Adran Premier Report | Swansea City 0-1 Cardiff City
Cardiff City were victorious in the South Wales derby with a 1-0 win over Swansea City at Llandarcy Academy of Sport.
In a fantastic away performance, Molly Kehoe’s second half goal was enough to secure all three points and continue the Bluebirds’ unbeaten start to the Adran Premier season.
Head coach Iain Darbyshire made five changes to the side that defeated Barry Town United last time out, with Lisa Owen, Hannah Power, Kelly Adams, Tija Richardson and Kehoe coming into the starting XI.
City forced the first chance of the game, as Richardson pressed well to force a mistake from goalkeeper Claire Skinner, with Kehoe not quite making clean contact with her effort at goal. In another positive attack, Kehoe turned well and found Richardson in space. The City midfielder tried to thread Eliza Collie through, who was just beaten to the ball by Skinner.
The hosts responded with a chance of their own, as Katy Hosford headed wide from close-range. Swans attacker Stacey John-Davis then looked to lift the ball over City goalkeeper Ceryn Chamberlain, but fired over the woodwork. Just before the break, Bluebirds defender Power fired at goal from distance, with her effort looping just over the bar.
At the start of the second half, the Swans’ Nieve Jenkins found space to shoot, with Chamberlain making a comfortable save for City. The Bluebirds went close to taking the lead on the hour mark, as striker Collie was alert in the box to pounce on the loose ball, but poked just wide of the post.
City continued to look dangerous, as the lively Kehoe drove forward and struck at goal, forcing a save from Skinner. From the resulting corner, the ball came to Danielle Green, whose effort deflected just wide. The Bluebirds’ momentum led to the opening goal, taking the lead in the 67th minute through Kehoe, who raced through and applied a clinical finish.
In the final 20 minutes, City managed the game brilliantly and saw out the three points. The Bluebirds are in Bute Energy Welsh Cup action next Sunday, facing Swansea University at Cardiff International Sports Campus, 2pm KO.
FINAL SCORE: SWANSEA CITY WOMEN 0–1 CARDIFF CITY WOMEN
Swansea City Women: Skinner, Powe, Finch, Lake (E Thomas 89’), Jenkins (Chivers 65’), Pinder (Legall 77’), Hosford ©, John-Davis, Wynne (K Thomas 77’), Williams. Subs not used: Brace.
Cardiff City Women: Chamberlain, Owen (Price 75’), Power, S Walsh ©, Bowen, Green (Cook 63’), Watkins, Adams, Richardson, Kehoe (Olden 87’), Collie (Oakley 63’). Subs not used: Gingell.
Head coach Iain Darbyshire expressed his pride after a significant win, stating: “It’s an incredible feeling. It’s the biggest game of the season. We’ve had a lot of success recently after having a few years where we weren’t so successful.
“This is the first time that coaching this team, we’ve won away at Swansea City. It was an incredible performance. We knew it was going to be a difficult game, we knew it was going to be a physical battle and we had to be on our game, but we limited them to no chances and we controlled the game.
“Every player who stepped onto the pitch was together and you could see that in the way we played. It’s a massive win. There’s a lot of competition at the top of the league. Last season, we run away with it, but I don’t think it will be like that this year because there are a lot of strong teams in the league. It’s a really hard place to come, but to get three points in the South Wales derby speaks volumes about our players.”
