06/09/2026
FULL TIME ⚽️🔥
Croeseceliog Women FC 1–3 Aberfan Women FC
Today the women travelled down to Cwmbran for our first Division 2 fixture, and what a way to open the season! 🔥
The sun was absolutely beaming down and the humidity was suffocating, but nonetheless, we had a game on our hands and the girls were absolutely busting for it!
The whistle blew and both teams were straight out of the blocks. Possession initially favoured Croeseceliog, with Aberfan slow to get to the ball and allowing them too much time to build their play.
Unfortunately, that ultimately resulted in Croeseceliog taking the lead after just 13 minutes. A lovely ball was played through to their striker, who took the opportunity extremely well, powering her shot into the top-left corner. 1–0.
Last season, perhaps our heads would have gone down. But this is a new season, and we had a job to do.
The game remained scrappy and things still weren't quite going our way, but we weren't giving up. There was a huge amount of football still to play.
Then, in the 20th minute, Aberfan hit on the counter attack in what was becoming an end-to-end battle.
Tabs Ryan played a beautiful ball through to Lucy Sullivan, who, when she's in front of goal, is always a huge threat! Lucy made no mistake, calmly finding the back of the net to bring us level. 1–1! ⚽️🔥
We headed into the hydration break and had a conversation about what needed to change. We needed to dictate the play, play our football, and not allow ourselves to fall into the scrappy game.
And from there, Aberfan really began to take control.
We started dominating possession, moving the ball with purpose and putting Croeseceliog under increasing pressure. The pace, intensity and physicality of the Aberfan women was causing problems.
Then came the moment of the match…
On the 62nd minute, Krystal Rees, who was a huge force in the middle of the park, picked up the ball around 25 yards out and absolutely ROCKETED it into the top-right corner! 🚀🔥
An absolute screamer!
Aberfan continued to push, attack after attack coming our way, while any Croeseceliog counter attack was dealt with by a defensive line who were completely in sync and absolutely impeccable.
And anything that did make it through was met by Amy Brill, who pulled off some absolutely show-stopping saves to ensure nothing else got past her! 🧤🔥
Then, in the 90th minute, Danielle Davies fed the ball into the feet of Krystal Rees, who once again found the back of the net to put the game beyond doubt!
3–1 Aberfan! ⚽️🔥
The final whistle went, and the girls absolutely deserved their celebrations.
It's the wins that don't come easy that mean the most, and the team should be incredibly proud of the performance they put in today to secure our first three points of the Division 2 season! 🔴⚪
⭐ PLAYER OF THE DAY — Hannah Thompson ⭐
Hannah isn't just our captain — she is the backbone of our defensive line.
She is the brick wall our opposition runs into, combined with the pace and awareness needed to ensure Amy is protected behind her.
She's not only the voice of the team, but the shoulder everyone can lean on for support, encouragement and that little bit of fire when it's needed.
Hannah is the beating heart of this team and one of the people who brings everyone together.
Her performance today was nothing short of brilliant. 👏🔴⚪
⭐ PLAYER OF THE DAY — KRYSTAL REES ⭐
Krystal really proved the importance of being an impact substitute today.
She stayed disciplined, waited for her opportunity and came onto the pitch ready to make a difference, and that's exactly what she did.
Strength. Speed. Power.
Krystal showed all three today and made a huge impact on the game, scoring two incredible goals to help turn the game in our favour.
A brilliant performance and a fantastic example of how important every single player in this squad is. 👏🔥
Division 2 — we're here. 🔴⚪
A massive thank you goes to Croesyceiliog Women’s AFC for their hospitality today.
We really appreciate the warm welcome and look forward to returning the favour when we meet again for the second leg.
Aberfan Football Club
