Wales: Nations League B returns “with great positivity” – Ryan Wilkinson

Wilkinson felt frustrated after her team’s performance against Poland, which, like Wales, participated for the first time in a major tournament at the 2025 European Championship.

The Poles are ranked 26th in the world, six places above Wales, but have ruthlessly fielded an experimental home lineup at Rodney Parade.

“I don’t think that’s who we are as a team and as a country,” Wilkinson said.

“We have off days, every team has off days. But on those days, we cannot lose our identity in this way.

“We got caught in a transition game [and] We are better than that. It’s not fun to watch, it’s not our brand of football.

“These women are giving everything for Wales, but I couldn’t be prouder of this performance.”

Wilkinson made his debut alongside Charlton midfielder Mia Ross and Arsenal defender Tegan Scarlett, while Tiana Tesar made her Wales debut.

A number of other players got the chance to impress as Wales made nine changes to the side that started last Saturday’s friendly defeat to Australia.

Wilkinson noted that some of the senior players who took part in the Poland match failed to “seize that game” when the youngsters needed help.

She added: “I’m not happy with this match, but equally what we wanted in terms of giving people time and seeing different groups – we can now say we gave opportunities.”