FEATURE: Women’s West league has plenty to be proud of
One of the most uplifting aspects of North Wales women’s football this season has been the improvement of so many teams.
Nowhere is this more in evidence than the North Wales League West Division, which comprises just seven members but has delivered so many positives during 2024-25.
As most would have predicted at the start of the season, Llangefni Town and Pwllheli occupy the top two places and have produced lots of goals and many fine performances.
However, it is not just about those two teams.
Llanystumdwy and Trearddur Bay have progressed in leaps and bounds this term, while Kinmel Bay, Caernarfon Town and Amlwch Town have all impressed at various times.
Llanystumdwy have been a revelation under manager Sion Parry.
The Eifionydd side have lost just three out of 13 matches in all competitions so far.
Two of those defeats were to tier 1 Wrexham in the Welsh Cup and tier 2 CPDM Bangor in the NWCFA Challenge Cup.
The other loss came at Denbigh Town on Sunday, but that game was a dead rubber with Llan having already clinched top spot in their Betty Pickering Cup group and a place in the quarter-finals.
Llan are unbeaten in the league, their results including a fantastic 2-2 draw with Pwllheli which could have been even better only for the Llŷn Peninsula side scoring twice in added time.
Top scorer for the yellow and blues is defender and captain Tash Matthews with six goals, while the back-line has often been exceptional, veteran keeper Sara Lacey outstanding.
Llan have a nice balance of youth and experience and are earning many admirers for their vast improvement.
Trearddur Bay is another side to flourish this season.
Under new manager Ali Thomas, who has brought in several good signings, the Anglesey team has won five and lost four, currently sitting fourth in the West division.
Bay have edged into the Betty Pickering Cup quarter-finals on goal difference and will be a match for anyone remaining in the competition.
Perhaps the star of the show so far has been Jess Woods, who has knocked in 11 goals in just five appearances, but so many others have shone.
Trearddur have suffered more than most with postponements and fixture cancellations. To have played just nine matches by early February says it all, yet the squad has remained focused and always up for a battle.
To fit in with league logistics, Kinmel Bay entered the West this season, meaning they face more travelling than the rest, but they have got on with the job and done it superbly.
Although still without a league win, Bay have only played four games. Their excellence has come in the cup, especially the Betty Pickering where 5-0 wins at Caernarfon Town and Denbigh Town have put them into the last eight.
Kinmel have also scored a healthy amount of goals, with Amy Chesters a true standout with 15 in 12 games, including three hat-tricks. Goalkeeper Shelby Wild, youngsters Millie Sergent and Lexie McEvoy, plus the inspirational Seren Williams are others to impress.
Caernarfon Town are bottom of the table and still without a win, yet they have also shown such promise in the Betty Pickering Cup with tremendous victories over Kinmel Bay and Denbigh Town.
They have coped really well with the loss of key goalscorer Amber Brown to Llangefni. with the likes of Elan Evans and Lisa Jones delivering the goods and keeper Luned Williams also putting in some great displays.
Amlwch Town have also been short on games – just three in the league and 10 overall.
Having lost so many quality players to other clubs over the summer, Amlwch have done well to keep going, although at times fielding a team has been a major struggle.
Nonetheless, they have recorded a good win over Caernarfon and picked up a great draw at Kinmel Bay in the league, as well as sharing a thrilling 4-4 against CPDM Henllan in the Betty Pickering.
There have also been some heavy defeats along the way, but this team soldiers on. If they can increase their squad by a handful of players or so, they can still enjoy some more successes this season.