Aberystwyth Town Women defeated Wrexham Women 2-0 to book a spot in the Genero Adran Trophy semi-finals on Sunday afternoon, but it was the scorer of Aberystwyth's opening goal, Amy Jenkins, who seized hearts around the country.
Sunday marked an incredibly emotional occasion for Jenkins and her team, as the club honoured Jenkins’ late father and former Aber Town Women’s coach Kevin ‘Bones’ Jenkins, who sadly died on Saturday morning.
The team paid tribute to the beloved Penrhyncoch FC chairman by donning black armbands for the match and, as per the family’s request, holding a minute’s applause in memory of Jenkins ahead of kick-off at Park Avenue for their quarter-final clash against Wrexham.
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In an extraordinary stirring moment on the pitch, Jenkins, who wore the captain's armband for the day, opened the scoring for Aber Town in the 37th minute as she slid the ball home past Delyth Morgan. As if the day was not already saturated with emotions, as Jenkins' goal nestled into the back of the net, a rainbow appeared overhead.
The goal fired Aber Town into the ascendency and shortly after the interval, Bethan Roberts grabbed the team's second to secure Town's place in the semi-finals alongside Cardiff City, Cardiff Met and The New Saints.
Afterwards, manager Gav Allen hailed his team's collective strength and singled out Jenkins for her performance in the face of such adversity.
"I am so proud of the strength Amy has shown," he said. "She knows that we are here for her. When Amy scored, there was a rainbow. Someone was definitely looking down on her. I'm sure, 100 per cent, that he would be over the moon with us today."
Aber Town Women’s development team circulated collection buckets during the match with all donations going to Hywel Dda Health Charities to thank the team who cared for the late Jenkins. You can donate online and specify that you would like your donation to be used to support the district nurses and Ystwyth Surgery equipment fund.
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