A critical few weeks lie ahead for the Bluebirds, who are nearing the end of Phase One in the Adran Premier. They are currently sitting second in the table, behind leaders The New Saints.
Performances have improved throughout the campaign, after the squad took time to adjust to a high turnover of players in the summer.
One of those arrivals was striker Laura Curnock, who arrived in the Welsh capital after being Bristol Rovers’ top scorer last season.
Reflecting on her time at the Club so far, she said: “Generally, it’s been good. I was happy when Iain [Darbyshire] was interested in bringing me into a Club like this; I felt like it was a good place to be. Personally, I’ve had to find my feet a little bit and I think I’ve started to do that now and found consistency. I just hope to keep the ball rolling from here.
“The standard of the league has really impressed me. I wanted to come for a challenge and for some competition. Everyone said that this year is going to be the most competitive yet in the Adran Premier and I think we’ve all seen that. I certainly have felt that. It’s a lot more similar now to the English leagues that I have played in previously, which are extremely competitive, so it’s exactly what I wanted to get out of the move.”
Laura was one of five new signings ahead of the new campaign, along with Nieve Jenkins, Shannon Evans, Lily Billingham and Fiona Barry.
Laura continued: “It’s a new league and a new squad. I was playing a different position at the start of the season, a little bit wider, more like a left-winger. I’m happy to play anywhere, but I feel more at home as a number nine and I’ve started playing there regularly now.
"One of the main reasons that I signed was because the team won everything there was to win last year and everyone wants a taste of that, but it also brings some pressure. I knew that I would be competing with players that were already here and had had a successful season, which was going to be a tough. It was about filling their boots in many ways."
Two highlights stand out from the striker’s time at the Club so far, with her first goal for the Bluebirds coming at Cardiff City Stadium in a 2-0 win over The New Saints and a fine strike in a 4-1 win over Wrexham.
“The goal at the stadium felt brilliant, Laura added. “Coming on as a substitute, all I could have dreamed of was having my moment in the game whatever that might be. It felt good to hear the crowd roar and to do it in front of my parents and my family; that was a special moment that I won’t be forgetting. The game against Wrexham felt like a big occasion.
"We prepared well for the game and we all said that we’d be searching for an early goal. When I play it back in my head, I just hit it; I had spent the last few weeks putting in hard work coming back from injury, so it all paid off in that one moment. Those moments give you massive confidence.”
With the next few weeks potentially having a significant impact on the title, Laura concluded by saying: “I’d say we’re hungry, that’s the word for it. We’ve got a couple of important players coming back from injury at an extremely good time for us.
“Iain mentioned to us that there’s not many teams that would have done as well in Phase One as we have done with the injuries that we have had to deal with. Being only one point off top, we can really look forward to Phase Two and we’re excited to crack on.”