The appointment of Rhian Wilkinson to succeed Grainger was a ginormous gamble from the FAW.
By her own admission Wilkinson joined Wales after a difficult time in her life, having left her role with Portland after losing the confidence of the dressing room. By her own admission she felt “a little lost.”
Wales’ players were already upset about the departure of Grainger and there seemed little chance that Wilkinson could hit the ground running with just three camps before the Euro play-offs.
Wales never really hit top gear in Nations League B, but they ultimately did enough to win their group and earn a seeded spot in the play-offs, where they drew Slovakia before a final against either Georgia or Republic of Ireland.
Suddenly a path had opened to reach Switzerland, but at 2-0 down in Poprad and without the injured Ingle and Fishlock, the dream was turning into a nightmare.
Wales goalkeeper Olivia Clark revealed that strong words and “honest conversations,” were had between Wilkinson and the players and Wales fought back to win the tie 3-2 after extra time in the second leg.
They were still underdogs for the final against Republic of Ireland, but this was the point where Wilkinson showed her pedigree as a manager and began to earn the full trust of her players.
Wilkinson got the better of Ireland manager Eileen Gleeson in the final, seemingly getting under her skin and in her head as she seemingly managed to disrupt Ireland.
By continually implying that Ireland were a long ball and overly physical side, it seemed the message upset the Irish players who at times lacked composure for a team who had been to the World Cup.
Captain Katie McCabe was a prime example, flying into tackles and arguably lucky not to be sent off in the all-important Dublin game.
Gleeson said after the game that she had been unhappy with Wilkinson’s behaviour on the touchline, but it was hard not to view that as a case of sour grapes.
The seeming gamble to appoint Wilkinson paid off handsomely. She might have, in her words, joined “a marathon for a sprint finish,” but she has helped Wales to finally get over the line.
