Iain Darbyshire says that Cardiff City are ‘in a really good place’ ahead of their UEFA Women’s Champions League campaign.
The Bluebirds, competing in Europe for the third consecutive season, travel to the Republic of Ireland on Wednesday to play Athlone Town in the semi-final of the first qualifying round.
“They’re a good side,” Darbyshire said of the reigning League of Ireland Women’s Premier Division champions. “They’re mid-season so it’s going to be an interesting test for us to make sure we’re up to speed and we’re as free flowing as we want to be.
“By the looks of things, they look like they’re going to be very good hosts and we’re excited for the challenge.
“It’s a fairly local game which is nice. Players can bring their friends and families across and make the game have a more homely feel to it, which we think will help us. We’re just all looking forward to the game.”
Cardiff City v Athlone Town
All you need to know ahead of European clash
City have dominated Welsh football in recent years under Darbyshire’s guidance, with the pinnacle being their domestic treble win in 2023/24. The Bluebirds have won the Genero Adran Premier title three years in a row – going unbeaten in 2022/23 – and have lifted the Bute Energy Welsh Cup in each of the last four seasons.
While Cardiff will be hoping for even more domestic silverware in the upcoming campaign, Darbyshire is keen for his side to make an impact on the European stage this summer after four defeats in the last two years.
“We need to win a game in the Champions League,” he said. “It is the next step for us. We’re not going there to just make the numbers up; we need to do this as a group and overcome the hurdles that we’ve had over previous years.
“The game changes so quickly, especially the women’s game. The first couple of years in the Champions League were a steep learning curve for us.
“We feel now we’re in a much better place. The group has been together for over a year, and we’re feeling we can have a really positive week when we go to Ireland.”
With the majority of the squad retained for the new season – Molly Kehoe and Eliza Collie have been the only key departures – and the additions of Helen Evans and Maddison Perrott, there is growing optimism that this could be a turning point in City’s European journey.
“Last year we had so many new faces. It was a really difficult challenge for us with the turnover of players we had in the summer,” Darbyshire reflected.
“But this season we’ve managed to keep 90% of the squad together and have added a couple of talented players in as well, in positions we’ve needed to strengthen.
“It now puts us in a really good place. It means the relationships between the players and staff are there already, can be built upon, and puts us all in a good position to perform.”
The Bluebirds’ journey under Darbyshire over the last five years has been defined by quality, ambition, and steady growth – one that he believes has been down the support of the club off the pitch.
“Our success over the years has been down to the structure,” he explained. “When I came in, there were a lot of things I didn’t agree with — in terms of how the team was set up, players paying to play football — it was about steadily growing with the support of the football club and raising awareness with our fans and domestic football.
“Since then, it’s been about raising the standards of everyone each year and not resting on our laurels that we have been successful. We want to keep being successful and want to set ourselves even bigger and better targets as a club.”
With this year’s UEFA Women’s Champions League first qualifying round brought forward from its regular early September slot, there has been more pressure than usual for Cardiff to build match fitness and cohesion.
After facing several strong tests in pre-season against sides from the English pyramid, Darbyshire hopes the progress his side have made will pay dividends in their European campaign.
“The summer has been in the lead-up to Europe,” he added. “With the games starting in July, it’s at least a month earlier than we’re used to, so it’s been busy and about putting a squad together from the get-go.
“Having a good six weeks before the Champions League — it’s going really well so far.”
