Wales kicked off a new era in March, beginning their 2027 World Cup qualifying journey with a win and a draw.

Despite the squad taking on a fresh feel since Wales’ momentous qualification to last summer’s European Championships, it was largely the old guard that shone against the Czech Republic and Montenegro.

The stalwart back three of Hayley Ladd, Gemma Evans, and Rhiannon Roberts started and completed both games – apart from Evans who was rotated for Mia Ross.

In midfield, the likes of Ceri Holland, Angharad James, Sophie Ingle, and Rachel Rowe – all regulars for a number of years – continue to lead the side, both on and off the pitch.

Even with the retirements of Jess Fishlock and Kayleigh Barton following the EUROs, in the opening 2-2 draw with Czech Republic, manager Rhian Wilkinson was able to field a remarkable eight players with more than 50 caps for Wales.

Add in those who are short of the mark – goalkeeper Olivia Clark, fullback Lily Woodham, and forward Hannah Cain – and this is a group that’s strength in recent years has been continuity.

It is interesting, therefore, to see which areas of the pitch that Wilkinson has put her focus on.

The most eye-catching, due to the nature of the role, is in goal. Once again, Clark and Manchester United’s Safia Middleton-Patel shared the gloves, with the Leicester netminder starting in Czechia and the latter taking the starting jersey for the Montenegro game.

“Both of them have performed for Wales but I don’t feel either of them really grabbed the jersey yet and so I try not to make it [so] that it’s a combative environment,” Wilkinson said in between the matches.

“They know before they come in which games they’re going to be playing, so I try to tell them that you have just got to perform in your game.

“If they can do that consistently, they’ll grab the number one, but I do not feel one of them has taken that number one role yet.”

Both goalkeepers are relatively young – Clark is 24 and Middleton-Patel, 21 – and Wilkinson clearly sees value in giving both experience ahead of a major tournament.

The frustration for Wilkinson and Wales is that neither player is a regular at club level.

“Liv’s got a few starts, Saf’s got a few starts. It’s a problem I know with the men’s team as well,” she added.

“Both of them have had moments with their clubs, but we do not have solid starters.”

The other main area that Wilkinson has targeted is the forwards. With Fishlock and Barton, Wales are missing 70 international goals.

It is clear that Hannah Cain is the woman to lead the line, but she is very different to Barton in style.

Cain loves to play off the shoulder of centre halves, seen best in her opening goal and assist for Rachel Rowe in the opening 15 minutes against Montenegro.

The Leicester forward has three goals and an assist in two games and is clearly thriving in this set up, having struggled at club level this season. She is improving on her box movement, too, with two expert first-time finishes in both games.

The other rising star of the Wales set up is Mared Griffiths.

The Manchester United forward caught the eye in Jess Fishlock’s final international against Australia, scoring an audacious chip for her first international goal.

The teenager tripled her tally at Parc Y Scarlets, her first capitalising on a goalkeeper error and the second a well-taken move where she rounded the Montenegro goalkeeper and slotted into an empty net.

The quartet that Wilkinson changed for that 6-1 thrashing were instructive of how the Wales head coach is bringing through younger players. All four – Middleton-Patel in goal, Ross in defence, Carrie Jones in midfield, and Griffiths up front – are 22 or younger, with Jones the most experienced with 46 caps.

It was the youngest of the four, though, that caught Wilkinson’s eye.

“She’s got it all,” she said of Griffiths’ performance.

“And she’s far from the finished product, which is very exciting for all Welsh people I’d imagine.”

Griffiths, sporting the number 10 shirt which was worn so often by Fishlock, has been identified as a rising star for Wales, but this Montenegro match was her first competitive start.

“I think it’s a testament to the team that when a young player like Mared comes through our pathway, she feels comfortable to play with the freedom which you see,” Wilkinson added.

“She plays with a creativity that you don’t see that often with young players coming up to the senior team because they’re too nervous to express themselves. It’s really nice to see.”

The good news for Wales is that according to Wilkinson, Griffiths is not the only youngster ready to make a mark in the senior side.

“We’ve been excited about Mared for a while now and we have a couple of young players coming through who are real talents,” the Wales boss added.

“I think it’s a testament to our youth coaches, but also our academies in the north and the south and what they’re producing.

“Mared’s our first real product of testing our pathway. I know there are others.”

With Wales set to play not only their qualifying group, but also two rounds of play-off matches in their qualifying campaign, the road to Brazil will be defined by Wilkinson’s ability to help Wales evolve beyond the first iteration of the side seen in Switzerland last summer.

And what a prize if they do get it right: a first ever World Cup, and in Brazil to boot.

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