Swansea City Women | Season in review
With the 2025-26 Genero Adran Premier season concluded, we take a look back over Swansea City Women's campaign.
The Swans secured a third-place finish in the league, having targeted clear development and improvement on the back of missing out on the top-four during the 2024-25 campaign.
In Yzzy Taylor's first campaign as head coach, the Swans proved an effective attacking unit, scoring 58 goals.
Midfielder Chloe Chivers ended the season as the club's top goalscorer, leading the way with 16 goals in the league whilst also contributing six assists and being named in the Genero Adran Premier Team of the Season.
Chivers' teammates Aimee Deacon also found a place in the team of the campaign with 11 goals in the league, as did defender Lucy Finch after a stellar final season at the club.
League round-up
The Swans opened their 2025-26 league campaign with a convincing 4-0 victory over Barry Town United at Jenner Park, before following it up with a first home win of the season against Aberystwyth Town courtesy of goals from Deacon and new signing Eilish Mitchell.
A difficult spell would then follow with games against Cardiff City at the Cardiff City Stadium and Wrexham at the Swansea.com Stadium resulting in their first league defeats of the campaign.
Another stern test came with the side’s first trip north to face The New Saints at Park Hall. After falling behind to a Zara Gibbs' opener, the Swans fought back superbly to claim a 2-1 victory - a result which would spark an impressive run of form.
Taylor’s side would go on to win their next four league matches, defeating The New Saints, Pontypridd United, Briton Ferry Llansawel and Aberystwyth Town. Included in that run were emphatic victories over Pontypridd and Briton Ferry courtesy of 10-1 and 6-1 scorelines at home.
November brought the next batch of fixtures against Cardiff City and Wrexham. While the Swans led in both encounters and showed plenty of positive signs in their performances, they ultimately fell to a 3-1 defeat against the Bluebirds at the Swansea.com Stadium before conceding twice late on in a 4-2 defeat at The Rock.
The final league match before Christmas saw Swansea return to winning ways in style, claiming a dominant 5-1 victory away to Pontypridd United at the USW Sports Park.
It would then be five weeks before the Swans returned to league action after their fixture against The New Saints was rescheduled. Played at the M&P Group 3G, home of Cambrian United, Swansea produced another strong display to record a 3-0 victory. That result was followed by a convincing 7-1 win over Barry Town United at the Swansea.com Stadium before the Swans completed Phase One with a 3-1 away victory over Briton Ferry Llansawel through goals from Sammy Wynne, Deacon and Taite Trivett.
Phase Two began on St David’s Day with another trip to Park Hall, where Swansea produced one of their standout performances of the season in a 5-2 victory over The New Saints. Chivers scored four stunning goals, while Mitchell also found herself on the scoresheet, to secure all three points for the Swans.
However, Swansea would then endure their most difficult spell of the campaign. A double-header against Cardiff City saw Taylor’s side perform strongly in both fixtures but ultimately suffer a pair of 2-1 defeats, before a heavy 7-1 loss at home to Wrexham and a disappointing 1-0 defeat to The New Saints in the club’s final Swansea.com Stadium fixture of the season.
The Swans would end the league campaign on a high, though, as goals from Ellie Lake and Deacon secured an impressive 2-1 victory away to champions Wrexham at The Rock, handing the league winners their first home league defeat of the season.
Cup action
The Swans began their cup campaigns in the Genero Adran Trophy, looking to go one better after reaching the final of the competition the previous season.
In the opening round, Swansea faced recently relegated Cardiff Metropolitan at Llandarcy, where braces from Deacon alongside goals from Stacey John and Emily Richards secured a convincing 4-0 victory over the Archers.
However, it would prove to be Swansea’s only win in the competition, as a heavy 6-0 defeat away to Cardiff City in December saw the Swans exit at the quarter-final stage.
Attention would then turn to the Bute Energy Welsh Cup, a competition the Swans had not won since 2018.
Taylor’s side opened their campaign against fellow Genero Adran Premier side Aberystwyth Town, producing an impressive 3-1 victory at Park Avenue through goals from Deacon, Maddy Murray and Chivers.
The Swans then rounded off 2025 with an emphatic 10-0 win against third-tier side CPDM Llanystumdwy, through goals from Wynne, Richards (2), Trivett, John (2), Miller, Lake, Chivers and Caitlin Williams.
