Bristol City star opens up on 'brutal' start to WSL season after Arsenal defeat
Ffion Morgan doesn’t like losing. The 23-year-old Bristol City footballer makes that abundantly clear.
The problem, of course, is that after a year of emphatic success for club and country which saw her win promotion to the Women's Super League and reach a first-ever World Cup qualifying play-off final with Wales, losing has become a bit of a thing.
Bristol City, having returned to the top-flight after a two-year existence outside it, have lost their first four matches this season by an aggregate score of 12-4. City’s most recent clash against title contenders Arsenal ended 2-1.
The obvious positive to glean is that the Gunners required two Katie McCabe stunners to crack the Vixens’ resolute defence. The obvious negative is that Lauren Smith’s side continue to reside bottom of the WSL table without a point to tout.
The international stage has hardly fared better for Morgan. The Wales international, having suffered an agonising extra-time defeat in a first-ever World Cup qualifying play-off final last year, is now bidding to rectify a torrid start to the inaugural Women’s Nations League campaign after a disappointing 1-0 loss to Iceland and a 5-0 thumping by Group C leaders Denmark.
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Any potential distress or angst regarding the current state of footballing affairs hasn't gripped Morgan, who believes any premature writing off of City after early teething problems will only be disabused in the long run.
“We’ve had a tough start to the season. From the Championship to the WSL is a huge step. From a physical point of view to a mental one. You can’t switch off. It’s brutal,” she says with a light chuckle.
“However, I’m really enjoying it. It’s improving me as a player and I’m excited by that because I can help Wales more as well.”
She adds: “For us as a team at Bristol City, we had a really good performance against Arsenal. Hopefully, we can build on that, build on our in-possession qualities and I can get on the ball more and not just make tackles, and also get more chances going forward.”
Caitlin Foord of Arsenal battles for possession with Ffion Morgan of Bristol City (Photo by Alex Burstow/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)Morgan is fast-talking and fast-thinking, her words underpinned by an alacrity to consume the next challenge that is nearly contagious. Where critics might write her spirit off as naive positivity, the fierce earnestness of her tone suggests otherwise.
The sensation speaks to Morgan’s playing style: lightning quick, fearless, preferring off-the-cuff instinct to meditative calculations to stir something surprising.
Against Arsenal, Morgan’s intuition was limited in its opportunities to offer a threat, with defensive actions proving the priority on the night. City hurled themselves into a never-ending series of blocks and challenges. Morgan was kept particularly busy to mitigate the threat of Gunner’s left side in Steph Catley and Caitlin Foord but her tenacity in largely executing the task was laudable.
Morgan doesn't deny the fact that such limitations, and the corresponding relegation chatter, pose their own mental hurdle. “It was obviously expected that we’d be having less chances on goal and less of the ball, and we [Bristol City] were very realistic in terms of how we were going to play,” she says.
“It’s tough going from having a lot of the ball and winning most games to being in a low block and conceding, yes of course! It has been a shift, and I don’t like losing, that’s never nice. But now we’ve had a good performance, we can build on that and really grow as a team and become difficult to beat.”
Janice Cayman of Leicester passes under pressure from Ffion Morgan of Bristol City (Photo by Ben Hoskins - The FA/The FA via Getty Images)Becoming difficult to beat will be the theme for Morgan this season. Where defensive solidity was a guaranteed expectation for both City and Wales last year, the foundational blocks have quaked under the higher calibre threats of the WSL and the Nations League top-flight.
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Morgan is particularly keen to show her worth in the restoration project. The Carmarthenshire-born football has long cut herself one of the greater threats in any arsenal on the counter, with her attacking thrust and voracious pace often the subject of praise.
Even so, Morgan has struggled to nail down a starting role under Grainger despite positive performances from off the bench, including a vital intervention in Wales’ game-winner against Bosnia and Herzegovina in their World Cup qualifying play-off semi-final last year.
The defensive display against Arsenal demonstrated a discipline and doggedness that could be difficult to ignore as Wales boss Gemma Grainger bids to shore up a porous backline while finding a way forward on the break.
“I would grab the [Wales] shirt and hold on to it for dear life,” says Morgan when queried on the lack of game time.
“The last couple of games have been really good for me as a player. I feel confident that I can create chances.
She adds: “If I came on and I didn’t make an impact that would be a bit rubbish, but I am glad I can play my part in that sense. I want to put my name out with any opportunity I get. I want to put questions in Gemma Grainger’s head, I want to compete, and I do feel like I’m edging closer to that starting spot. Hopefully my time will come.”
USWNT midfielder Savannah DeMelo is challenged by Ffion Morgan (2023 Getty Images)The time could arrive away to Germany on Friday. Wales have been provided a boon in the absence of German striker Alexandra Popp from Friday’s clash, with the Wolfsburg goal-scorer suffering a small injury. “We’ve got to take our learnings from the losses and just get back into it,” she says.
“The 5-1 scoreline seemed quite harsh, but they were more clinical than us, and that was it. Our identity and principles have always been built on being really hard to beat, so to take such a heavy loss is very rare for us. It’s something we want to change, and we want teams to find it difficult to score against us.”
Wales face Germany at the Rhein-Neckar Arena at 4:45pm GMT.
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