Llandudno captain Sofie Owen lifted the Genero Adran North trophy on Sunday – capping off a spectacular season for her side.
With 80 goals scored and just 18 conceded, they have clocked up 13 wins from 14 league matches, and sealed their title with one game to go – meaning they could celebrate with an on-pitch trophy presentation after their match against NFA at the OPS Wind Arena.
“To have won [13 out of 14] league games this season is most certainly putting this season up there with one of the best,” says the 31-year-old. “Although we may have conceded a few goals, we have scored 70 and I think this shows the danger we have as a team going up the field.”
One of those goals is particularly fresh in Owen’s memory – the 40-yard screamer she scored against Rhyl 1879 in January.
“Although I used to score as a youngster, goals are scored very rarely by me these days,” she laughs.
She pays tribute to the coaching team, led by manager Jordan Hadaway.
“They bring a wealth of knowledge and have helped each and every one of us improve as individuals and as a team this season,” she says. “I think most important is that the football we have trained and played has been so enjoyable. The girls and management team are family to me, I wouldn’t be playing football anywhere else.”
It was Owen who got things started in the title-clinching victory Felinheli on March 17 and even after going 3-2 down, she still had faith they would turn it round.
They did, with Stevie Donougher and Kelsey Davies scoring in the last seven minutes to secure the victory, and the trophy.
“I never give up hope with my girls,” Owen says. “We made hard work of that game – perhaps it was the pressure of the title potentially being decided or just a case of not performing very well on the day.
“I personally feel that these [matches] are the important ones: good teams can stick together and come from behind to win important games even when they’re not performing as well as they usually do. It was a great feeling when we scored those two goals in the final few minutes of the game but I knew we would do it.”
The trophy was presented to Owen after her side put in another dominant display, this time logging a 10-0 win over NFA – one more special moment in a campaign littered with them.
“In all, it has been a great season,” she reflects. “I feel so lucky as a captain to be lifting the title alongside my family, on a brand new pitch at a club that will always mean so much to me.”
