Cardiff City Women lifted the Adran Premier trophy at Cardiff City Stadium on Saturday after going an entire campaign undefeated.
The Bluebirds took on arch rivals Swansea City in the Welsh capital last weekend in their final game of the campaign, with the prospect of a lossless season on the line.
But it didn't go quite according to the script early on. Cardiff dominated the early portion of the game, but Swansea's Katy Hosford curled one in against the run of play to put the hosts behind.
Iain Darbyshire's side kicked right back into gear, though, and ensured the Swans' celebrations were short lived as Lily Bellingham's deflected shot found the back of the net to level the tie four minutes later.
In the second half, on the hour mark, it was Rhianne Oakley who then got City's noses ahead as she swept past Claire Skinner to make it 2-1 to the Bluebirds.
And the cherry on the cake came with just over 10 minutes to spare when Zoe Atkins slotted home to cap off what has been quite a sensational season for Cardiff City Women. And the celebrations on the pitch were the embodiment of a successful, unified team as the squad lifted the trophy and popped open the bubbles en masse.
Cardiff's season has been nothing short of astonishing. Having played 20 games, the Bluebirds won 17 and drew three - finishing the campaign 13 points better off than their closest rivals, Swansea.
Manager Darbyshire told Y Clwb Pel-Droed: “I genuinely wasn’t joking when I said that we could go the whole season unbeaten.
“You could see there was a lot building within the squad with a lot of players developing at the right time too, and that’s all come through this season.
“We’re proud of what we’ve done, we’ve won the title, and that’s the most important thing.”
Cardiff next season head into the UEFA Women's Champions League qualifying rounds owing to their exploits this season, something Darbyshire cannot wait to experience.
“You dream about being in it as a kid. I don’t care if it’s men’s or women’s, the Champions League is the Champions League," he added.
“I’ve watched it on TV when I was growing up, and all the girls have too. Personally, I cannot wait for it, I can’t wait for the challenge.”
And, in a weekend of huge success for Cardiff City Women teams, the club's under-19s were crowned national champions after beating Wrexham 2-0 thanks to a brace from Lauren Payne in the final.
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