Latest news with #AbbieIddenden
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Wrexham striker Abbie Iddenden on her scoring streak, this weekend's cup final and why the cameras help
Wrexham striker Abbie Iddenden on her scoring streak, this weekend's cup final and why the cameras help This could truly be a weekend to savour for Wrexham. Phil Parkinson's men's team will try to clinch an unprecedented third straight promotion on Saturday evening, then, a little under 24 hours later, the women's side will try to carve out their own slice of history. Advertisement For the second year running, Wrexham's women are through to the Bute Energy Welsh Cup final. Just as they did 12 months ago, Cardiff City, reigning champions of Welsh women's football's Adran Premier top flight, stand between Steve Dale's side and a first piece of major silverware. Adding to the sense of deja vu is the fact that Rodney Parade, in Newport, will again host this north versus south battle, as it did in 2024. For Wrexham, however, Sunday's final feels very different from last year's 2-0 defeat, having beaten Cardiff twice in the league in the past seven weeks, bolstering their belief that this could be their time. Then there are Abbie Iddenden and Ava Suckley, the strike partnership who have plundered 32 goals between them this season. Neither was involved in last year's final, Suckley failing to make the squad after being in and out of the team and Iddenden only joining in August from Stoke City. Advertisement Can the deadly duo make all the difference? They certainly did in those recent 2-1 and 4-2 triumphs over Cardiff by bagging a combined five goals, including a hat-trick for Iddenden in the teams' most recent meeting on April 6. 'Everyone's excited for Sunday,' says the 25-year-old, who had two stints with Stoke either side of four years in the United States on a scholarship at Limestone University, South Carolina. 'In some ways, the final has been a long time coming. The girls got through last year and we wanted to at least equal that this time, and then hopefully go one step further. This is our chance.' Unlike Parkinson's men, who set the early pace in League One, the third tier of English football, by claiming 13 points from their opening five fixtures, the women took much longer to get into their stride this season. Four defeats in their first five outings left the team in a lowly sixth in the eight-team division, seven points behind Swansea City in fifth. Having finished third in a hugely encouraging debut Premier campaign in 2023-24, the poor start came as a shock. Advertisement Gradually, things started to pick up and by the time the division split in half after 14 fixtures in late February, Wrexham had pipped Swansea to a top-four spot. That meant the final half dozen games were all played against the rest of the top three, a run-in that included their 'double' over Cardiff. Those two defeats are the only points Sunday's cup final opponents have dropped since the turn of the year. 'We've been trying to figure it out ourselves,' says Iddenden, when asked why the start and finish to the season brought such contrasting results. 'People questioned us at times. We probably questioned ourselves. But how we have turned things round shows this is a special group. 'There's some real character in this team, plus a determination to prove what we can do, especially after phase one had seen us fail to perform up to the standards we expect. 'At times, we might not have done it the prettiest way and the football might not have been the best. Hard work and graft got us through a lot of games. Hopefully, we can continue that on Sunday and finish the season on a high with some silverware.' Advertisement Having been a fan of the Welcome to Wrexham documentary long before the opportunity came to sign for them last summer, Iddenden had an idea of what to expect at her new club. Even so, she admits the cameras following the north Wales team's every move for the show took some getting used to in those first few weeks. As did having a Hollywood A-lister in Ryan Reynolds, Wrexham's co-owner, suddenly following her on Instagram. But, all these months on and with the goals now flowing — the semi-finals' player of the round has netted seven times in the cup this term and has 16 goals overall — she feels right at home. 'This is a special club with everything that is going on,' says Iddenden, whose only previous cup final experience came as a teenager when helping Stoke beat Portsmouth to lift the FA Women's Premier League Reserve Cup in 2018. Advertisement 'Just look at the advancements being made and the opportunities that we are getting, such as the girls going away on tour to America last year. Incredible things like that. 'So, when the opportunity came to join, it was a no-brainer. I'd gone back to Stoke in 2022 but they were transitioning into semi-pro and I struggled to find my place. It meant I wasn't enjoying my football as much. I needed a fresh start. 'I knew Carra (Jones, midfielder who joined Wrexham from Stoke in 2023) and got some insight from her. It sounded right. The great thing now is that all my family are getting into it. They come to watch most of the games and love it as much as me. 'When I was in America, they couldn't see me live, so this is special for them.' Advertisement On buying Wrexham in February 2021, Reynolds and Rob McElhenney made establishing a strong women's setup a cornerstone of their plans. They've been as good as their word, with a new home ground arranged for the team in neighbouring Rhosymedre and the players now semi-professional. Several matches have been played at the Racecourse, the club's main stadium, including the 2023 Adran North clash with Connah's Quay Nomads that drew a sell-out crowd. The most recent outing for the women there came on March 30, when more than 2,000 fans watched a 3-1 defeat against Briton Ferry Llansawel. 