Having been promoted from the third tier this summer, Flint Town United are ready to take on the Genero Adran North this season.
Promotion itself came as a shock to a team that finished in ninth the season before, but for captain Ruby McGilloway, she believes the results of last season show just how hard this side have worked for their success.
“Last season went so much better than expected,” McGilloway says. “Competing against teams that have been established for years, we thought we may not get the results we were hoping for, but we still wanted to finish in a respectable position. Winning all twelve of our league games just shows how hard we worked to get to where we are now.”
Now they’ve reached the second tier, the Silkwomen have wasted no time in adding important pieces to their squad.
Four new faces have entered the changing room for this upcoming campaign, and McGilloway was eager to praise every single one of them for settling into the environment so quickly.
“All the new signings have settled in well. India Howarth is a young, strong, determined player and a vocal presence on the pitch which is what we needed. When we played our first game against Llanfair United [in the Genero Adran Trophy], India stepped up to play out of her usual position and played phenomenally. She battled so well as central midfielder and got a goal on her debut.
“Alaw Jones is also a young, strong and quick defender and has fitted into her position as a centre back perfectly. We lost two defenders this season, but Alaw has taken the role on so well and made some amazing clearances in our first game on Sunday.
“Kaelyn Williams is a familiar face and it’s great to have her back with us. She is well known for her worldie goals which we are all looking forward to seeing lots of this season.
“Carys Chaisty joined with Kaelyn and already knows a few of the girls on the team and has fitted in really well and we are excited to see how she progresses in midfield this season.”
With the new signings adapting well to life on Deeside, attention turns to what this team can do this campaign.
Newly promoted sides have had varied tales of success over recent seasons, but Flint put in a statement display in their first Genero Adran Trophy group stage game, beating Llanfair United 4-3.
That result, according to McGilloway, will give them confidence to go on and cement themselves in the second tier.
“We know this season is going to be extremely challenging, but we are hoping to compete against a fair few teams, some of which we’ve played against before including NFA and Rhyl. We understand it’s a massive step up, but we are excited to get started.
“All the girls are determined and just grateful to play a better standard of football now. As long as we all give 100% and continue with our positive attitude then I’m happy. We’re here to enjoy it but hopefully pick up some results along the way.”
There will also be plenty of derbies for Flint to enjoy, including the Deeside derby against Connah’s Quay Nomads, but all the games this year are exciting for the team.
“Being new to the league it’ll be nice to play against teams we’ve never played before. We are looking forward to showing what we can do as a team throughout the season. With a couple of teams in our league being roughly half an hour away, I think we will go into a few games thinking of it as a local derby, and who doesn’t love a bit of rivalry and competitiveness!”
All in all, there seems to be plenty of excitement and positivity around the Essity Stadium for Flint’s inaugural season in the Genero Adran North.
The second tier is not for the feint hearted, however, but McGilloway insists that if the squad can stick together, anything is possible.
“As a squad we are hoping to keep being competitive all season, despite the big challenge it’ll bring. We’re all willing to give our best, stick together and build on that for the upcoming seasons.”
