"I can pretend all I want that the string of results, the questions I have had to answer, haven't bothered me," Wilkinson said. "But it is a burden. One of the players said 'now you don't have to answer the question'. It's true. "It's nice to end [the year] with a win against a very good team who gave it their all. I don't have much to say other than I am really proud."
Hughes, whose mother is from Gwent, is called up by Wales for the first time despite featuring in a friendly for the Matildas in December 2024. Wales will face Switzerland in a friendly on Tuesday, 2 December (11:00 GMT) at El Chapin Stadium in Jerez de la Frontera. Rhian Wilkinson's team will also play a friendly on Friday, 28 November (18:00 GMT) at Malaga's Football Foundation Centre, but their opponents are still to be confirmed.
"I think it's an important game for those players that are going to retire, to play at home one more time," she said. "I think for our fans we never played a send-off game [before Euro 2025], it didn't work with our Nations League A games. "So [it is] an opportunity to play one of the top teams in the world again at home, but also to thank a few of our players for how much they've given to their country."
Esther Morgan, a 22-year-old Wales defender, has signed a two-year contract with Bristol City after a stint at Hearts in Scotland. Previously released by Tottenham, she also spent time on loan at Sheffield United. She has played 11 times for Wales, including all three group matches at Euro 2025.
