As we near the end of Phase One of the Adran Premier, the Bluebirds are in pole position to finish top of the table as the league splits in two. In what has been a highly competitive top-flight season, City have adapted to a high turnover in players and overcome injury struggles to retain a strong position.
One of those summer additions was Shannon Evans, who returned to the Club after first representing the Bluebirds between 2013 and 2018. Since then, she has been a regular presence at the heart of the defence, despite operating as a striker during her first spell.
Speaking about her return to the Club, Shannon said: “It’s felt really good to be back at Cardiff City. Adapting to a level of such high intensity has been difficult because I was playing a few leagues below last season. It’s been a challenge to adapt to the balance of training three days a week along with working outside of football, but the girls have been really supportive, which has helped me a lot. The whole team have been amazing with me.
“When I first joined Cardiff City, I played left-back right at the start, but I randomly went up to striker one day and stayed here. I ended up being top goalscorer, but I found it difficult playing as a lone striker. My preferred position has always been centre-back, so I’m really happy to playing where I am at the moment. When I spoke to Iain [Darbyshire] about coming back, I said that I’d rather be a centre-back. He tried me in both positions in training and in pre-season, but I looked better at the back; I feel more comfortable and stronger there.”
The Women's programme at the Club has gone from strength to strength in the time between Shannon's spells in the Welsh capital.
She added: "There have been a lot of changes since coming back. A few of the girls that I used to play with are still here and it’s nice to have those familiar faces, but the whole infrastructure has changed: we train three times a week, we have detailed gym work and everything is very professional. It’s nice to see how much it has developed and evolved. Another difference is the growth of the fanbase. We used to have just our parents attend back in the day, so it’s amazing to see so many fans cheering us on at our games; the more the better!”
In the coming weeks, City will look to build on a positive league campaign so far, as well as competing to retain the Bute Energy Welsh Cup.
"It’s been a really competitive season so far," Shannon said. "Teams have stepped up and pushed us. We some key players in the summer, so we have been a new team learning to adjust to one another so far this season. Some of the U19 players have also stepped up and fair play to them, they have deserved their chance in the senior squad. They have worked hard when they’ve been with us, and you wouldn’t know some of them are only 16 or 17 years of age.
"I feel like we’ve done well as a team but going forward, we hope we can push on and continue our winning streak. We’re still taking it game by game, but in the back of our minds, there’s always that aim to win the league. I’ve never won the league, so to achieve that with this team and this Club would be special for me.”