Professional Training by a Training Professional

Colchester United Ladies re-captured the Essex County Cup from cross county rivals West Ham United Ladies in a dramatic penalty shoot out following 120 minutes of gripping football that could not separate the two sides who are both to be congratulated for putting on a fine advert for thewomen’s game.

Colchester started the strongest and were soon rewarded when captain Helen Bass skilfully headed home from a fine run and cross by Hannah Gowland. The U’s looked good for their one goal advantage at half time but were stunned seconds from the restart when Becky Merrit’s superb run and shot levelled the scores.

It was now the Hammers turn to take the ascendency and it was not long before they took the lead through Gemma Shepherd. Colchester showed great resilience however responding to the sudden loss of their lead and once agin started to threaten the West Ham goal where Nikki Duncan twice thwarted the lively Zoe Rushen.

It was third time lucky for Rushen however in the 73rd minute when she cooly tucked away her shot after getting free in the box.

Bass went close to winning it for the U’s in the dying seconds before 30 minutes of tense and dogged extra time as both sides dug deep to prevent relinquishing the trophy.

It was on to penalties then where goalkeeper Nikita Runnacles emerged as the Colchester heroine, brilliantly saving two of West Ham’s first three kicks before emphatically dispatching one of her own.

With Rushen & Megan Jiggins having already confidently put away Colchester’s first two spot kicks, it was down to Gowland to seal the deal and she made no mistake stroking the ball left footed, solidly into the corner of the net to spark scenes of jubilation for the U’s.

A fantastic, highly competitve game played in great spirit must surely have been great entertainement for the large crowd on hand and great credit must go to the players and staff of both sides.

An Annual walk in support of breast cancer charities in the Colchester area

The 5th Colchester Starlight Walk starts at 8pm from Lexden Wood Golf Club on 16 June 2012. Organisers, Nicky, Karen and Colin

Nicky, Dave Bond, Sarah Claxton, Karen

 invite you to join them for a beautiful, starlit, country walk to raise funds for the Breast Surgery Unit at ECH. Every walker will receive a T-shirt and medal and refreshements will be served during and after the walk.
Email starlightwalk.hotmail.co.uk for an information pack and entry form.

Starlight Walk Colchester is an annual event set up to raise awareness (yes, and money too) in support of breast cancer.

Starlight Walk Colchester is unique in that it recognises the fact that men as well as women suffer from breast cancer. We actively encourage men, women and children of all ages to take part in the challenge.

Over the past four years Starlight Walk Colchester has grown in numbers of participants and the support it has been able to give to local charities in support of breast cancer.

For more information on taking part in the walk or any other aspect of our cause please contact Nicky or Karen at starlight walk@hotmail.co.uk

U’s BAG FIRST WIN!

4-1 Gills Triumph Kick Starts Season

Colchester United Ladies FC bagged their first win of the new campaign with an impressive 4-1 victory at Gillingham Ladies FC on

Hannah Gowland

Sunday 4th September. The U’s got off to a flying start with Helen Bass going close to punishing a goalkeeping error in the 1st minute before Megan Jiggins powerfully headed home Maegen Doyle’s 11th minute free kick to open the scoring

Colchester continued to control much of the early stages with Bass twice testing Chloe Baker in the Gillingham goal although Natalie Crinean went close for the home side at the opposite end.

The lead was doubled on the half hour when Sian Larkin’s in swinging corner was flicked on by Sian Fagg and then sliced into her own net by a Gillingham defender.

Gillingham enjoyed their best spell of the game following the interval and had the ball in the net on the hour only for Crinean’s effort to be ruled out for offside. As they committed players forward however gaps began to appear at the back and Colchester looked dangerous on the counter with Larkin and Hannah Gowland going close before Bass saw her effort strike a post.

It was the combination of Bass and Gowland that sealed the points in the 81st minute, the Colchester skipper’s nicely weighted through ball met with a sweetly struck left footed drive from youngster Gowland that left Baker with no chance.

Gillingham were handed a late glimmer of hope when Jiggins was harshly adjudged to have handled in the box, Danielle Farmer making no mistake with the resulting spot kick but any hopes of a dramatic revival for the Gills were quickly snuffed out when Doyle launched a 35 yard free kick that Baker could only parry into the roof of the net.

