This will be Louisa Hayhurst’s final season as coach of Pontypridd United’s U16 squad and it could have a real fairytale ending.
The Dragons had some big wins on their way to the semi-finals of the Bute Energy U16s Cup, where they were drawn away against The New Saints.
The Oswestry-based side are known to have a very reputable women and girl’s setup, but Ponty did enough to come away with a 4-2 win, a victory that felt bigger than most according to the manager.
Bute Energy U16s Cup Final
“It was amazing to beat TNS,” Hayhurst said. “It felt like the final for us in a way. To go away from home and play a team we never get the opportunity to play, especially a side like TNS who have a really well-respected women’s and girls, section. So, to go up there and come away with the win was amazing.”
The win continued what has been a season to remember for Pontypridd as a club. Last Sunday saw the senior side win the Genero Adran South, meaning they will compete against Connah’s Quay Nomads in the promotion play-off next weekend.
Claire O’Sullivan leads a very young senior team, which has given plenty of opportunities to players from both the U19 and U16 setup, something that fills Hayhurst with a lot of pride.
“We really are one club at Ponty. The women’s and girls’ sections are very much linked, and we’ve had players who have played in the U16s, U19s and the senior side this season. The pathway is so important for us, and having such a young senior team is fantastic, and to see the pathway in full affect is special.
“I started the girls’ section with Ponty in 2018 and we initially had 11 players, and seven of those girls will play on Sunday. They’ve never gone anywhere else, and all seven of them have played for the U19s as well.
“We’ve got our little ones who go and mascot for the senior team, they go and take their shirts to get autographs, and they absolutely love it. Those girls and see themselves in the senior team one day.
“We’ve got coaches and parents who believe in the pathway too. They see their daughters at age seven, eight, or nine, and they know they can stay with Ponty and have that pathway which can take them a long way. There’s a place for everyone here.”
If they are to lift the Bute Energy U16s Cup, Ponty will have to get past rivals Cardiff Wanderers Sunday’s final, an opponent they know all too well.
“It’s always a great game between ourselves and Cardiff Wanderers,” Hayhurst says. “They are a really good side and a lot of the girls play together anyway with their county teams or school teams. They’re all friends too and know each other well. It’s going to be a good game on Sunday that’s for sure.”
It’s clear from listening Hayhurst speak just how much she loves and adores this group and this club. Walking away from coaching will of course be difficult, but to do so by winning this competition will be vindication for everything she’s put into it.
“To lift the trophy would be amazing. This is my last season as a coach, this is me ending my time coaching these wonderful players and my own daughter, so this will be validation for them if we do win the cup.
“Over the last few years, everyone has stuck together. Everyone plays for each other on the pitch and it’s a real football family we’ve got going on. The parents’ group is amazing, and it would mean everything to lift this trophy.”
