Swansea City Ladies well equipped for new season
Ian Owen believes Swansea City Ladies’ strength in depth could be a key factor as they target the Welsh Premier Women’s League title this season.
Ladies boss Owen has bolstered his squad over the summer with Wales internationals Choe Chivers and Deanna Lewis signing up for the season along with Emily Haywood, Pheobe Ware, Brooke Llewellyn and Kate Searle.
Jodie Passmore and Sophie Hancocks, meanwhile, have left to join Cardiff Met.
The Swans have beaten TNS, Swindon Town and Exeter Women so far in pre-season.
And Owen has been impressed by his squad’s early progression as they look to go one better this term.
“The players have applied themselves really well in training and we have seen the benefit in our pre-season games so far,” said Owen, who has managed the team for the last 20 years.
“The performances from everyone against TNS, Swindon and Exeter were very encouraging with the season fast approaching.
“The new players have integrated very well. They have shown their qualities right from the start. “There is more competition for starting places this season and performance levels are up as a result.
“We have good cover in every position now with a good mix of youth and experience.
“Retaining most of our senior players and the return of Ria Hughes has enabled us to continue developing our game and improving on last season’s performances.
“Chloe Chivers, who was the 2016 WPWL young player of the year, will provide a new dimension in attack and we have real competition for the goalkeeper spot, which is just what we’ve needed.
“So we are in good shape at the moment. We are all looking forward to the season kicking off in September.”
A mouth-watering opening game of the campaign sees the Swans travel to champions Cardiff Met – the side who pipped them to the title and the League Cup trophy – on September 8.
And for Owen, the target remans the same as last year.
“Nothing changes for us - we want to win every game we play in,” he added. “Another focus is qualifying for the Champions League.
“With the quality we have in the squad – and if everyone at the club remains focused - then we have a great chance of achieving that.”
