We continue our series where we interview Flintshire-based clubs that compete within the Welsh football pyramid to see how they are performing during their respective 2023-24 season. In this blog, we interviewed Ruby McGilloway, team captain of the third-tier club Flint Town United Ladies.
Club Information
- Town: Flint, Flintshire / Y Fflint, Sir y Fflint
- Founded: 2022
- Ground: Cae-y-Castell, Flint
- Nicknames: The Silkwomen
- Club Hashtag: n/a
- Colours: Black and white vertical striped shirts, black shorts & socks.
- 2023-24 League: North Wales Women’s League East
- Club Website: https://flinttownunited.co.uk/
- Club Twitter: @FTULadies
- Club Facebook: FTU Ladies Facebook
- Club Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ftuladies/
- Club YouTube: n/a
Introduction
Flint Town United Ladies Football Club is a North East Welsh club that represents the coastal and castle town of Flint / Y Fflint. Originally the county town of Flintshire, it is located on the River Dee Estuary and has a population of approximately 13,800 inhabitants. It is situated about four miles northwest of the county’s largest town Connah’s Quay / Cei Connah, six and a half miles north of the county town of Mold / Yr Wyddgrug, and five miles southeast of the historic town of Holywell / Treffynnon. The most famous landmark of the town is its ruined castle which was built in the late 13th century and was the first of a series of castles (the “Iron Ring”) constructed as part of the English invasion to conquer the Kingdom of Gwynedd. It is also the hometown of Welsh and Liverpool football legend Ian Rush who scored 28 goals in 73 caps for the Welsh national team.
For additional information on the town, you can find it on our Flintshire Town Page HERE.
As its name suggests, FTU Ladies is the women’s team of the Cymru North side Flint Town United and they were founded just two years ago in 2022 by a group of friends who were passionate about football and enjoyed supporting their local club, Flint. With help from FTU members, and advertising for players via an open training session, a team was soon formed and joined the North Wales Women’s Football League (NWWFL) in time for the 2022-23 season. Under the management of Dan Smith, they won their first-ever competitive game 3-0 against Llanfairfechan Town, however, their debut season was a tough learning experience. They suffered continuous losses throughout the schedule, going on a seven-game losing streak at one point, and sometimes turned up at games with no substitutes available due to fluctuating numbers of players.
Thankfully for the side, performances improved during the second half of their first season. The coaching side was strengthened through the appointment of Elliot Hale as coach, and a collection of new signings were brought into the club to further increase the depth of the squad. As a result, FTU Ladies concluded their debut campaign with two consecutive victories over NFA (to whom they had lost 0-6 earlier in the season) and Llanfairfechan once again to end their season in a respectable ninth position and accumulate 19 points from their 22-game schedule. This season, they continue to compete in the NWWFL but due to a restructuring of the division, the club was placed in the East league. Additionally, Dan Smith had to depart the club due to work commitments resulting in Elliot Hale taking on the managerial responsibilities whilst bringing in Dan Kelly to work alongside him as a coach. They were later joined by former Holywell Ladies manager Tony Doyle who was appointed as manager alongside Elliot. As with the men’s team, FTU Ladies play their home games at Cae-y-Castell (known by the sponsored name of The Essity Stadium) which is just a short walk away from the castle and next to the Wales Coastal Path that runs alongside the estuary.
[IMAGE: All Wales Sport]
Flint Town United Ladies currently plays in the North Wales Women’s Football League – East, a third-tier league in the Welsh women’s football pyramid which covers the northeastern region of Wales, with clubs coming from Powys to compete in the league. As mentioned previously, last season was their debut season and they finished in ninth position from twelve teams, earning 19 points from their 22 league games. They finished three points behind fellow Flintshire-based side Northop Hall Ladies in eighth position but five points ahead of Llanstumdwy in the tenth spot.
Recent Form
| Date | Competition | Opposition (h/a) | Result |
| 28th Mar | NW Women’s League – East | Northop Hall Ladies (h) | 4-1 |
| 17th Mar | NW Women’s League – East | Welshpool Town (h) | 8-2 |
| 3rd Mar | NW Women’s League – East | Bellevue FC (a) | 4-0 |
| 25th Feb | NW Women’s League – East | Welshpool Town (a) | 5-0 |
| 18th Feb | Betty Pickering Cup | Kinmel Bay (a) | 3-1 |
With their league fixtures all completed, Flint Town United Ladies are situated in 1st position in the seven-team North Wales Women’s Football League – East Division. From their twelve league games played, they had achieved a perfect season by winning all of their matches to accumulate thirty-six points in total, putting them a whopping twelve points (at the time of writing) ahead of Denbigh Town in the runners-up spot. From their league campaign, they scored 66 goals and conceded just 10 to conclude with a +56 goal difference.
[IMAGE: All Wales Sport]
Flint Town United Ladies started their second season in the NWWFL (and first with the regional setup) at the start of September with a 3-0 home victory over Kinmel Bay before following it up with a high-scoring 6-3 away win over Denbigh Town in their second game. Despite finding themselves 0-2 within the first seven minutes, Flint fought back through a Zoë Stopford penalty and a Daisy Hughes goal in the first half, before another Daisy Hughes goal right after the break gave Flint the lead. Substitute Tegan Crockett scored a fourth which was followed by further injury-time goals from Kaelyn Williams and Ruby Hastings that confirmed an important win. The first Flintshire derby against Northop Hall took place at the start of October with Flint coming away with a 3-1 victory with Kaelyn Williams scoring a brace and Crockett adding the third, whilst their highest win of the season was against Bellevue in mid-October with the Silkwomen putting 16 goals past their Wrexham-based opponents without reply. Rosie Hughes scored four goals and assisted a further four, whilst Crockett grabbed a hat-trick, with doubles from Daisy Hughes, Ruby McGilloway, Stopford, and Jasmine Edwards, with Jennifer Haynes adding a strike also.