The goals continued to flow in the quarter-finals as Swansea welcomed Genero Adran North side Llandudno to Llandarcy. Strikes from Jess Williams, Miller, Trivett (2), Maddy Murray and an own goal secured another emphatic 6-0 victory and a place in the semi-finals.
Awaiting the Swans in the final four were Cwmbran Celtic, but Swansea once again produced a dominant display to claim a 6-0 victory. Braces from Deacon and John, alongside goals from Trivett and Richards, secured Swansea’s place in the Welsh Cup final for the first time since 2018.
A familiar opponent awaited in the final as Swansea faced rivals Cardiff City at Rodney Parade in Newport.
The Swans produced a superb opening 55 minutes and found themselves three goals ahead courtesy of strikes from Chivers, Deacon and Miller. Cardiff, however, fought back strongly, with goals from Fiona Barry and Shannon Evans in the space of four minutes reducing the deficit to one before a Barry's second goal 10 minutes from time forced the final to penalties.
Both sides converted their opening two spot-kicks, but heartbreak would follow for Swansea as club legend John, making her 250th and final appearance for the club, saw her penalty saved by Ceryn Chamberlain. Cardiff converted their remaining three penalties to win the shootout 5-4 and lift the trophy.
Retirements & departures
There were four notable players who departed the Swans at the end of the 2025-26 season.
Club stalwart John decided to hang up her boots after 14 years at the club, making her 250th and final appearance in the Bute Energy Welsh Cup final against Cardiff City. During her time in SA1, John scored a remarkable 161 goals and was a key figure for the Swans across domestic and European competition.
During her time at Swansea, John lifted four Genero Adran Premier titles, two Welsh Cups and one Adran Trophy, while also becoming a huge role model for many young girls across Wales.
Defender Steph Turner also announced her retirement at the end of the season. A lifelong Swansea supporter whose earliest football memories came at the Vetch Field with her family, Turner went on to make over 100 appearances for the Swans and was part of the side that won the inaugural Welsh top-flight title in 2009-10.
She also enjoyed a hugely successful 12-year spell with Cardiff Metropolitan. During her time with the Archers, Turner won six Genero Adran Premier titles, three Welsh Cups and five Adran Trophies, cementing herself as one of the most decorated and respected players in Welsh domestic football before returning to Swansea in 2023.
Lucy Finch also announced her retirement ahead of the Welsh Cup final following a four-year spell with the Swans after joining from Cardiff Metropolitan in 2022.
The left-back made 68 appearances for Swansea following her debut in a UEFA Women’s Champions League qualifier against PAOK in 2022.
Like Turner, Finch also enjoyed a successful spell with Cardiff Met, winning one league title, two Adran Trophies and a Welsh Cup, including a domestic treble during the 2018-19 campaign.
Swans club captain Katy Hosford also made the decision to leave the club after 16 years in Swansea colours.
The forward made her senior debut for the Swans in 2013 and went on to enjoy a hugely successful spell with the club, winning every major domestic honour available.
During her time at Swansea, Hosford lifted four Welsh top-flight titles, two Welsh Cups and an Adran Trophy, while also being named club captain following the side's transition to semi-professional status in 2023.
Hosford made 268 appearances and scored 133 goals for the Swans during her time in SA1. She had not featured since April 2025 after announcing her pregnancy, with her son George born in January.
First-team debuts
The Swans academy continued to strengthen its pathway into the senior side this season, with two academy players making their first-team debuts during the 2025-26 campaign.
Forward Lowri Jones made her senior debut in October, coming off the bench before later scoring twice in her first senior start after joining the club from Johnstown during the summer. She would go on to make six league appearances for the first team, while also featuring in the 10-0 Bute Energy Welsh Cup victory over CPDM Llanystumdwy.
Jones also enjoyed a fantastic campaign at under-19s level, scoring 36 goals in just 21 league matches and playing a vital role in helping the young Swans lift the Genero Adran U19s Championship Conference title.
The second academy player to make her debut was under-19s' vice-captain Susanna Cunningham. The midfielder made her senior bow in the Welsh Cup victory over Llanystumdwy, while also being included in matchday squads against Briton Ferry Llansawel in February and The New Saints at the Swansea.com Stadium in March.
Cunningham has also been a key player for Richard Harris’ under-19s' side this season, making 25 appearances across the league and West Wales Cup while contributing 21-goal involvements, including 15 goals from midfield. She earned several opportunities throughout the campaign to train with the senior squad, having joined the club from the FAW academy last summer.