FORMER Wales international Gloria O’Connell says it would be a proud moment for the country’s female football pioneers should Jess Fishlock and company complete a 50-year journey from “laughing stock” to Europe’s elite.

Wales meet Slovakia in Euro 2025 play-off semi-final action this week, with the winners facing Georgia or the Republic of Ireland for a finals place in Switzerland next summer.

Former captain Laura McAllister, now a Uefa vice-president, says reaching a major tournament would elevate women’s football in Wales to “stratospheric heights.”