Cymru WU17 head to France this week for Round 2 of their UEFA qualifiers with added inspiration as the pathway to the senior team continues to reward impressive performances from those coming through the intermediate ranks.
The opening match of the new UEFA Nations League campaign against Italy in Monza saw Cymru senior team head coach Rhian Wilkinson hand a first start to 18-year old Mayzee Davies and a senior debut to 17-year old Mared Griffiths. Both impressed with Davies claiming the Player of the Match award for her unwavering display in the centre of defence against a talented Italian front-line. Now Cymru WU17 head coach Peter Wilson believes this added motivation can help inspire his side to more success.
“Mayzee was in one of the first teams I coached and we took her to an Under-15 tournament in Portugal when she was just 13-years old,” he explained. “To see her now, not just as a pro, but starting for the senior team and being player of the match is a proud moment for everyone involved in the pathway.
“I’ve worked with Mared throughout the age groups too, so we’re buzzing for both of them and we’re excited for the future.
“Hopefully this is just the start of a conveyor belt of players getting these opportunities and the exposure that will lead to them progressing in their professional club careers as well.
“When we went to Portugal back in October I pulled up pictures from when Mayzee and then Mared had played for the different age groups in the exact same stadium to show them that this could be one of you, if you want it. ‘They’ve played here, now you’ve played here, so can you go on?’ Mared still pops in to see the girls as her sister Cadi is in the Academy, and now when they see her next, she will be a full international. That will be a special moment for everyone.”
The Cymru WU17 squad progressed to Round 2 of their UEFA qualifiers by retaining their place in League A in those matches in Portugal, with victory over Slovenia on the final day sealing their place.
In January, the side returned there for three friendly fixtures against Denmark, Iceland and the hosts in preparation for the next challenge that starts with a match against France in Bourges on 5 March. Group A2 then continues for Wilson’s side with two matches in Saint-Germain-du-Puy against Scotland on 8 March and Slovakia three days later. The group winners will qualify for the finals that will take place in the Faroe Islands in May.
“They are three very different challenges,” said Wilson. “The French we know are going to be technical, they’re going to have a lot of the ball and they’re going to move it well. So obviously we’ve got to be ready for that and we’ve got to be prepared to defend and do the right things. They’ll punish us on little mistakes and that’s what we’ve seen in other games. The flip-side to that is they actually dropped points against some lower nations in the last round.
“Scotland we know is going to be physical and a proper battle, so we’ve got to face that challenge. They won their group in the autumn so they’re going to be strong. We’ve got to match them in a lot of areas that we’ve probably not been tested in as much this year. But likewise, I think the Denmark game in January can probably put us in good stead for the first two games. We will see what Slovakia bring in the first couple of games, and hopefully then we can get a positive result against them.”
The three friendlies in January enabled Wilson and his staff to experiment with his squad and his approach to these upcoming qualifiers, and despite three defeats, it proved to be a constructive camp. “We tried some really new things,” he added. “Some different players, some players in different positions, some different tactics. We used that camp to prep ideas for this one so it was successful overall in terms of what we wanted to get out of it. We’re getting better and we’re getting to where we want to be, but now we’ve really got to show what we’re about.”
Cymru WU17 squad: Orla HOWARD (Blackburn Rovers), Phoebe BAKER (Leicester City), Senaiya KNILL (Blackburn Rovers), Elinor GUEST (Brighton and Hove Albion), Mia DAVIES (The New Saints), Charlotte UNDERWOOD (Chelsea), Lois CARTMELL (Liverpool), Lily, NICHOLLS (FAW Girls Academy South), Skye HAIR (Chelsea), Nia LEWIS (FAW Girls Academy South), Emily WILSON (Southampton), Anya GRUNEWALD (FAW Girls Academy South), Poppy HOLT (Manchester United), Ashley GRIFFITHS (FAW Girls Academy South), Jessica RAWLINGS (Southampton), Cadi GRIFFITHS (FAW Girls Academy North), Layla DRURY (Manchester United), Emily HOWSON (FAW Girls Academy North), Emily GIDDINGS (Bristol City), Somoraa FLETCHER (FAW Girls Academy South).
