bay Under-16 side.
And what a signing Tudno have made in defender Louisha Doran, elder sister of Erin, who has played for Everton and Wales Under-17, as well as Connah’s Quay Nomads and Chester among others.
Goalkeeper Libby Rubin and utility player Caitlin Bibby-Fry are other fresh faces.
Departures from Maesdu Park include last season’s heroic title-winning goalkeeper Sara Williams, who returned to former club Amlwch Town as an outfield player, but has since signed back for Caernarfon Town.
Llanfair United
Last season Powys-based Llanfair finished sixth out of eight in the Adran North.
Possessing a reputation as a capable outfit with a great past record in the North Wales League, the mid-Wales side will have been aiming to strengthen over the summer.
They face a tough start against a Wrexham team which will no doubt want to get off to a flyer.
CPD Y Rhyl 1879
It’s a big welcome to the Rhyl side, who in their debut season won the North Wales League title without losing a single match.
It will be harder for the Belle Vue belles at a higher level, but they played more than well enough last season to suggest they are more than up to the task.
Their first game is away to champions Llandudno, a fixture which will revive memories of many great past derbies between the coastal rivals.
Latest signings include defender Hana Eagles from Airbus, an experienced campaigner who knows the Rhyl squad well.
1879 have lost Emily Bentley, a goal machine from last season, who has transferred to Connah’s Quay Nomads, while classy defender Steph Farley has rejoined Denbigh Town.
Wrexham
Last season they were within one game of winning the title at the first attempt.
After leading 2-1 at half time against Llandudno in the championship decider, Wrexham lost their way in the second stanza and Tudno took the crown with a 3-2 win.
Nonetheless, the Reds had a great season overall, with Rosie Hughes scoring an amazing 48 goals.
It has been quite quiet on the news front from the women’s team over the summer.
However, one notable name to join the squad is former Wales Under-19 international Lauryn Lyons, who hails from Hawarden.
Midfielder Lyons, 22, adds a wealth of top-flight experience to Steve Dale’s squad, having previously played for Cardiff City, Swansea City and Pontypridd in the Welsh Women’s Premier League.
She has youth international honours at Under-17 and Under-19 level, and has previously been called up to the full Welsh squad.
After recovering from serious injury, she featured for Pontypridd in the Adran Premier last season, but has now returned North and has completed her move to Wrexham.
Other new names on the Wrexham roster include attacking players Lauren McCaffrey and Ava Suckley.
Among the departures are defender Phoebe Rintoul, who has switched to Airbus.
The Reds will also be looking to successfully defend the Under-19 Adran North title they won last term.
Wrexham will play home matches at Ponciau Banks, Rhos Aelwyd, this season.
GENERO ADRAN NORTH FINAL TABLE 2021-22