'We wouldn't be where we are without them,' says Iddenden of the owners. As for the documentary's film crew, she says: 'The first few months, I won't lie, I probably did try to avoid the cameras. I spoke to the girls about it after signing, asking if they had really got used to it. All of them said they had and that now they hardly noticed. It's true, you do get to that point. Advertisement 'The cameras being there have really helped me grow as a person.' With the upcoming fourth series, which starts on May 15, in mind, the Welcome to Wrexham production team will no doubt be hoping Iddenden and Suckley are again among the goals on Sunday. 'We've just clicked,' says Iddenden, who also has 16 assists this season. 'It just works between us. We're both happy to drop in and both happy to go in behind. It was a case of understanding how we can play off each other.' As for the big game, Iddenden won't make rash predictions. But after such a storming end to the league campaign and scoring 30 goals without reply on the four-game route to the final, Wrexham's women are hopeful of delivering their half of a notable club double. Advertisement 'The run we've been on speaks for itself,' she adds. 'But we can't get complacent. That was maybe an issue for us a couple of times in the season, we got a bit complacent with performances or thinking, 'We're Wrexham and we're gonna win'. We can't go in expecting to win, because Cardiff have won the league the past couple of years for a very good reason. They will come out fighting, so we have to respect them — just not respect them too much. 'The men are aiming for promotion as well this weekend — if we can get some silverware, it would be a weekend to remember for the club.' This article originally appeared in The Athletic. Wrexham FC, UK Women's Football, League One 2025 The Athletic Media Company
New York Times
24-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Wrexham striker Abbie Iddenden on her scoring streak, this weekend's cup final and why the cameras help
This could truly be a weekend to savour for Wrexham. Phil Parkinson's men's team will try to clinch an unprecedented third straight promotion on Saturday evening, then, a little under 24 hours later, the women's side will try to carve out their own slice of history. For the second year running, Wrexham's women are through to the Bute Energy Welsh Cup final. Advertisement Just as they did 12 months ago, Cardiff City, reigning champions of Welsh women's football's Adran Premier top flight, stand between Steve Dale's side and a first piece of major silverware. Adding to the sense of deja vu is the fact that Rodney Parade, in Newport, will again host this north versus south battle, as it did in 2024. For Wrexham, however, Sunday's final feels very different from last year's 2-0 defeat, having beaten Cardiff twice in the league in the past seven weeks, bolstering their belief that this could be their time. Then there are Abbie Iddenden and Ava Suckley, the strike partnership who have plundered 32 goals between them this season. Neither was involved in last year's final, Suckley failing to make the squad after being in and out of the team and Iddenden only joining in August from Stoke City. Can the deadly duo make all the difference? They certainly did in those recent 2-1 and 4-2 triumphs over Cardiff by bagging a combined five goals, including a hat-trick for Iddenden in the teams' most recent meeting on April 6. 'Everyone's excited for Sunday,' says the 25-year-old, who had two stints with Stoke either side of four years in the United States on a scholarship at Limestone University, South Carolina. 'In some ways, the final has been a long time coming. The girls got through last year and we wanted to at least equal that this time, and then hopefully go one step further. This is our chance.' Just the EIGHT goals in five matches for Abbie Iddenden 🤯 🔴⚪️ #WxmAFC — Wrexham AFC Women (@WrexhamAFCWomen) April 6, 2025 Unlike Parkinson's men, who set the early pace in League One, the third tier of English football, by claiming 13 points from their opening five fixtures, the women took much longer to get into their stride this season. Four defeats in their first five outings left the team in a lowly sixth in the eight-team division, seven points behind Swansea City in fifth. Having finished third in a hugely encouraging debut Premier campaign in 2023-24, the poor start came as a shock. Advertisement Gradually, things started to pick up and by the time the division split in half after 14 fixtures in late February, Wrexham had pipped Swansea to a top-four spot. That meant the final half dozen games were all played against the rest of the top three, a run-in that included their 'double' over Cardiff. Those two defeats are the only points Sunday's cup final opponents have dropped since the turn of the year. 'We've been trying to figure it out ourselves,' says Iddenden, when asked why the start and finish to the season brought such contrasting results. 'People questioned us at times. We probably questioned ourselves. But how we have turned things round shows this is a special group. 'There's some real character in this team, plus a determination to prove what we can do, especially after phase one had seen us fail to perform up to the standards we expect. 'At times, we might not have done it the prettiest way and the football might not have been the best. Hard work and graft got us through a lot of games. Hopefully, we can continue that on Sunday and finish the season on a high with some silverware.' Having been a fan of the Welcome to Wrexham documentary long before the opportunity came to sign for them last summer, Iddenden had an idea of what to expect at her new club. Even so, she admits the cameras following the north Wales team's every move for the show took some getting used to in those first few weeks. As did having a Hollywood A-lister in Ryan Reynolds, Wrexham's co-owner, suddenly following her on Instagram. But, all these months on and with the goals now flowing — the semi-finals' player of the round has netted seven times in the cup this term and has 16 goals overall — she feels right at home. 