City Women continue Genero Adran Premier action this weekend as they host Swansea City at Cardiff International Sports Campus.
The fixture will take place on Sunday, March 22nd, with a kick-off time of 2pm.
RECENT RESULT
The two sides faced off at Llandarcy Academy of Sport last weekend with the Bluebirds emerging as 2-1 victors.
Jess Williams opened the scoring for the Swans, tapping home from close-range after Chloe Chivers’ free-kick was tipped onto the bar by Ceryn Chamberlain, with the Swansea City captain capitalising from the rebound.
But City sprung into life after half-time, with substitute Lily Billingham playing an excellent through ball for Mikayla Cook to meet and slot between the legs of Amelia Forkings to level the score.
And the City winger got her second of the afternoon minutes later, whipping in a dangerous corner into a crowded box, with the delivery flying into the back of the net to take the lead.
Laura Curnock won her side a penalty shortly after but was unable to convert from the spot and double the lead. Cook came close to securing her hat-trick, first having another corner tipped over the bar by Forkings and firing narrowly wide with an effort from just inside the area.
However, City remained resolute to the final whistle and recorded a vital three points as we approach the final stages of the league season.
PRE-MATCH | IAIN DARBYSHIRE
“It's going to be an exciting challenge,” Iain began. "We didn't perform at our greatest levels last week, so we know that we can play better and that's someone we're aiming to do on Sunday.
“Getting the win when we haven’t played our best shows the character of a good side. We put a lot of things right in the second half. It still wasn’t our best, but it was good enough to get the three points and that's the positive we can take going into this game.
“This squad has a great balance of experience and youth which is important because it creates a competitive environment within the squad. That's key when you're in these big games. At any point, people can get injured or miss games. It’s about having a squad that's able to step in and perform at the highest level, and that's what I believe we possess this year.
“We're really excited to be back and play in front of our fans. It's been a while since we've been our home stadium, so we know they'll be loud and cheering us on. It's up to us to put in a performance which we and our fans can be proud of. We're really excited for it and know that we have a responsibility to perform.
“It’s vital to not look too far ahead, otherwise you'll lose sight of what your goals are and we know that we need to be on it every single week. We almost made a mistake last week, but thankfully we were able to correct that. And we know we've got to be pretty much perfect now in these last three league games of the season, and four games in total with the cup final."
PRE-MATCH | MADDISON PERROTT
“We’re expecting another challenging game.” Maddison began. “Swansea are in good form and gave us a good game on the weekend. After going 1-0 up against us last Sunday, I expect they will be eager to do the same again this weekend.
"We’ve done analysis on the game and can clearly see what didn’t work for us in that first half, it’s important we take the information on board and start strongly this next game to secure another win.
“Winning games always boosts the overall team morale, but we take each game as it comes and never get ahead of ourselves. We only ever think about the next upcoming game and continue the same winning mentality week in week out.”
Maddison has started the last two fixtures for the Bluebirds, operating in a new position as a full-back.
She continued: “I had played this position briefly at a previous club and it was always a position I enjoyed. Being a winger with an attacking mindset is ideal playing in defensive roles, as my first thought is to always try and progress the ball up the field and join in with the attacks.
“The coaching staff have given me a lot of confidence over the last few games, especially putting me in a position they had never seen me play before. I am grateful that they felt they could put their trust in me to do a job for the team.”
TICKET INFORMATION
Entry for this Sunday’s fixture is £5 for adults and £1 for under 16’s.
REACHING THE GROUND
Supporters planning on attending should use the following address:
Cardiff International Sports Campus, Leckwith Rd, Cardiff, CF11 8AZ.
The ground is located an 11-minute walk away from Ninian Park Station and a 32-minute walk from Cardiff Central Station.