Genero Adran Trophy holders The New Saints are one step away from reaching the final again in 2026, with Cardiff City the visitors to Park Hall on Sunday afternoon in the semi-finals of the competition (KO 14:00).
12 months ago, also at Park Hall, a dramatic winner from Chantelle Teare in a 3-2 comeback victory over Briton Ferry Llansawel booked TNS’ spot in the final. The Saints went on to beat Swansea City in the final the following month.
Goalkeeper Mackenzie Haydn-Jones is hoping the team can repeat last season’s success and make the final on Sunday. She wasn’t involved on the pitch in last season’s Genero Adran Trophy triumph, but it was still memorable being around the squad.
“It was massive,” Haydn-Jones says. “It was an exciting opportunity for us to make history. We put so much effort in throughout the season, and I think a lot shifted within that last season. We’d come from being in the bottom four and then being in the Adran Trophy final.
“We all believed that we could win it, and then we went and did that. Unfortunately, I did miss out through injury, but being around that environment and atmosphere on the day, it was just unbelievable. It showed just how much it meant to the girls to make history.”
History for The New Saints who won their first cup competition in Wales, but the season as a whole for Haydn-Jones was a difficult one.
A concussion injury first suffered in February 2024 would be met with a 376-day recovery time, a significant amount of time off the pitch for the talented goalkeeper.
“It was a really difficult time,” she explains. “I missed a lot of big games. To have the chance to get into a final again and to even be in the semi-final it’s really exciting for me to be a part of.
“I’m just looking to make an impact and help the girls to reach that final, and recreate what we did last year, and keep our hands on the trophy.”
They face a Cardiff City side who The New Saints are unbeaten against this season, and also beat on their way to their Genero Adran Trophy success last campaign.
By no means an easy task, but one that Haydn-Jones and TNS head into with confidence after previous encounters.
“We’ve faced them twice now in the league. We got three points from them at home then unfortunately couldn’t quite get across the line when we went and played them away.
“We know the challenges they bring. We know how to break them down, their strengths and their weaknesses. Four points we’ve taken from them in the league gives us massive confidence going into Sunday.”
TNS beat Pontypridd United in the quarter-finals to reach the final four, coming from behind to win 5-1, including goals from Maria Francis-Jones, Lexie Harrison and Tiggy Webb. A thriller at Mount Field in the earlier round saw TNS complete a 5-4 win over Llanfair United on their way to the semi-finals.
A narrow win over the Genero Adran North side, but Haydn-Jones believes that shows the character in the TNS group this season to get over the line in that game.
“I think that game shows what the girls are about. It wasn’t a pretty day of football. Fair play to them [Llanfair], they brought the game to us, but I think the group of girls we’ve got, we never know when we’re beat.
“We stuck in it, it was kind of we scored then they scored, and eventually we got over the line, and it was relief. Massive credit to the girls that day.”
Sunday will be the first game in charge for Kieran Lee-Birch, who was appointed The Saints’ new Head Coach last week. Having been Academy Manager at the club before his appointment to the women’s team, he will already be familiar with his surroundings in Oswestry.
“I think it’s really positive that he’s come in,” Haydn-Jones says. “It’s been a tough few months. Mike [Harris] has done a really good job. We’ve had to stick together and fall back on our goals for the season.
“Now Kieran’s come in and he aligns with all of our values. He hasn’t come in to change things massively; he’s come into fine tune a few things and get us to really kick on for the rest of the season.
“We’ve had a few disappointing results in the league recently and we’re aware of that and we know where we’ve gone wrong, and how we can improve on that. A cup run is always important to then kick on in the league as well.”
“The main thing is just building on last season. We want to win trophies, but it’s just building on last season, improving from last season, and hopefully getting our hands on some silverware this year.”
