Page 14 - Women's Soccer Scene Issue No.9 2021-22

An interview with…..

Kelly Thomas (Aberystwyth Town)

Aberystwyth Town have made a good start to the season in the
top flight of the Genero Adran League and their 4-2 victory
over Port Talbot Town on Sunday took them up to fourth
place in the table.
Aberystwyth captain Kelly Thomas told us that the
whole of her squad are delighted with their early season form
but are not looking beyond the next match as it comes:
WSS: Well done on a great win on Sunday, was it
particularly satisfying as you had to come from
behind twice?
KT: Thank you. Of course it always feels extra special to get
the win when you’ve gone behind and then go on to get the
three points. In recent years that would have been something
that would have meant game over for us, but this year there
is a new belief and desire in camp and the girls really
showed great character to come back and stick to the plan to get the win. There was obviously
spells where we made it hard for ourselves, but I’m really proud of the grit and determination
the girls showed on Sunday to get the outcome we set out for by the time the whistle blew.
WSS: Two goals from Flavia Jenkins turned the match on its head, so how great
was the joy (or relief) when Fiona Evans scored the fourth late on?
KT: It’s no secret that Flave is always a threat going forward and that was no different on
Sunday. I thought she had an exceptional game and she’s a massive asset to our new and
improved squad. I think by the time that fourth went in the game was already dead and buried.
Port Talbot had seen a red card and that was a massive turning point in the game. They let their
heads drop and weren’t pressing much which meant we had much more time on the ball to be
able to play the way we wanted. It was nice though to come away with a convincing scoreline
from what Port Talbot made (and always make) a tough battle!
WSS: The win takes you up into fourth place in the table, presumably everyone is
delighted with that?
KT: Absolutely over the moon! The top 3 are great clubs with fantastic teams and big catchment
areas so to see little old Aberystwyth Town just under them is an unbelievable feeling, especially
given our standing in the league over the last couple of years. If we can be there at the split we
will be ecstatic. Although we are very aware that anything can happen against those other five
teams who’ll be targeting that position alongside us and it’s going to take some really hard work
from everyone involved to keep us there at Christmas. It’s such a breath of fresh air to be
challenging now in every game we play, something we haven’t done in recent years, but with
new management in Gav and the players we’ve brought in, I’ve got every faith in my team that
we can do it.
WSS: This week you play away to Barry Town United, what sort of game are you
expecting against them?
KT: Barry Town have always been a tough team to play against. Whether playing in this league
or the league below, we’ve always had great memorable battles with them. They’re a brilliant
club who’ve brought in some good players and we’ll be expecting a tough challenge ahead of us
on Sunday. We’ll be training hard this week to make sure we are fully prepared and put a plan
in place to hopefully take the 3 points we want and have a fun trip home up the M4!
WSS: Have there been many changes to the squad at Aberystwyth since the end of
last season?
KT: We have made some brilliant signings this year with young talent coming into the ranks
such as Kelsey Thomas from Swansea, and we’ve also got a few injuries we are eagerly awaiting
the return of with the likes of Emily Thomas out with an ankle injury at the moment. It was vital
Issue no. 9 - 28 October 2021 news@womenssoccerscene.co.uk