The Gemma Grainger era with Wales may have started with a defeat, but the new manager believes she has seen enough to leave her feeling positive about the future.  Grainger’s side were beaten 3-0 by Canada –  a team flourishing with confidence at Cardiff’s Leckwith Stadium on Friday evening – in the former Middlesborugh coach’s first game since taking over from Jayne Ludlow. Deanne Rose gave the visitors the lead in the first half, before Evelyn Viens doubled Canada’s advantage with Jessie Fleming adding the third.

This month marks a fresh era for women’s international football in Wales as new manager Gemma Grainger begins her reign in charge of the national team.  Work has started this week, when Grainger – who has worked across the England development teams for 11 years – prepares to take charge of her first matches before the 2023 World Cup qualifiers begin in September. Wales host Canada, on Friday, and Denmark next Tuesday – which will give Grainger the chance to see her new side in action for the very first time.

Laura McAllister will launch her FIFA manifesto this week – basing her campaign on four key strategies as she seeks to become one of the most powerful women in global football. The former Wales international, who captained her country, is pledging to protect smaller nations, maintain competitive balance, further develop the women’s game, and work to end online abuse if she is elected onto the FIFA council this month. McAllister – who is bidding to unseat incumbent Evelina Christillin of Italy – has been working hard in recent weeks in rounds of virtual campaigning across Europe.

Robert Page was never one of the big stars of the Wales team when he was a player. But he did his job, backing up the leading lights. Now, as the caretaker Wales manager, his understated style is proving successful again – enough for Fraser Watson to wonder if the return of Ryan Giggs for the Euro finals would be a step forward or a retreat. “Put your tin hat on, dig a trench, and rise to the challenge.” Those were the words of Robert Page, Wales’ caretaker manager after the vital 1-0 win over the Czech Republic the other night.

New Wales manager Gemma Grainger has handed a first call up to Reading defender Bethan Roberts in an otherwise familiar looking squad for matches against Canada and Denmark. Grainger – who replaced Jayne Ludlow earlier this month – has included Roberts in a 26-woman squad, selected with help from the previous coaching regime. Roberts earns her first senior call-up, while Liverpool striker Ceri Holland receives her debut full call-up after joining the squad halfway through last month’s training camp.

Gareth Bale praised Wales’ “heart and desire” after Daniel James’ late header gave them a 1-0 World Cup qualifying victory over the Czech Republic in Cardiff. James headed home Bale’s cross nine minutes from time to get Wales’ campaign up and running after their opening defeat in Belgium last week. Both sides had been reduced to 10 men following separate second-half incidents – Patrik Schick for the Czech Republic and Wales wing-back Connor Roberts.

Gareth Bale has admitted his international career could be drawing to a close, with the current World Cup qualifying campaign possibly his last in a Wales shirt. Wales play the Czech Republic in Cardiff this evening, seeking their first points in Group E after an opening defeat to Belgium. Caretaker manager Rob Page’s team still have the delayed Euro 2020 to look forward to, starting in June, but Tottenham’s Wales captain will be 33 by the time of the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar.

The racist abuse directed at Wales pair Rabbi Matondo and Ben Cabango has resulted in Instgram accounts being closed down, Facebook have claimed. Wales winger Matondo criticised Instagram after he and his teammate were racially abused online following the friendly win against Mexico. The Stoke loanee Matondo and the Swansea defender Cabango started in Wales’s 1-0 victory at the Cardiff City Stadium on Saturday night.

Wales have demanded St Pauli release defender James Lawrence for their World Cup qualifier with the Czech Republic – and say they have the support of the German Football Association and FIFA over the issue. Lawrence played in Wales’ opening 2022 World Cup qualifier on Wednesday, the 3-1 defeat to Belgium in Leuven. But the 28-year-old then returned to Hamburg as local Covid-19 quarantine regulations in Germany prevented him from travelling to the UK.

Chris Gunter is set to make history on Saturday night as he becomes the first male Welsh international to reach 100 caps for his country. Over 14 years since his debut, Gunter will captain Wales in a friendly against Mexico at the Cardiff City Stadium and join three Welsh women – Jess Fishlock, Sophie Ingle and Loren Dykes – in making the century mark. “It’s an achievement that I am proud of.  It means the world to me to be able to represent the country and do what I know so many people would love to do,” said the Charlton Athletic defender.

Wales host Mexico in a friendly on Saturday night, before their second World Cup qualifier at home to the Czech Republic on Tuesday. Then, it’s a friendly against Albania, the finals of the Euros, and more World Cup qualifiers in September. Little wonder, says Jack Hammett, that recent youngsters from the Wales U21 squad could soon start filling the gaps. With the Euros fast approaching and World Cup qualifiers taking place amongst an already packed calendar, the Wales squad needs to be bigger and fresher than it has ever been. Experienced squad members like Gareth Bale, Joe Allen and Aaron Ramsey have had issues with fitness and injuries this season, and although the trio is more than likely to feature when fit there may be a need for a few younger faces to assuage the fears about squad depth and fatigue.

Gareth Bale blamed “sloppy mistakes” for Wales’ defeat in their opening 2022 World Cup qualifier to Belgium. Wales led through Harry Wilson’s superb 10th-minute opener – the product of a sweeping 17-pass move and Bale’s brilliant through ball – before Belgium fought back to win 3-1 in a manner befitting the world’s number one team. It was a mirror image of the famous scoreline from five years ago when these countries last met, complete with the same scoring sequence of the losers taking the lead.