Referee Cheryl Foster is relishing the prospect of making history at Saturday's Cymru Alliance Cup final

In a first for the Welsh men's game, the 37-year-old former Wales and Liverpool striker will lead an all-female quartet of match officials for the clash in Ruthin.

Fifa-listed Foster, who also works as a PE teacher at a Chester secondary school, began refereeing in 2013/14 has cultivated a reputation for her fairness and approachability on the pitch.

She took charge of the 2016 FAW Women's Welsh Cup final and now regularly referees men's matches in the Alliance and runs the lines in the Welsh Premier.

After being approached with the idea by league officials a month ago, Foster believes tomorrow's final will be a 'landmark' for Welsh football.

She said: "I think it's massive for the game in Wales. It's a bit of a landmark for all four of us and something we're all looking forward to being a part of.

"It feels like a real step forward for women officials in the Welsh game and hopefully it's something we'll see a lot more of in future."

After spending nine years at Liverpool and winning 63 Welsh caps between 1997-2011, Foster insists that the transition from player to referee was a natural progression for her within the game

She maintains that her extensive playing experience has proved to be an asset as a referee, equipping her with an understanding of players' on-field actions and frustrations.

By her own admission, Foster says she would often question officials' decisions herself and is well-versed in the difficulties facing match officials.

She said "If you ask any of my old team-mates, they'd all tell you I was quick to question refereeing decisions.

"That's part and parcel of the game at any level, but I like to think I'm more approachable and will listen to any player who questions my own decisions.

"As a player, I always felt that the better referees were the ones who would man manage the 22 players during the game - not the ones who were more old-fashioned and were unapproachable and authoritarian.

"Referees are only human and there is a real pressure to get things right first time every time. Obviously, that's not always possible but I think that taking charge of games after being a player puts you in a much stronger position.

"You can see situations from both sides and make informed decisions - that's a really useful attribute to have I think."

Asked if she felt the decisions of female match officials came under more intense scrutiny than those of their male counterparts, Foster was doubtful.

She believes that an official's gender is becoming less of an issue in sport as prevailing attitudes become more progressive.

"There's definitely less of an issue when women officials are involved in games now" she added.

"Initially, when I was starting out, some fans might have done a double-take when they saw a woman named a referee or assistant referee.

"But more and more I think we're being judged on the standard of our officiating rather than our gender.

"I feel very fortunate in that I've been able to keep myself involved in the action on the pitch as a referee and hopefully I can keep progressing in the game as an official."