Overall a satisfying performance from Colchester which lifts them into third place in the FA Women’s Premier League South and left U’s Boss Kevin Anderson pleased commenting;

“There’s no doubt we have been disappointed with our start to the season but today was much more like what we should be capable of, particularly in the first half. We had done a bit of homework and thought we may be able to cause them some problems from set pieces and two goals via that route enabled us to take control of the game. Other than a 20 minute spell after half time when they went a bit more direct, threw a lot at us and we lost a bit of concentration and composure, I thought we defended reasonably well and always looked threatening going forward.

It’s good to see the players have learned some lessons from the first two games, they’ve worked hard on the training pitch and it showed. We were a lot more focussed today and it’s now important that we are consistent in our level of performance and continue to improve. We have two home games coming up which we need to try and win in order to keep pace with Portsmouth who are off to a bit of a flyer at the top”

There will be an immediate opportunity for Colchester to further improve their league position this Sunday when the third placed U’s will take on Brighton & Hove Albion Women who currently sit in second spot, three points ahead of Colchester. The game is a 2pm kick off at Stanway Rovers Hawthorns ground.

Colchester United: Runnacles, West (Southgate 74), Henderson, Fagg, Jiggins, Guyon, Heaslip, Doyle, Larkin (Rushen 87), Bass, Gowland (Parnell 83)

Colchester Scorers: Jiggins 11, OG 29, Gowland 81, Doyle 87

Wednesday 16th March saw Colchester United Ladies Academy secure the club’s first ever national title on a proud day at Norwich City’s Carrow Road stadium. The Academy side based at Thurstable School in Tiptree took on reigning champions Balby Carr Sports Academy from Doncaster in the final of the English Schools FA National U-18 Girls competition.

Colchester were in control throughout the match but chance after chance went begging as Balby Carr somehow managed to stay on level terms into the half time break.

It looked like the deadlock would be broken midway through the second half when Hannah Gowland who terrorised the Balby defence all day long without managing to find the net was sent tumbling in the box. The frustration continued however for the U’s as Emily Heaslip’s spot kick was well saved by Katie Bailey in the Doncaster goal who then also managed to scramble away the rebound.

It was left then to a moment of real quality from captain Maegen Doyle to seal the deal, producing a 65th minute goal truly worthy of winning a major cup final. Collecting the ball in the centre circle the England U-19 international jinked past a series of opposition challenges before unleashing a vicious swerving, dipping strike from 25 yards that this time Bailey could only watch as it bulged the corner of the net.

Colchester continued to control the game and confidently played out the remaining minutes to clinch the title sparking jubilant scenes at the final whistle highlighted by a series of back flips from the elated goal scorer Doyle. While Doyle had provided the moment of inspiration, it was a tremendous all around team performance from the players, staff and supporters that got the team over the line, one that left Academy Manager David Coyle brimming with pride,

“I am delighted for the players, I know how hard they work and it is a fantastic reward and achievement for them. We were the better team by far today but the longer it stayed goaless you never know especially after we had missed so many chances and the penalty. It was a great testament to the players attitude though that they kept going and eventually made the breakthrough. At the end of the day in a cup final you just need to score one more than the other team and that was good enough today. In some ways it was good for the players experience and development that they had to work so hard as if we had put away our chances and won by six or seven it may have lessened the sense of acheivment.”

Colchester United Ladies Director of Football Kevin Anderson remarked on the importance of the win in the context of the club’s overall ambitions,

“It’s a landmark for the club, we have a great set up along with our Centre of Excellence and Ladies teams, the club is ambitious and moving in the right direction and we want to be challenging for honours at all age levels. The Academy is leading the way, the players and staff are a joy to be around and work with and are a fine example of the standards we are setting, everyone involoved was proud to wear the badge today”

There could be more honours in store for the Academy squad as they are still involved in the latter stages of four other competitions. On May 11th they will take on Arsenal Ladies Academy in the British Colleges National Cup Final, while the team also sits on top of the BCS National Elite League ahead of both Arsenal and Chelsea Ladies Academy programmes. The team will also be looking to reach the BCS National Elite League Play-Offs final for the second consecutive season and also to defend their Essex Colleges crown.

Any talented young female players aged 15-18 interested being considered for next season’s squad should contact Academy Manager David Coyle on 07872 542300 or dcoyle@cucst.org.uk

Hammers Have U’s Number Again

Colchester United Ladies FC

Colchester United Ladies relinquished their hold on the Essex FA County Women’s Cup as West Ham Ladies maintained their season winning streak over the U’s.

Colchester started the game brightly and could have taken the lead when Sian Fagg’s goal bound strike from the edge of the area cannoned of a West Ham knee and then Maegen Doyle blasted the rebound over.