The biggest threat to Flint’s perfect season came away at Kinmel Bay where they came away with just a 1-0 victory with Stopford’s goal being the deciding factor in the game. However, Flint’s best performance of the season was the following weekend when they defeated nearest challengers Denbigh Town by a surprising 11-2 scoreline. Haynes was the star of the match with a hat-trick with Hastings getting a brace of goals and assists and Crockett contributing with a goal and four assists. FTU Ladies confirmed their perfect season with a concluding Flintshire derby in late March with a 4-1 success over Northop Hall. Rosie Hughes opened the scoring for the league champions with Stopford adding a second before halftime. In the second half, Northop reduced their arrears before Stopford added a second in the 58th minute with Crockett finishing the scoring with a wonderful 88th-minute volley – the best conclusion to a monumental league campaign for Flint.
As well as having a perfect season in the NWWFL East league, FTU Ladies have also been imperious in the Betty Pickering Cup, the League Cup for the whole NWWFL. Drawn in Group B alongside Kinmel Bay and Caernarfon Town (from the West division), they won all four of their group games scoring a total of 32 goals in the process, and progressed to the knockout stage as group winners. Their biggest wins came against Caernarfon beating the Cofis 11-2 away and then 9-0 in the reverse fixture. Tegan Crockett scored a hat-trick in the former game with braces also coming from Zoë Stopford and Rosie Hughes, whilst the same three players were on the scoresheet in the latter match with Stopford clinching three goals and Rosie Hughes getting a double, whilst Taylia Chaloner, Ruby Hastings, and Jasmine Edwards (who also all scored in the 11-2 game) completed the scoring. They are scheduled to play against Llanystumdwy in the last eight which will be played in late April.
The excellent Dave Jones from Grassroots North Wales wrote an article detailing the stats from the whole FTU Ladies team throughout their league-winning season, which can be found below:
Questions to Ruby McGilloway, Captain of Flint Town United Ladies
Q. Firstly, how do you think this season has gone for Flint Town United Ladies in the North Wales Women’s League East so far?
Even better than we imagined. We weren’t sure what the league would be like with the decision to split it into the East and West sections. We were up against some strong well-established teams and there were also some new teams entering the league, however, we’re unbeaten in the league so it’s gone amazing really.
Q. What has been the best performance or result from the club so far this season?
Probably beating Denbigh Town 11-2 [in late February]. We were expecting such a tight game given they were second in the league at the time. We were all so nervous beforehand, but just relaxed into the game and couldn’t believe we beat them by such a high score.
Q. Who have been the standout players so far, and is there any individual player who you think the readers should keep an eye on for the remainder of this season or next season?
Standout players for me have been Zoë Stopford and Rosie Hughes. Both never stop on the pitch and are just natural footballers. However, I think Ruby Hastings is one to keep an eye out for next season. She looks so elegant playing down the right wing, no one can catch her, and she’s scored some unreal goals from distance.
[IMAGES: @FTULadies]
Q. What are the club’s aims for this season, and likewise, what are the long-term aims for the club?
We’ve aimed to move up a league and to play more challenging teams. Women’s football is still developing so it’s hard to say what the long-term aims will be. Things change all the time, you enter leagues and certain teams fold, and the structures of leagues are always changing. So I’d say to continue to work hard, win games, and enjoy the love of the game.
[IMAGE: Geoff Quinn via FTU Ladies Facebook Page]
Q. This season is the second season since the ladies’ team’s foundation, has it been easier or difficult in comparison to your debut season?
This is my first season for Flint Ladies, so I can’t compare it to last season as a player but as a new team, I think it was challenging for the girls at first last season. They improved towards the second half of last season, built the foundations of the club, and brought in us new players for this season. All in all, I say it’s been easier this season as we now have strong numbers, good team spirit, and players who work hard every week.
[IMAGE: @FTULadies]
Q. How important is it for the club to be a main community hub for the area, and what plans are in place to help the club further integrate with the community?
Women’s football is evolving every year so it’s very important we are part of this by providing a safe space for everyone to spend their Sunday afternoon supporting local women’s football. As we keep building the foundations of FTU Ladies, we hope to get a girls’ pathway up and running soon so this will help the club further integrate with the community.
[IMAGE: FTU Ladies Facebook]
Q. How would you regard your relationship with the men’s team? Is there a strong working relationship between the two teams, and have you learned anything from them and vice versa?
[IMAGE: FTU Website]
We’re always supporting one another. The relationship between management is also great. Lee Fowler (Flint men’s manager) is always having a good chat with us about our games before we train, and it’s great to see him on the sideline at our games too.
Q. Finally, if someone was considering coming to Flint to watch or follow the team for the first time, what do you think is the club’s greatest asset to encourage them to return?
Our amazing home pitch just makes all the difference to the game. There’s music on before the game whilst we warm up, there’s somewhere to sit whilst you watch, somewhere to get a cuppa or a beer, and there’s just a nice friendly environment. We appreciate each and every person that comes to watch.
[IMAGE: Geoff Quinn via FTU Ladies Facebook Page]
A massive thank you to Ruby McGilloway, captain of the North Wales Women’s League East side Flint Town United Ladies for answering our questions on their 2023-24 season so far and their future goals. We wish all sections of the club the very best of luck for the rest of the season, the whole of 2024, and the seasons ahead! Remember you can find Flint Town United Ladies’ social media accounts in the links towards the top of the blogpage.
If you have any comments, suggestions, reactions, or even your own answers to the above questions, please write them in the comments box below. Likewise, you can either email us at the94thmin@gmail.com or send a message at @The94thMin on Twitter/X.
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