Semi final disappointment for Women's Seniors

Sunday saw the seniors take on NFA but were left disappointed as they exited the NWCFA Women's Challenge Cup with a 5-1 defeat against a very good NFA side.

1876 starting brightly enough having the better of the early possession and some chances but just couldn't make that breakthrough to take hold of the game and build on it.

NFA grew into the game and always looked dangerous on the break, playing off the shoulder of our defence. With it looking like it was going to be a 0-0 stalemate at the break, two goals in quick succession from NFA on the cusp of half time rattled the home team.

Regrouping and going into the second half chasing the game was always going to be difficult against a good team which kept possession well. As we tried to get that important next goal to get us back in the game , NFA capitalised on this and soon increased their lead as the game ran away from us at 5-0.

A concelation goal in second half injury time with a excellent near post finish from Jordan and some outstanding saves from Becca throughout were highlights.

Reflecting on the defeat, manager Aron Griffiths commented:

"Disappointing result for us today, we knew we could have done better but credit to NFA they wanted it more than us and played some really good football.

We’ll now shift our focus back to the league, focus on next weekend and look to win our remaining games to end this season on a high.

Congratulations to NFA on the win it was thoroughly deserved. They were by far the better team and best of luck to them in the final."

Ffion Bee who captained the side added:
"First I’d like to thank NFA for coming down to Bethesda. We knew it was going to be a difficult game against a strong team so we tried to play to our strengths and play our game.

We played well for most of the the first half - attacking as a team and defending as a team. Our defence held the line well which made it difficult for NFA to attack. We had our chances too but we just couldn’t finish them.

Going into the second half we still believed we could turn it around as we’ve done it before, but NFA were persistent and it payed off.

By the end, injuries and fitness took a toll on us and we just switched off. We did manage to score which I believe shows that we have what it takes to keep fighting if we work together and give 100% effort 'till the very end. I enjoy captaining the girls and I hope we can put all of our focus now on the league and the next few games. It was a tough battle today, but it was a great game! Good luck to both teams in the final."