Cardiff City Women booked a place in the Adran Trophy Semi-Finals with an impressive 10–0 victory over Llandudno Ladies at Cardiff International Sports Campus on Sunday afternoon.
Striker Phoebie Poole netted a fine hat-trick, while Siobhan Walsh and Lily Billingham scored braces, with Danielle Broadhurst, Danielle Green and Ffion Price also on the scoresheet.
Head coach Iain Darbyshire made two changes to the side that defeated Barry Town United last time out, with Zoe Atkins and Billingham coming into the starting XI.
City made the perfect start, taking the lead with just two minutes on the clock with a fine move. Hannah Power found Price in space on the right, whose brilliant cross was headed home by Broadhurst for her sixth goal of the campaign. The Bluebirds doubled the advantage three minutes later, as a pinpoint corner from midfielder Seren Watkins was headed home by captain Walsh.
Darbyshire’s side continued their clinical display, adding a third in the 12th minute through a fine delivery from Price, which was headed into the bottom corner by wing-back Green. Striker Poole then got on the scoresheet a minute later, finishing clinically past goalkeeper Caitlyn Bibby-Fry. Poole netted her second with 15 minutes on the clock, cutting inside from the right and finding the bottom corner.
Having provided two assists early on, Price then found the net herself, firing a great strike from distance into the top corner. City added a seventh in the 30th minute, as Poole ran through and squared for Billingham to strike into the bottom corner. Before the interval, another fine corner delivery from Watkins was met by Walsh, who headed in her second of the afternoon.
The Bluebirds continued to attack with intent in the second period, going close through Poole, who raced through, only to be denied by Bibby-Fry. Boss Darbyshire looked for reinforcements from the substitutes bench and gave opportunities to goalkeeper Emily Roberts and U19s winger Mikayla Cook.
City added a ninth late on, as Poole beat the offside trap and finished into the bottom corner to net her hat-trick and cap a fine performance. The pick of the goals came from Billingham however, who found the top corner from the edge of the box with the outside of her foot to score her second of the afternoon.
The Bluebirds return to league action next week, travelling to Aberystwyth Town on Sunday, 22 January, 2pm KO.
FINAL SCORE: CARDIFF CITY WOMEN 10-0 LLANDUDNO LADIES
Cardiff City Women: Chamberlain (Roberts 46’), Price (Owen 72’), Power, S Walsh ©, Bowen, Green (Cook 63’), Watkins (Norman 72’), Broadhurst (Saunders 63’), Billingham, Atkins, Poole.
Llandudno Ladies: Bibby-Fry, Roberts, Madison Williams, Dutton, Jarris-Evans, Gibbard, Maddie Williams, Phillips, S Owen © (Jones 76’), Doran (Perry 84’), F Owen. Subs not used: Colville.
After the final whistle, head coach Darbyshire spoke to cardiffcityfc.co.uk:
“I thought we were in control from minute one,” Iain began. “Some of the build-up play, the passing sequences we put together and the goals we scored were fantastic. We’ve tweaked a few things to be a bit more fluid and creative, the girls executed the gameplan perfectly. You could see that they were enjoying it and were playing with a smile on their face. That first-half performance especially was one of the best I’ve seen.
“We knew this was an important game, not only because we want to win the competition, but because it sets us up for the final two games of Phase One. We know we have to difficult away games coming up, the girls are all prepared, but we need to demand the standards that we set going forward and if we do that, we’ll have a successful second half of the season.”