Cori Williams-Mills takes charge of her first match as Gwalia United head coach on Sunday.
And it’s an important one. Her team are second from bottom of the FA Women’s National League Southern Premier – and they face bottom club Billericay United.
“We are really excited,” Williams-Mills tells SheKicks.net. “I feel the mood in the camp is really good and everyone is happy. We know the importance of the game, but we are confident in ourselves and what we have.”
She admits it has been a challenging start to the season, particularly when it comes to the head coach position. Williams-Mills – who will continue as a player – is now the third Gwalia United manager of the season, following James Thomas and Stevie Campbell-McCarthy – but she says that personnel-wise, Gwalia United are on the right path, and she has plenty of praise for her players.
“The girls have been excellent through all this, they just want to do their best for the team,” she says, “so getting them to focus for [the Billericay match] and the rest of the season has been the easy part.”
Gwalia United may be second from bottom of the league but they are just one point from overtaking AFC Wimbledon in the first safety spot – and a couple of wins at the start of 2026 would change the face of their season.
“It’s honestly one match at a time,” says Williams-Mills. “A couple of wins and you’re halfway up the table. We just need to concentrate on ourselves and the next game that comes along.”
Cori Williams-Mills: It’s a pleasure to be part of Gwalia United
Gwalia United are also in a special position as the only Wales-based team in the English set-up. They rebranded from Cardiff City Ladies to adopt the ancient name for Wales, and present themselves as a symbol for the whole country.
And with more than half a century of history behind them, anyone taking over as manager could be forgiven for feeling a touch of expectation on her shoulders.
But Williams-Mills has already sported the captain’s armband with pride; leading the team as head coach is the next step.
“For me personally I wouldn’t say it’s pressure or expectation, it’s more a pleasure – the fact I got to captain this club for so long with the people who came before me and now I get the honour of being manager, it’s a privilege,” she says, “and I’ll try my best to make sure the girls understand what the club is and the privilege that it is to be able to call yourself a Gwalia player.”
