Final four compete for Women's Cup
Domestic
16 March 2019

Final four compete for Women's Cup

The semi-finals of the FAW Women’s Cup take place on Sunday, 17 March, with Cardiff City, Abergavenny, Briton Ferry Llansawel and current Orchard Welsh Premier Women’s League leaders Cardiff Met all targeting a place in the final. 

FC CYMRU - Matchday Magazine

Download your copy of the FAW Women's Cup Semi-Final Matchday Magazine by clicking on the link below:

DOWNLOAD

Cardiff Met take on Briton Ferry Llansawel at the Leckwith Stadium (2pm), and despite the two teams sitting at opposite ends of the WPWL table, the Archers will not be taking their opponents for granted. “The girls have worked very hard on and off the field and it’s paid off,” explained manager Dr Kerry Harris to FAW.cymru. “Despite where they stand in the table, Briton Ferry Llansawel are a young but good side, and they are well-organised. They made it very difficult for us when we played them away previously and we expect that to be repeated. Like us, they are a team full of spirit; very tenacious and determined.” 

Briton Ferry Llansawel have only played one game to reach the last four, with opponents Caerphilly Castle withdrawing from the opening round, and Caernarfon Town pulling out of the competition at the quarter-final stage. However, the side recorded a convincing 7-1 win over Splott Albion to show their cup credentials in the 2ndround. Meanwhile, Cardiff Met claimed a convincing 5-0 win over WPWL rivals Cyncoed to move within one game of the final.

“We’re really looking forward to the semi-final,” said Briton Ferry Llansawel manager Ross Norgrove. “It’s a high profile game and the girls are looking forward to testing themselves against the best, with a chance to reach the Welsh Cup final for the first time in our history. We’re under no illusions about how tough the game will be, but we’ve played well since Christmas, and we’ll go into the match in determined mood. Cardiff Met will obviously start as strong favourites, but anything can happen in a one-off cup match, and we’ll be aiming to cause an upset and gain a place in the final.”

Abergavenny will take on Cardiff City at Goytre FC’s Plough Lane in the other semi-final (2pm), and the Bluebirds will be desperate to make amends after losing to rivals Swansea City in the final of the competition last year. “We’ve beaten Abergavenny twice this season,” explained Cardiff City manager Joel Hutton. “But they were close games. In previous years we’ve struggled against them, so to get the better of them this season already is another sign that we are moving in the right direction. Our squad can score goals from a range of positions, which is encouraging, and it shows that we are playing to a higher standard with a better style of football. The FAW Women's Cup is a national competition and that means a lot to us.”

Cardiff City reached the last four with a 6-1 win over Rhyl last month, while Abergavenny edged past Llandudno with a 2-1 victory. “The Welsh Cup has been really good for us,” said Abergavenny manager Richie Jeremiah. “We played two lower league teams in the opening rounds so that allowed us to rotate our squad, and the players that have come in have really stood-up and pushed for a regular place in the team. Our biggest strength is in the fact that we have local girls which brings a togetherness to the squad. We’re also a real threat going forward. Over recent years we haven’t performed as well as we would have liked in the Welsh Cup, and one of our targets at the start of the season was to improve on that. Reaching the semi-final is massive for us, and now we want to go on to the final.”