Cardiff City and Wrexham will meet in this year’s Bute Energy Welsh Cup final after triumphing in the semi-finals on Sunday.
The Bluebirds, the current holders of the trophy, netted two late goals to defeat south Wales rivals Swansea City 3-1 at the SDM Glass Stadium in Bridgend.
Iain Darbyshire’s side took the lead inside nine minutes as Siobhan Walsh’s glancing header fell kindly for Mikayla Cook, who sent a cool strike into the bottom corner.
However, the Swans hit back five minutes later through in-form striker Stacey John-Davis, who produced a tidy finish from close range after being played through by Robyn Pinder.
The game remained all square and looked to be heading for a penalty shootout, but a defensive mistake from Swansea allowed Cardiff substitute Molly Kehoe to restore the Bluebirds’ lead with 84 minutes on the clock.
The Bluebirds clinched their place in the final five minutes later as Swansea failed to deal with Ffion Price’s floating corner, allowing another substitute, Megan Bowen, to head home a third goal.
Later in the day, Wrexham earned a narrow 1-0 win over The New Saints at Flint’s Essity Stadium thanks to Rosie Hughes’ goal just before half-time.
The decisive moment came in the 44th minute as Lili Jones closed down a TNS clearance, which saw the ball fall kindly to Hughes, who slotted past Ellie Suckley at the near post.
The Saints pushed hard for a late leveller, but Wrexham produced a strong defensive display to hold on and book their spot in the final of this competition for the first time since reforming in 2018.
The 2024 Bute Energy Welsh Cup final will take place on Sunday 5 May, with venue, kick-off and ticket details to be announced in due course.
