Wrexham AFC Women clinch elite spot with two matches to spare
ADRAN PREMIER – JANUARY 28
Wrexham 1 (C Jones 54)
Aberystwyth Town 0
With two home games remaining Wrexham AFC Women are assured of a top-four Adran Premier place in the second phase of the 2023-24 season.
Promoted to the top flight this term, Steve Dale’s side can finish no lower than third after the set of 14 opening stage matches.
Wrexham secured themselves this excellent achievement with a hard-earned 1-0 victory over Aberystwyth Town at The Rock on Sunday.
These are their league results so far:
SEP 17: Swansea City (h) 3-3 (Rebecca Pritchard, Rosie Hughes, Hannah Keryakoplis)
SEP 24: Pontypridd United (a) 3-0 (Amber Lightfoot, Lili Jones, Rosie Hughes)
OCT 1: Barry Town United (a) 5-1 (Rosie Hughes 5)
OCT 8: Cardiff City (h) 0-3
OCT 22; Aberystwyth Town (a) 2-1 (Rosie Hughes, Rebecca Pritchard)
OCT 29: The New Saints (h) 3-1 (Carra Jones 2, Rosie Hughes)
NOV 5: Cardiff Met University (a) 3-0 (Rosie Hughes, Mari Gibbard, Ava Suckley)
NOV 19: Swansea City (a) 1-2 (Carra Jones)
JAN 14: Barry Town United (h) 1-0 (Ava Suckley)
JAN 21: Cardiff City (a) 0-3
JAN 24: The New Saints (a) 3-2 (Keren Allen, Katie Sharp, Mari Gibbard)
JAN 28: Aberystwyth Town (h) 1-0 (Carra Jones)
PLAYED 12 WON 8 DRAWN 1 LOST 3 GF 25 GA 16 PTS 25
GOALSCORERS
10 – Rosie Hughes
4 – Carra Jones
2 – Rebecca Pritchard, Mari Gibbard, Ava Suckley
1 – Lili Jones, Hannah Keryakoplis, Amber Lightfoot, Keren Allen, Katie Sharp
With home games against Pontypridd United (February 4) and Cardiff Met (Feb 11) still to come before the league splits into two groups – top four and bottom four – Wrexham appear to have an excellent chance of finishing on an outstanding 31 points.
Sunday’s game saw Aberystwyth more than play their part, and with better finishing they could easily have come away with some reward.
Lily Moralee-Hughes, just 16, had a great early chance but fired over the crossbar.
Wrexham threatened when Lili Jones won the ball in midfield and sent a great ball over the top of Aber’s defence to release top-scorer Rosie Hughes, who dragged her efforts inches wide.
Jones delivered a cross from the right which keeper Margot Farnes appeared to lose sight of, and the ball came back off the post.
Lleucu Mathias, another 16-year-old prospect, dispossessed Tonicha Dickens, slalomed her way through the home defence and drilled wide when her sublime play merited better.
Moralee-Hughes had another great opening in the second half, but home keeper Del Morgan was quick off her line and blocked with her feet.
The only goal on 54 minutes saw Hughes rise highest to head on a Lili Jones free kick from the right and Carra Jones nodded in from close range.