Yzzy Taylor eyes consistency following appointment as head coach

Yzzy Taylor is proud to having been handed the coaching reins at Swansea City Women, and has challenged her squad to make sure they carry forward a strong end to the season and ensure a stronger showing next term.

Taylor has been confirmed as head coach on the back of an impressive spell in caretaker charge over the final games of last season.

The Swans took five wins from their final five games, and ended up securing a fifth-place finish having missed out on a place in the Championship phase of the Genero Adran Premier for the first time.

Taylor, who has extensive playing and coaching experience in the Welsh top-flight and enjoyed a trophy-laden spell with Cardiff Met, wants the team to keep moving in the right direction.

“I am very proud,” she said of her appointment.

“In many ways it is quite unexpected, if you had asked me a year ago if I would be in this position, I would probably have said ‘no’.

“But as things have developed, it is something I am incredibly proud of, and I know my friends and family are all incredibly proud of, as well.

“I think the end of last season was positive for us. As a group, if we are bring brutally honest with ourselves, we know over the course of the season we could have done a lot better.

“We did not get the rewards that we feel this club deserves, so we have to work hard moving forward to make sure that how we ended the season are the foundations for how we are moving forward.

“We did a really good job over those last five games and had a strong end to the season, but next season is a fresh start and it is really important we try and hit the ground running.

“It is something we spoke about as a group, we want to work hard for each other as a group. We finished phase two unbeaten, but we have a new challenge lying ahead of us now.”

The Swans are one of a number of semi-professional teams in the top-flight, with the level and standard of the competition constantly improving.

Taylor agrees the challenge teams face in the quest to secure silverware has never been greater, and she acknowledges Swansea will need to show greater consistency if her squad is to succeed. 

“For this league you do need a blend, having that mix of youth and experience is really important,” she said.

“I think it is something we can bring to the league, we are very lucky with the squad we have and the young players we were able to bring into the group.

“It will be about ensuring that those connections continue to be developed.

“For us, the key is going to be demonstrating that consistency throughout the season. We were not successful last season, and that was one of the reasons why.

“We started really well and finished really well, but we did have a difficult patch after Christmas.

“You cannot afford to have that within this league because the standard and level of competition is improving all the time.

“You have got to be able to be strong throughout, we have got the squad back in July and we want to do everything we can to hit the ground running.”