Eilish Mitchell | We have to take the positives and move forward

Swansea City midfielder Eilish Mitchell admits it has been a frustrating couple of weeks in terms of results, but insists there are plenty of positives to take into the remainder of the season following Sunday's 2-1 defeat to Cardiff City.

The Swans have suffered back-to-back defeats to their south Wales rivals in the Genero Adran Premier. 

The most recent of those encounters saw Cardiff take the lead through Lily Billingham before Mitchell equalised with her second goal in four league games, following her late strike away at The New Saints earlier this month.

However, Cardiff regained the lead through Laura Curnock and, despite creating a number of chances to level the score, Swansea were unable to find a way through as the Bluebirds held on to claim all three points.

Mitchell was pleased to get on the scoresheet, but acknowledged the frustration within the squad after getting little reward for a pair of strong performances. 

She believes the team can use that disappointment as motivation to finish the league campaign strongly, ahead of an April meeting with Cardiff in the Bute Energy Welsh Cup final.

“It’s tough to take. The fact we’ve dominated both games and come away with no points is hard for us, especially with the effort the team has put in," said Mitchell.

"But we can take a lot of positives from those performances and hopefully take that into the final, where we are desperate to get the win.

“We’ve had a really strong couple of months. Going forward we’ve scored a lot of goals and defensively we’ve been solid as well. 

"There’s definitely been a big turnaround and we’re not the same team we were at the start of the season, which is something we can take as a positive. It’s just frustrating when the results don’t reflect that."

Mitchell joined the Swans in the summer after spending last season at Swansea University but also had a spell with Chelsea as a youngster, before being part of the Brighton set up prior to moving to south Wales for her studies.

She admits it has taken time to find her feet at the club and adapt to a new role in central midfield, but is now becoming more comfortable in the position and is happy to contribute to the team wherever needed, be that in defence or midfield.

“I’ve really enjoyed my time at the club so far. At the start of the season it was about finding my feet and earning minutes, but I feel like I’ve grown stronger and fitter, and I’m feeling much more confident on the pitch now," said Mitchell.

“Playing in midfield has been new for me this season, so it’s been a big change, but I feel like I’m becoming more familiar with the role and what’s expected of me. I’m a lot more comfortable now.

"I understand my role much better and I’m really enjoying it. I’m always happy to play in midfield or defence, and playing against top teams like Cardiff and Wrexham has really helped my development."