Wales football: Performances inspiring a generation

After giving her all for almost two hours and struggling to walk, Wales' heroine hobbled slowly over to the furthest corner of the ground.

Jess Fishlock smiled and then waved up to a group of children.

A seemingly small gesture, yet it symbolised why school buses had come from all over Wales, many destined not to arrive home until the small hours.

Those present had witnessed history, the 1-0 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina putting the World Cup in sight.

But the night had been about far more than that for thousands of children on a school trip with a difference - as the Welsh FA said simply: the players were "inspiring a generation".

In total, there were 15,200 people at the Cardiff City Stadium - a record for a Wales women's game - who witnessed four Wales goals agonisingly ruled out before Fishlock's extra-time winner.

Many girls present had never played in nor witnessed a game live before this team started inspiring them - with one coach suggesting more than 100 had joined his club over recent months.

Lola, from Abersychan School, Torfaen, played for the Year 7 side the day before the game, and said: "It was a really good experience for me, I'd never been to watch a football match before."

Her teacher Paul Michael admitted there had been an "explosion" of interest - so much so, the school filled a coach and had to take an extra minibus to accommodate the 59 pupils who wanted to go.

As the clock drifted into added time, then 30 minutes extra time, there were no thoughts of leaving, with Mr Michael telling BBC Radio Wales: "We knew we would be home much later, but decided to stay (at the end) and catch some of the players.

"We were in the corner at the Canton End, and fair play to Jess Fishlock, she should've been going for treatment, she was hobbling, but we called 'Jess!', she turned and waved. Maybe she was thinking 'How could I resist?.

"It's things like that really makes a difference to our students and community."

Parents found it difficult getting their children up for school on Friday, including former player and FAW Trust director Laura McAllister, but she admitted: "It was worth it."

She has witnessed the growth first-hand from her career in the mid-90s, and added: "Crowds were a few hundred at best before. Deep down we always hoped we would get to this stage.

"Not long ago, crowds were one woman and her dog, friends and family of players.

"Now it has become normalised, men and boys as well, watching a game at a good standard of football."

She was also quick to praise the role of Fishlock - the much-travelled 35-year-old who was the US league's most valuable player - and compares her to another Cardiff-born totem of Welsh football.

"The biggest thing is her heart, she's a Gareth Bale equivalent, she will always turn up for her country," Laura said.

But this is the philosophy of the whole team, and she added: "They talk a lot about grassroots football, they know their role, which is why they stay on the field. They want every girl to remember it and for it to be seared into their memories.

"They're quite political with a small 'p' about their responsibilities. they want to be a voice for women generally and not just women in sport."

They captured the hearts of 200 members of Caerphilly Dragons Girls Football Club, who were "singing and dancing", then "in disbelief" at the disallowed goals, on an "emotional rollercoaster", according to their coach.

James Law told BBC Radio Wales: "Since the France game (in April), 100 have joined. The impact has been phenomenal. Every game, the players stay behind, the engagement you can't beat it."

It is not just watching their heroines, it is feeling close and connected to them, as Martin, from Aberdare, Rhondda Cynon Taf, explained.

He took his two daughters, and said: "Laura O'Sullivan (Wales' goalkeeper) smiled and caught their eye. It made their day, something so simple."

As BBC Radio Wales presenter Dot Davies said, the players are "changing a generation", adding: "This is inspiring everyone, we are all on board."

While the nation now turns its sights to Zurich for Tuesday's play-off final against Switzerland, the scenes at Cardiff City Stadium on Thursday will live long in the memory.

As much as it meant to the fans, the feelings were reciprocated by the players, including Fishlock, who posed for countless selfies and whose partner flew over from the US to witness the occasion.

"All those fans here. It's a phenomenal moment I never thought I'd see in a Welsh shirt," she said after the game.