Cardiff Met boss Jon Nash praised his team’s character after they clinched promotion to the Genero Adran Premier with a penalty shootout win over Connah’s Quay Nomads.
The Archers trailed 1-0 for over an hour in the Play-Off at Park Avenue, but Faith Mulenga’s stunning 89th-minute equaliser sent the tie to spot-kicks where Met prevailed.
“The true character of this team keeps showing time and time again,” Nash said. “They don’t know when they’re beat and that just showed with Faith’s goal which was tremendous.”
“Anything can happen in a penalty shootout. I’m glad that I’m this [winning] side of it, it’s very difficult being on the other side. But that’s football and it has to be decided one way or another. But these girls are just first class and I can’t ask for much more from them. I’m really, really pleased.”
Cardiff Met win promotion to the Genero Adran Premier
Nash was also quick to praise Connah’s Quay, who went unbeaten on their way to claiming the Genero Adran North title but agonisingly missed out on promotion with defeat in the Play-Off for the second year in a row.
“To be fair to Connah’s Quay, they caused us a lot of problems,” Nash said. “When they scored early on they made it difficult for us. They were always going to make it difficult, that’s what a cup final is.”
The Archers’ hero in the penalty shootout was 19-year-old goalkeeper Violet Bell, who saved two of the Nomads’ spot-kicks to help put her side on course for victory.
Bell has earned a number of plaudits since breaking into the Met side in November, keeping six clean sheets in eight league appearances ahead of the Play-Off.
“We’re very lucky to have two fantastic goalkeepers in Violet and Verity [Jones],” Nash said. “Time and time again, Violet has stepped up and showed her worth with so much quality since she has come into the group.”
While Met celebrate their return to the Genero Adran Premier, Nash said that his thoughts have already turned to next season as the club aim to re-establish themselves in a division which they have previously won on a joint-record six occasions.
The former Hereford boss was appointed at Cyncoed midway through last season when the Archers were bottom of the top-flight and he could not prevent their relegation to the second tier. However, he has now masterminded their return to Welsh football’s elite at the first time of asking.
“We’ll enjoy it now but the planning has already started, because it has to,” Nash said. “We know what is going to be required in tier one. The biggest thing for me has been making sure this football club goes back to where it was and all the girls have done that.
“I think we forgot what it meant to be a Cardiff Met player, but all the girls have bought back into that and I’m so proud of them.”