'This is a special club with everything that is going on,' says Iddenden, whose only previous cup final experience came as a teenager when helping Stoke beat Portsmouth to lift the FA Women's Premier League Reserve Cup in 2018. 'Just look at the advancements being made and the opportunities that we are getting, such as the girls going away on tour to America last year. Incredible things like that. 'So, when the opportunity came to join, it was a no-brainer. I'd gone back to Stoke in 2022 but they were transitioning into semi-pro and I struggled to find my place. It meant I wasn't enjoying my football as much. I needed a fresh start. 'I knew Carra (Jones, midfielder who joined Wrexham from Stoke in 2023) and got some insight from her. It sounded right. The great thing now is that all my family are getting into it. They come to watch most of the games and love it as much as me. Advertisement 'When I was in America, they couldn't see me live, so this is special for them.' On buying Wrexham in February 2021, Reynolds and Rob McElhenney made establishing a strong women's setup a cornerstone of their plans. They've been as good as their word, with a new home ground arranged for the team in neighbouring Rhosymedre and the players now semi-professional. Several matches have been played at the Racecourse, the club's main stadium, including the 2023 Adran North clash with Connah's Quay Nomads that drew a sell-out crowd. The most recent outing for the women there came on March 30, when more than 2,000 fans watched a 3-1 defeat against Briton Ferry Llansawel. 'We wouldn't be where we are without them,' says Iddenden of the owners. As for the documentary's film crew, she says: 'The first few months, I won't lie, I probably did try to avoid the cameras. I spoke to the girls about it after signing, asking if they had really got used to it. All of them said they had and that now they hardly noticed. It's true, you do get to that point. 'The cameras being there have really helped me grow as a person.' With the upcoming fourth series, which starts on May 15, in mind, the Welcome to Wrexham production team will no doubt be hoping Iddenden and Suckley are again among the goals on Sunday. 'We've just clicked,' says Iddenden, who also has 16 assists this season. 'It just works between us. We're both happy to drop in and both happy to go in behind. It was a case of understanding how we can play off each other.' As for the big game, Iddenden won't make rash predictions. But after such a storming end to the league campaign and scoring 30 goals without reply on the four-game route to the final, Wrexham's women are hopeful of delivering their half of a notable club double. 'The run we've been on speaks for itself,' she adds. 'But we can't get complacent. That was maybe an issue for us a couple of times in the season, we got a bit complacent with performances or thinking, 'We're Wrexham and we're gonna win'. We can't go in expecting to win, because Cardiff have won the league the past couple of years for a very good reason. They will come out fighting, so we have to respect them — just not respect them too much. 'The men are aiming for promotion as well this weekend — if we can get some silverware, it would be a weekend to remember for the club.'
Yahoo
16-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Cardiff City & Wrexham reach Bute Energy Welsh Cup final
Wrexham are unbeaten since losing to Swansea City on 19 January [FAW] Cardiff City and Wrexham will face each other in a repeat of last year's Bute Energy Welsh Cup Final. Holders Cardiff followed Wrexham by winning their semi-final on Sunday to book a place in the final at Newport's Rodney Parade on Sunday 27 April. Last season's beaten finalists Wrexham wrapped up a convincing 4-0 win over Pontypridd United in the last four. Abbie Iddenden scored her 10th goal of the season to put Wrexham ahead after just six minutes at Latham Park. Advertisement It went from bad to worse for second-tier United as Lucy Jones turned into her own net before Brooke Cairns scored Wrexham's third - her fourth in this season's tournament - before the half hour mark. Iddenden netted her second of the contest in the 56th minute as Wrexham secured a seventh consecutive win in all competitions. Steve Dale's Pontypridd will now refocus on their league form as they bid to secure an immediate return to the top-flight following relegation last season. The Dragons are three points clear at the top of the Genero Adran South with two matches remaining. Fiona Barry scored the only goal of the second semi-final [FAW] After lifting the Genero Adran Trophy last month, The New Saints were aiming to reach the cup final for the first time. Advertisement And they pushed Cardiff City - cup winners for the past three seasons in a row - all the way. Cardiff goalkeeper Ceryn Chamberlain did well to deny Lexi Jones at the near post while Barry twice went close in the first half. The Bluebirds striker hit the side netting early on before striking the crossbar with a long-range effort. Defender Ffion Price sent a long range effort past the post in first half and saw a free-kick narrowly over the bar. But it was perhaps inevitable that Barry should prove the difference when he crashed home a long-range left-footed effort in the 64th minute. Chantelle Teare and Maria Francis-Jones went close for TNS but they could not end Cardiff City's unbeaten run in the competition that stretches back competition since March 2019.
