Phase One of the 2024/25 Adran Premier is drawing to a finish, with the Bluebirds sitting top of the table heading into a crucial few weeks.
One of the takeaways from the season to date is the number of U19 players who have stepped up to the Senior team, including 17-year-old Seren Thomas.
Having joined the Club in the summer, Seren made her Senior debut in a 6-2 win against Penclawdd in the Bute Energy Welsh Cup.
“Before the match I was really nervous.” Seren began. “There were some other U19 players who were playing with me as well, so I knew they had my back and that helped. Playing with the First team, I had to gain the confidence as I was going. In the warm-up before the match, you could see it, we were all gunning for it and we were all getting a bit more pumped up. Everyone was fired up to get some goals and we won comfortably in the end.
“I'm really close with a lot of the other U19 players, so sharing the memory together was nice. Some of us made our debuts together, like me and Paige [Parsons] for example. Also, we've got a healthy competitive side to it too because we're trying to do as good as each other, which I think it helps us as a team.”
Since making her debut, Seren has been regularly featuring in Senior team training and matches, making an impression on the coaching staff.
She continued: “As soon as I’ve come into the team, it’s been great. Being new into a group and only knowing a couple of others can be difficult, but within a short space of time it was really comfortable. Everyone was speaking to me, everyone was really welcoming and of course Tom [Stiley’s] been really good to me.
"Iain [Darbyshire] has been great with me. They've all given me little pointers when they can, have been communicative and open, so I can't really ask for more from anyone. It definitely feels like we're all there and in it for each other.
“I joined City because I wanted to get better. Coming into training, you can just tell it's a different environment. Everything is so much more serious and everything is just that level up, so as soon as I came in, I knew it was going to be good for me and I’ve seen myself getting better.”
As well as playing her part for the Senior team, Seren has been integral in the U19s' season, with the young Bluebirds currently sitting at the top of the table as well.
“The start of the season was a bit slow for us, but then once we got into it, we started winning matches back-to-back and I think we just started gelling as a team properly. It was all going right for us, so it's been really good in the last couple of months.
"On the pitch, I’m getting more confident and been taking more chances. I used to play as a striker but I've not really been a centre-midfielder who scores a lot, but then in a game against Cascade, I got four goals and after that, I felt that had the confidence to keep going for it then."