This improvement was clearly evident when the Welsh squad, led by then manager Chris Coleman qualified for the European Championships back in 2016, their first major tournament since the World Cup in 1958. That long wait of 58 years for tournament football was almost forgotten during those three weeks at Euro ’16 because of the teams memorable achievement of reaching the semi finals, which included defeating one of the favourites Belgium on their way. That incredible journey finally came to an end at the hands of the eventual winners Portugal and even though making it all the way to the last four was viewed as a huge success, many Welsh fans couldn’t help think about what might have been. If only they could have sneaked past Portugal and made it to the final, could they have won it. Although a strong feeling of pride was created by the team that summer, the heartbreak of getting so close to glory still lingers. 

However, the squad has demonstrated over the last few years that this was not a one off and that they are hungry for more success at major tournaments. Their qualification for the European Championships this summer gives them another opportunity to excel on the World stage and who knows, this time around they may go one step further, or even win it. And why not? They have match winners amongst their ranks, which is what any tournament winner always needs. They have flair, desire, a fantastic team spirit and possibly most importantly, they now have experience of performing well at a European Championships and beating world class opposition. Their recent 2-1 win against Czech Republic in a ‘must win’ World Cup qualifying game in Cardiff also reinforces that character and personality is present. Wales have been drawn with Italy, Turkey and Switzerland in their group at this summers Euros, so tough games clearly await, but the squad will be more than confident in their ability to progress.

With reaching the last four at a tournament now comes expectation to perform again at a similar level and Sam is clearly looking forward to Wales showing what they can do again this time around.

With any successful team there is always effective and progressive planning going on in the background, plans that can hopefully keep success going for many years to come.  It’s a Wednesday afternoon and I’m currently standing in the middle of a brand new state of the art training centre in North Wales, surrounded by exquisite grass pitches and picturesque views. This is Colliers Park in the beautiful village of Gresford near Wrexham and I have just been given a guided tour of this stunning training centre by facility manager Lucy Scott. This place is just one of the reasons why Wales can continue to qualify for more major tournaments in the future because they are not sitting back and basking in their success of 2016, they are continually building for the future in the right way by developing places like this where the best young Welsh talent can be nurtured. This optimism is shared by Sam when asked if Welsh football is currently in a strong position in terms of players coming through, the structure in place and top class facilities up and down the country.