The Cymru WU19 squad are set to compete against Europe’s elite in their UEFA Round 1 qualifying fixtures that will take place at Dragon Park.
“We’ve been there and done it, so the players know what it takes to compete against the best nations,” explained head coach Nia Davies. “Playing at home is massive for us. I think the girls really can put on a performance.
The side retained their place in League A at Llanelli back in April by finishing runners-up behind France. A narrow 1-0 defeat against the eventual group winners was followed by an impressive 1-0 win over the Republic of Ireland before they ended the campaign with a 1-1 draw against Serbia.
Olivia Francis scoring a dramatic late equaliser from the penalty spot for Cymru in added time to relegate their opponents, and the challenge for Davies and her squad now is to retain their place in League A ahead of the Round 2 fixtures that will take place early next year.
“I think we were really competitive last April,” explained Davies. “It’s really good to think back as we were a really young group. We only had three or four of the U19’s and the rest were U18’s, so they had a great experience of what it’s like playing against some of the top nations. Hopefully they can really build on that.”
All three of Cymru’s matches will take place in Dragon Park, Newport with the campaign starting against Finland on Wednesday 26 November (KO 6pm). The second match against Türkiye will take place on Saturday 29 November (KO 2pm) before they face top seeds France on Tuesday 2 December (KO 2pm).
“Finland are a very fluid team in terms of their formation,” said Davies. “They change quite often, so we have to be adaptable for that. Türkiye are seeded bottom of this group because they came from Group B, but we never underestimate our opponents, and they’re a new group maybe coming up as well.
“We end the qualifiers against France, which is a tough one to end on, because playing three games in ten days is very difficult. Also, it’s tough to end on probably the most intense game where we’re going to be under a little bit of pressure because they will probably have the majority of possession.”
Mared Griffiths scored the goal for the Cymru WU19 side in the 1-0 win over the Republic of Ireland in April and has since established herself in the senior squad, scoring in the recent friendly against Australia. “She had a lot of media coverage for her goal, and she deserves it because that’s what she can produce,” said Davies.
“In that moment, with the crowd, it will be one of the most memorable goals of her career. She’s more than capable of doing that as we’ve seen her do it countless times in youth football, but to see her go on and do it for the seniors is really pleasing.
“Also, for the likes of Teagan Scarlett, Gwen Zimmerman and Scarlett Hill all getting their first caps, it just gives them a massive confidence boost. It’s hard stepping up from the U19’s to the seniors, but I think they competed really well and their future is really bright. I’m really proud of how they’ve stepped up.
“Gwen Zimmerman and Scarlett Hill are back with us and they’ll bring massive experience with them. Hopefully it shows the others what can be done if they work hard and it gives that motivation. Rhian (Wilkinson) is really good with promoting that, and it’s our role to get these girls into the senior team.”
All six matches in the mini-tournament will be available to watch live on RedWall+ and the FAW’s YouTube page.
Cymru WU19 Squad: Yasmin Davies (Durham), Cadi Doran (University of Washington), Ffion Bowen (Leicester City), Elena Cole (Bournemouth), Emily Cole (Liverpool Feds), Amelie Curtis (Cheltenham Town), Ruby Day (Bristol City), Ania Denham (Sporting Khalsa- On loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers), Layla Drury (Manchester United), Casi Evans (Cheltenham Town), Emily Giddings (Bristol City), Casi Gregson (Gwalia United), Scarlett Hill (Manchester United), Poppy Holt (Manchester United), Nia Lewis (Bristol City), Keira O’Keefe (Gwalia United), Jessica Rawlings (Southampton), Cadi Rodgers (Chelsea), Charlotte Salisbury-Williams (Cheltenham Town), Molly Stroud (Devon FA), Shurima Vine (Gwalia United), Gwen Zimmerman (Eclipse Soccer Select).
