Wrexham 1-2 Cardiff City
- Bute Energy Welsh Cup Semi-Final
- Park Avenue, Aberystwyth Town
- Sunday, 8 March
Bute Energy Welsh Cup holders Cardiff City reached the final of the competition for the fifth consecutive year following a 2-1 win over Wrexham at Park Avenue.
This was the third consecutive weekend that the two sides went head-to-head – following wins for Wrexham in the Genero Adran Trophy Final and the Genero Adran Premier – but it was the Bluebirds who emerged triumphant this time.
The game was goalless at the break but the first half was not without its chances. Liz Craven and Ceryn Chamberlain both made key saves, Fiona Barry saw her free-kick well-blocked by Wrexham’s wall and Katie Barker met a menacing Faye Knox cross but her header was denied by the crossbar. Mikayla Wildgoose should perhaps have done better with a back post header from Barker’s cross.
The Red Dragons did have the ball in the net just before half-time when Josie Smith played through Mariam Mahmood to finish coolly, but the offside flag was raised against the Pakistan international.
Cardiff improved after the break and found the breakthrough on 69 minutes when Mikayla Cook’s corner was cleared back out to the winger on the left flank and she sent a delightful, curling effort over Craven into the far corner. Cook sheepishly admitted post-match that it was in fact intended to be a cross.
The Bluebirds doubled their advantage nine minutes later when Fiona Barry delivered a free-kick into the box which Megan Bowen met, with the centre-back’s decisive touch sending the ball squirming under Craven and into the net.
That sparked Wrexham into life, but Knox, Phoebe Davies and substitute Liv Fuller – making her first senior appearance for over a year following an ACL injury – could not do better with their opportunities. Knox eventually got the Red Dragons on the scoresheet in the sixth minute of stoppage time when her effort from distance curled past the entire Cardiff defence and Chamberlain, but it came too late to save her side.
Cardiff City will now meet Swansea City in the Bute Energy Welsh Cup Final at Rodney Parade on Sunday 19 April (KO 17:00), which will also prove to be boss Iain Darbyshire’s final game in charge.
