Football / Bristol Rovers Women
Rovers ready to face Welsh champions in first pre-season friendly
Bristol Rovers Women take on Cardiff City on Sunday as the Gas Girls prepare for life in the National League and Cardiff prepare for Champions League qualification.
It will be the second pre-season in a row that Rovers have played Cardiff and manager Nathan Hallett-Young is hoping that he will be able to learn valuable lessons about his new-look side.
Hallett-Young still needs to trim down the Gas Girls squad ahead of the start of the season in August and is keen to see how his players perform at what will undoubtedly be their toughest test of pre-season.
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Rovers will be without last season’s young player of the year, Helena Costa, who has been snapped up by Bristol City Under-21, but it is likely to be the first game in the blue and white quarters for new signings including former England youth player Daisy Ackerman; former Scotland youth player Tyra Wilson; and former Watford and Plymouth Argyle defender Chloe Bassett.
“We’re really happy with the group at the moment but we need to see how they get on in games,” Hallett-Young told Bristol24/7.
“Who’s carrying the mantle? Who’s going to push forward? For us, principles and character are the two big things with attitude coming into play as well.
“It’s seeing how they get on and our toughest game of pre-season is coming up this weekend. Cardiff City will be a big test for us.”
Having admitted his team “respected them a bit too much last time” when they got beaten 6-1, Hallett-Jones said that this time “we’re going to go for them a little bit”.
The manager said that he will be looking at how his players adapt. “I’m really excited how this new group of players gets out onto that pitch and performs and shows us what they can do.”
Nathan Hallett-Young is head of sport and recruitment at Bristol Rovers Community Trust and co-founder and first team manager at Bristol Rovers Women’s FC – photo: SGS Bristol
Since winning the South West Regional Women’s Football League to take them into the National League, the Gas Girls – who were re-launched as an initiative of the Bristol Rovers Community Trust in 2019 – have been absorbed into Bristol Rovers as part of the club’s ‘one-club’ policy.
It means that from August, the squad will be training at Rovers’ main training base, the Quarters in Almondsbury, and playing their home games at the Memorial Stadium.
“The best thing for me is that Hussain AlSaeed the chairman and Abdullatif AlSaeed, the vice president of the club, are fully on board and they fully trust what processes we put into place and how we work,” said Hallett-Young.
“They have given us the autonomy to continue what we’re doing and keep pushing forward.
“We will continue with how we operate. If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.
“But for us, it’s nice to know that we are trusted and that is vindication that we have done the right things and are in a really good starting process to keep building.”
Rianne Bourne-Hallett (left) has been named as Rovers captain for the new season, where the Gas Girls will play their home games at the Memorial Stadium – photo: Bristol Rovers
The Gas Girls’ first game in the National League will be at the Memorial Stadium on August 18 against AFC Bournemouth, who are believed to have the biggest budget in the fourth tier and are early favourites in a league which sees only one club get promoted and two relegated.
“Having Bournemouth game one is a really big plus,” said Hallett-Young.
“They will be the team to beat, they are going to be the frontrunners. All of the pressure will be on them to turn up and roll us over.
“We will either surprise them and we put ourselves in a really advantageous position from day one.
“Or we find the level out early doors, and then we know the level we need to be and we get to work. It’s a win-win for us.”
Tickets for Bristol Rovers Women’s games at the Memorial Stadium start from $4 for adults and £2 for under-14s. For the full fixture list for the new season, visit www.bristolrovers.co.uk/news/womens-202425-fawnl-fixtures-ticket-price-structure-confirmed
Main photo: Bristol Rovers Community Trust
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