Wrexham will be looking to reach the Genero Adran Trophy final for the first time on Sunday, with Briton Ferry Llansawel making the trip to The Rock in the semi-finals (KO 14:00).
The Genero Adran Premier league leaders will be looking to bounce back from defeat against Cardiff City last week, but also take a big step towards their first major piece of silverware.
Part of their summer recruitment was the signing of Newcastle United legend Katie Barker, who moved across from the WSL 2 alongside Jodie Bartle.
“Since coming to the club, wanting to progress further is what we’ve been striving for,” Barker explains. “It (making the final) would be a massive statement as to where we’re going.
“To be able to win something early on if possible is a massive confidence boost for what’s to come as well. We’ve not been shy on saying how much we want to compete on every front this season, so to put something in your pocket this early would be a massive boost.”
Genero Adran Trophy
Jenny Sugarman’s side defeated Llandudno in the Round of 16 stage before a dramatic penalty shootout win over Aberystwyth Town in the quarter-finals at The Rock saw Wrexham narrowly book their spot in the last four, in a game where the Seasiders gave the home side a scare.
Barker said on the earlier rounds: “We take every game the same. You can’t anybody for granted, and every game is going to pose different problems and we’re going to have to come across them in different ways.
“Nine out of ten times this season we’ve shown we can do that, and that we can find a way to win. Having those sorts of challenges this early on in the season is only helping to better us for the latter stages of the season.”
On Sunday they face a Briton Ferry side who are in form, having won their last four games in all competitions, with clean sheets in all those games.
Wrexham had to come from two goals down to beat Ferry in the opening game of the season, in what was Barker’s first experience of Welsh football.
“We expect it to be a very physical game,” she says. “The way that the game went in the first game of the season in the league, it was a tough game, and it was a good opener for what I was expecting from Welsh football, and it turned out to be a brilliant day for us and we’re hoping for similar.
“It’s not something we’ll take for granted and we know it’s going to be a bit of a battle.”
Barker’s move to the Genero Adran Premier was her first time playing football outside the North East of England. An earlier spell with Sunderland was followed by a memorable five-year journey with Newcastle United, the club she supported growing up.
A change in surroundings, but she has quickly found form in Wrexham colours. Barker already has 14 goals in 15 games in all competitions for her new club.
“It’s been a big change in my life moving away and it’s the first time I’ve had to do so,” she explains. “Off the pitch it’s been a really big change, but on the pitch it’s been really good and helped bring back my old self and the way I used to play.
“I’m really happy to be contributing with goals. The work I’ve been doing on the training ground I think has really helped, and we’re starting to see a bit more of the better things from me, and it’s just about making that last the rest of the season and helping the team progress.
“There’s a lot of differences. The competitions in terms of money and what’s at stake in the Championship (now WSL 2) is absolutely huge in terms of being able to progress to the WSL, but the competitiveness, it’s equal [to the Genero Adran Premier].
“This league is such a competitive league and the difference between teams is not that much. In terms of the National League (FAWNL), we’ve recently played a team who is a very well-established tier three team in a friendly and we beat them. The gaps are closing very quickly and it’s good to see that in Wales.”
A summer of key recruitment on the pitch followed a change in management, with former West Bromwich Albion boss Jenny Sugarman joining the club as Head Coach.
Speaking about the impact of Sugarman, Barker said: “The tactical side from Jen is massive. People will have noticed this season that we’ve played numerous formations, numerous systems and thanks to Jen we’re able to change in game.
“To be able to have that knowledge and for the team to be as fluid as possible is only going to help us be able to progress and achieve things. She’s an absolute pleasure to work with and I’ve learnt quite a bit since coming here.”
The Genero Adran Trophy presents the first opportunity of the season for a club to win silverware, something which Wrexham have aims to start doing regularly.
But for Barker, while trophies are vital to Wrexham’s ambition, improving on recent history is equally important to their success.
“We want to keep breaking the records that we haven’t already broke,” she says. “For example reaching the final. That is success, however it might not be the success that we ultimately want, but it is we’re breaking records, and every single step we’re pushing new boundaries and doing things that we’ve not done before.
“We’ve just got to keep doing that and then eventually off the back of that, silverware will follow.”
