Page 20 - Women's Soccer Scene Issue No.25 2022-23

Cardiff Met Women won the first major trophy of the season in
Wales last week when they defeated Cardiff City Women 3-1 in
the Genero Adran Trophy Final.
Met goalkeeper Amelia Forkings explained to us just how
much the trophy success meant to her and her team mates, and
insisted that they can build on it to challenge for silverware again
next season:
WSS: Congratulations to all of you on winning the
Genero Adran Trophy, what was the feeling like when
the final whistle went?
AF: Winning was a feeling of pure passion and excitement, I
don't think I've screamed so loud in my life! You could catch me
smiling for a long time after that final whistle blew because it
just meant so much to myself and all of the girls to lift that
trophy.
WSS: The team went into the game in the unusual
position as underdogs owing to City's league form,
was it something you relished on the day?
AF: We definitely relished on this on the day we had belief in
ourselves from the get go as we had worked so hard in the build up to prepare ourselves not just
physically but mentally as well to ensure every player had belief in themselves. Every one of our
players left everything out on that pitch which was shown in the final score. Previous league
matches from this season were not in our heads that day - we didn't let previous defeats affect
our confidence. It was a cup match meaning everything was there for the taking and that's
what we did.
WSS: You couldn't have made a better start with two goals in the opening quarter
of the game, was it the plan to take the game to City from the kick off?
AF: Yes, we had talked about wanting to take control of the game and scoring two goals
definitely allowed us to do that. Going in at half time 2-0 up was massive for us but we had to
make sure it didn't affect how we played in the second half - for the next 45 minutes we had to
keep that control which we definitely did! City were not used to losing so you could see
frustrations starting to set in throughout the second half but no matter what, we kept going as
a team to ensure all personal battles were won and all our jobs were done and that passion
really drove us to the win.
WSS: When Ellie Preece scored the third goal, did you really feel the game was
yours then?
AF: Yes I had full confidence in the girls that we were taking that trophy home! But we didn't
let that get to our heads and we kept going and stayed calm to ensure no mistakes were made
to give City any chances of winning. Of course, seeing one of my best friends score was a really
special moment, especially when it is such a worldie of a goal!
WSS: Your team includes several players with experience of cup finals and Erin
Murray seems to be one who enjoys the big occasions, and she did it again with
two goals?
AF: Erin Murray is an outstanding player with a lot of experience, she knows how it feels to win
and lose in a cup final and she really stepped up that day with an amazing performance on the
pitch. We also have the likes of Steph Turner and Tija Richardson who are also experienced Met
players, who again were both outstanding on the day and showed so much desire and
determination, which proves just how much Cardiff Met means to these girls.
WSS: Now you have got that trophy winning feeling again, are you confident that
you can build on this for future seasons?
AF: Definitely, when a club means a lot to you, lifting a trophy is such a special moment and it's
definitely something we will look to build on next season. We will be back in the new season
fighting for the cups and league again but before then we have more games to play this time
and hopefully score plenty of goals to finish the season on a high.
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