Sunday 5th February (1.30pm)
FAW CUP QUARTER-FINALS
Abergavenny v Cardiff Met (Abergavenny FC)
Bethel v Cardiff City FC Women (Nantlle Vale FC)
Briton Ferry Llansawel v Llandudno (Park Avenue)
Swansea City v Rhyl (Llandarcy Academy of Sport, 2pm)
“We are all tremendously excited,” explained Bethel manager and club founder Iorwerth Williams to FAW.cymru. “It’s the biggest game in the club’s history. The girls are very much looking forward to the occasion and have even come in for extra training this week in preparation! The girls in the team know each other well as they have come through the ranks together, and the majority of them have played together for a number of years at different age groups. They really gel as a team, and while I don’t want to highlight individuals, captain Gwenno Gibbard really leads by example.”
Cup holders Cardiff City Women will not be taking their opponents for granted. “We will have massive respect for Bethel,” explained manager Damian Flynn to FAW.cymru. “They have done well to reach this stage of the competition and they have found a bit of form recently too. We’re away from home and we are expecting a tough challenge. It was hugely satisfying to win the competition last season. It was the first time in our history and it was special for the players, staff and parents of the girls to see all their hard work paying off with some silverware. We have had some tough times financially, but continued sponsorship has enabled us to grow and deliver new facilities, which has really allowed us to kick-on.”
Llandudno were beaten finalists last year and visit Briton Ferry in their bid to reach the semi-finals, having done the double over them in the Welsh Premier this season. Llandudno won 3-2 away in the second week of the league and then 3-1 at home at the start of 2017.
Swansea City went out to the eventual winners in the last four in 2015-16 and would hope to progress at home to Rhyl. The Swans currently sit top of the WPWL, while Rhyl – who they have yet to play this season – are next to bottom with one win from nine.
Cardiff Met were another side to suffer a narrow loss to the Bluebirds in the previous quarter-finals and they have another big game at the same stage with a visit to second in the WPWL Abergavenny. The Archers will be looking for a repeat of their November scoreline there, when they came through 2-0.
