Bute Energy Welsh Cup Final: Everything you need to know

Wrexham and Cardiff City will once again go head-to-head in the Bute Energy Welsh Cup Final on Sunday 27 April (KO 17:15) at Rodney Parade.

The game is a repeat of last season’s final, when goals from Rhianne Oakley and Emma Beynon earned a 2-0 win for Cardiff City.

Here is all the pre-match insight to get you ready for the final. 

The Season So Far

Wrexham started this season with four defeats in their opening five league games, but remarkably turned their form around to claim a top half spot with a 3-2 win over Swansea City in the final game of Phase One. Back-to-back victories at the start of Phase Two continued that momentum, but just one win in their final four league games saw the Red Dragons finish fourth in the table.

Ava Suckley has enjoyed her best season for Wrexham, with 11 goals seeing her finish second in the Genero Adran Premier scoring charts. Abbie Iddenden, who joined from Stoke City last summer, has also starred in attack with nine goals – six of which came in Phase Two.

Despite plenty of squad change last summer and an inconsistent start to the season, Cardiff City ultimately claimed a third successive Genero Adran Premier title – finishing 10 points clear of runners-up Briton Ferry Llansawel, who they defeated 3-2 in their final game of the campaign at the Cardiff City Stadium.

Ffion Price and summer signing Fiona Barry have been in fine form in front of goal for the Bluebirds this season, with Price claiming the Golden Boot with 12 goals despite being a full-back. Former striker Shannon Evans returned to the club last summer and has starred at centre-back alongside fellow new arrival Nieve Jenkins and captain Megan Bowen.

Road to the Final

Wrexham are yet to concede a goal in the Bute Energy Welsh Cup this season, while also standing as the competition’s top scorers with an impressive 30 goals in just four games.

Their campaign began with their biggest victory as Llanystumdwy were defeated 11-0, as Brooke Cairns together with substitutes Rosie Hughes and Abbie Iddenden all scored twice in victory. The Red Dragons again hit double figures in the next round as they scored 10 goals against Felinheli without reply, with Ava Suckley grabbing a hat-trick.

Swansea City visited The Rock for the quarter-final but another double from Iddenden together with goals from captain Olivia Fuller, Hughes and penalty from Suckley sealed a convincing 5-0 Wrexham win – their first over the Swans for 11 years. Pontypridd United stood between them and a place in the final, but two more goals from Iddenden set the tone for a 4-0 win at Latham Park.

Remarkably, Cardiff City trailed twice away at tier three side Penclawdd in Round One, but goals from Fiona Barry, Paige Parsons, Holly Jones, Lucy Malin and double from Molly Kehoe saw them comeback to triumph 6-2.

The Bluebirds again found themselves behind in Round Two at home against Cascade before Nieve Jenkins’ equaliser, but needed a 94th-minute winner from Kehoe to prevent the tie from going to penalties.

Barry Town United were the next challenge, but Kehoe continued her excellent form in the competition with another goal while Mackenzie Olden, Barry and substitute Laura Curnock were also on target as Cardiff claimed a 4-0 win. Barry was then the hero in the semi-final against The New Saints as she scored the only goal of the game on 63 minutes to earn Iain Darbyshire’s side a 1-0 victory.

Head-to-head

There have been four meetings between Wrexham and Cardiff City in the Genero Adran Premier this season. The Bluebirds completed the double in Phase 1 of the campaign, starting the season with a 2-0 win through goals from Ffion Price and Eliza Collie at The Rock. The return match in the capital in December saw Cardiff claim a 4-1 win with goals from Laura Curnock, Mikayla Cook, Lily Billingham and a penalty from Price.

However, it would be a very different story after the split as Wrexham returned to Cardiff in March and came from behind to earn a 2-1 win through goals from Ava Suckley and Abbie Iddenden. The north Walians repeated their success the following month with a 4-2 victory over Cardiff with Rosie Hughes and a hat-trick from Iddenden registering a memorable result.

Bute Energy Welsh Cup record

While NEWI Wrexham Ladies reached the final of the competition in 2008, last year was the first time that the club got to this stage since reforming in 2018 and they continue to aim to lift the trophy for the first time.

By comparison, Cardiff have won the Bute Energy Welsh Cup on four previous occasions, including the last three consecutive seasons. The last time that the Bluebirds lost a game in the competition was against Abergavenny in March 2019.

Players to Watch

Abbie Iddenden – Wrexham

If Abbie Iddenden wanted to fire a warning to Cardiff ahead of the final, she did so emphatically with a hat-trick against the Bluebirds last month. In total, the attacker has eight goals in her last six matches, while no one has netted more than her tally of six in the Bute Energy Welsh Cup this season.

Ffion Price – Cardiff City

The fact that Ffion Price claimed this season’s Genero Adran Premier golden boot with 12 goals from full-back is testament to her quality. The 27-year-old has two goals and two assists against Wrexham this season and will be keen on adding to that tally at Rodney Parade.

Pre-Match Views

Abbie Iddenden, Wrexham: “We know it’s going to be a hard game against Cardiff City, there’s no doubt about that. But we know what we can do, we know what we need to work on, and we’ve had a nice few weeks before the final to really knuckle down and make that final push.”

Fiona Barry, Cardiff: “From winning it over the last three years, it definitely gives us a lot of motivation and confidence heading into Sunday. For us new players, that’s what we need heading into a big event, and we feel that we can win this weekend.”

Match Officials

Referee: Charlotte Carpenter
Assistant Referee 1: Michelle Portelli
Assistant Referee 2: Katie Hannah
Fourth Official: Dale Randall

Bute Energy Welsh Cup final ticket details

Tickets can be bought online for the following prices (plus booking fee):

Adults – £5.00
Juniors (16 & Under) – £2.00

All tickets bought online will be digitally issued through the Cymru Tickets app, no later than 24 hours before kick-off. Tickets purchased fewer than 48 hours before the match will be delivered no later than five hours before kick-off.

Tickets will then be available to buy on the gate on matchday for increased prices: 

Adults – £10.00
Juniors (16 & Under) – £5.00

Please direct any ticketing queries to tickets@faw.co.uk

How to watch Wrexham v Cardiff City from home

The game will be broadcast on S4C’s TV and online channels. Coverage begins at 4.45 pm. Commentary will be available in both English and in Welsh.

S4C is on channel 104 on Sky, Freesat and Virgin TV for those based in Wales. In England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, S4C is on Sky 134, Freesat 120 and Virgin TV 164. The game will also appear on Sgorio’s Facebook and YouTube pages, as well as S4C’s streaming service S4C Clic.

You can also keep up to date with the game by following our Match Centre, as well as on the Cymru Football app which is available on both iOS and Android.

The Venue

This will be the second time that Rodney Parade has hosted the Bute Energy Welsh Cup final following last season when the over 1,700 watched the same two clubs go head-to-head for the trophy.

The stadium is home to EFL League Two side Newport County AFC and United Rugby Championship team Dragons RFC. Supporters can also enjoy food & drink from the local vendors, and even have the chance to get their photo taken with the new Bute Energy Welsh Cup trophy.

Rodney Parade is a 13-minute walk from Newport train station. There are direct trains from Cardiff Central and Wrexham General to Newport. For those wishing to drive to the match, the postcode for Rodney Parade is NP19 0AS.