Hayley Ladd column: 'This is our time to make World Cup history with Wales'

In her latest BBC Sport column, Hayley Ladd previews Wales' historic World Cup play-off against Bosnia-Herzegovina on Thursday and discusses record crowds and inspiring future generations on and off the field.

This is another historic, record-breaking week for Wales and, as a group of players and staff, we feel like this is our time.

The whole campaign has felt significant. I think there's been a lot of weight put on each game and rightly so because we're at a stage in our history where, having built up to this point over the past 10 years, we're in a really good place.

We've come close to qualifying in the past but never this close, just three wins away from that elusive first major tournament. We've had strong games but not got the results we've wanted over the course of the campaign.

That has really lit a fire in us. We don't want a repeat of that history.

We've learnt those lessons and we're ready to move forward and have no regrets over the way we handle ourselves in this campaign.

I'm not going to lie, right after that last campaign, I was bitterly disappointed with the way it finished. Over time as you speak with your team-mates and go back over it, it naturally lights that fire.

We're going to finish the campaign proud and give everything we can.

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When we face Bosnia on Thursday, for me it's about capturing the positive energy we created in our last game against Slovenia and really taking it on with us.

Slovenia are a really good side and it wasn't a test that we were going to take lightly, so there was a lot of elation when we got the job done.

Now, it's not saying: 'We've made history, that's our job done and the pressure's off.' It's about harnessing that energy and really taking it into further games because we're not where we want to be just yet.

We know not to take anyone lightly. Bosnia will be a tough game and we'll have to be at our best to get a result.

I think under our manager Gemma Grainger we try to play more expansive football and we want to impose our style of play.

That covers fundamentals that we've had for a long time. Defensive resilience is something we pride ourselves on, but it's about every game delivering what we can.

Hopefully in this Bosnia game there will be a lot more attacking and we can show that side of our game and our personalities a bit more.

Youngsters can step up against Bosnia

We won't have Natasha Harding, one of our most experienced players, on Thursday but our squad depth is something that's been building over the last few years.

It's about building ourselves as a squad, so that's credit to players like Ceri Holland and Carrie Jones.

These players are new to the fold and they're coming in and really proving that they're a force to be reckoned with. They can add layers to the squad and add different types of attacking qualities as well.

I think certainly for Carrie, I can see that she's been earmarked as a youngster right through the system - I think she was first on a senior camp with us when she was 15.

A lot of older players would look and think: 'Right, we need to look after this one and make sure she has everything she needs.'

Luckily for her, she's a great kid, super humble and super hard-working. She's got a great future ahead of her.

I think the family element that you have when you come to Wales, you can't get anywhere else.

It's something unique to this Welsh squad and it's happened over generations - the way that the shirt's been worn and the personalities that have harnessed that responsibility.

I know when I came through here, I had an arm round me, I had people looking after me, making sure I had everything I needed. So I'm so grateful that I had that upbringing within the Welsh system and I hope to continue that as well.

Inspiring future generations

It was great to appear on the BBC's LGBT Sport Podcast recently to discuss my career with Wales and how being in this environment helped me realise my true self in the LGBTQ+ community.

It was nice in particular to draw upon experiences that I had coming into the Welsh set-up and I name-dropped my team-mate Jess Fishlock as a role model for me personally.

Coming into the system when I was quite young and discovering myself and my identity, it certainly helped me seeing someone present themselves in such a bold and brilliant way.

I couldn't help but be inspired by that and, coupled with how amazing she is as a person as well, looking out for every single player, you can't help but be inspired by her.

I'd like to think I can have a positive impact on other players and, being a bit older and more experienced, I do naturally look out for other players. Hopefully by being openly out, I can help other people come to realise their preferences.

It's a great environment to be in and we're going to surpass our record for ticket sales for the Bosnia game. That's the third time we've broken the record in this campaign.

I think that goes to show the momentum that we're building at the moment and we're really pleased so many Welsh fans are getting behind us.

It's such a great position to be as a player when you have that support behind you and you really do feel the impact of that 12th player and the support of the Red Wall.

It's another way that we're making history in this record-breaking campaign, and we're not done yet.

Hayley Ladd was speaking to BBC Sport Wales' Dafydd Pritchard.

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