The game turned on the quarter hour mark however when Natalie Grafton found some space behind the Colchester back line and provided a well struck finish that U’s keeper Nikita Runnacles got a hand to but could not keep out of the net.

The remainder of the half offerred little in the way of clear chances before the final minutes when first West Ham were rightly awarded a penalty following Megan Jiggins mis-timed challenge on livley forward Nina Downham which Gemma Shepherd confidently converted.Colchester then had an opportunity with the final kick of the half to get back in the game when full back Hayley West‘s cross went across the visitor’s goal but Karissa Rodney could not apply the finishing touch.

Substitutes Hannah Gowland and Lily Mellors were introduced at half time to provide more attacking options and allthough Colchester had the majority of the second half possession, West Ham with a two goal lead to protect got themselves well organised behind the ball and limited the home side to a handful of half chances.

Colchester then fell to their fourth consecutive defeat to their Essex rivals who will be favourites to recapture the trophy against Eastern Region League side Hutton in the final.

The Lady U’s will have one final chance to put one over on the Hammers this Sunday 27th February when the two sides meet yet agin, this time in the FA Women’s Cup at West Ham’s Thurrock FC home.

Colchester: Runnacles, Shepherd(Mellors 46), West, Southgate, Jiggins, Fagg, Doyle(Guyon 57), Gamby, Rodney(Gowland 46), Bass, Parnell

Newcastle United to Make Long Trip to Hawthorns for Women’s FA Cup Tie.

Colchester United Ladies will be in Women’s FA Cup action this Sunday at Stanway Rovers FC. After defeating Tottenham Hotspur Ladies in the previous round the U’s will welcome Newcastle United Women FC of the FA Women’s Premier League Northern Division to the Hawthorns.

The 3rd round tie is the first ever meeting of the two clubs and Colchester Ladies Director of Football Kevin Anderson is looking forward to the occasion commenting,

“We are excited about the draw, we don’t often get a chance to play the clubs in the North Division and the teams up their have a strong reputation so we see it as a great challenge for us to see how we match up. I think we have been training and playing well since the Christmas break so we will go into the game confident of putting in a good performance.

It’s obviously a relief to have been drawn at home, we have our Centre of Excellence players coming to the game and are hoping for a good crowd and a real cup tie atmosphere.”

The game kicks of at 1pm on Sunday 6th February at Stanway Rovers FC, New Farm Road Colchester, CO2 0PG. Admission is free to U-16s and £2 to adults through purchase of a matchday programme.

Tricky WFA Cup Tie Negotiated

Colchester United Ladies secured passage into the FA Women’s Cup 3rd Round with a hard fought win away to South East Combination promotion hopefuls Tottenham Hotspur Ladies.

A somewhat nervy first half saw the U’s fall behind just after the half hour, the visitors back line failing to deal with a hopeful long ball that found it’s way to former West Ham and Watford striker Sam Pittuck who finished confidently.

In truth it was Spurs’ only real clear cut chance of the match and followed a number of chances for Colchester. Crosses from Kat Parnell and Lily Mellors needed only a touch to be converted while Zoe Rushen and Hannah Gowland both drew fine saves from the excellent Ebony Cabey-Gooden in the Spurs goal. Flo Gamby went close with a powerful header, Parnell shot just over and Rushen then clipped the cross bar from distance but it wasn’t until the stroke of half time that Colchester drew level, the lively Gowland creating room for a fiercely driven shot from the edge of the area that flew into the left hand corner of the net.

Seizing the momentum Colchester’s second half performance was more confident as they set about their task with improved passing, firm tackling and an impressive work rate. Karissa Rodney and Helen Bass were introduced from a strong Col U bench and the visitors began to take firm control of the game. Steady pressure on the home goal produced a succession of corners and set pieces culminating in the U’s grabbing the lead in the 67th minute when Rushen’s free kick was turned home by Bass.

England U-19 international Emily Heaslip replaced Gamby with 20 minutes remaining to shore up the middle of the park and her determined tackling and driving runs took away any hope of Spurs gaining any momentum as they pushed players forward in search of an equalizer. Heaslip had a chance to cushion the U’s lead when her shot from the top of the box flew over the bar while Spurs were again indebted to Cabey-Gooden who twice denied Gowland late on.

There was no late onslaut from the chasing home side as Colchester put the game to bed and allthough Spurs had worked hard and pushed their Premier League opponents all the way Colchester will feel that on the balance of play and number of chances created they were well worth the win.

A pleased Colchester boss Kevin Anderson commented after the game,

“We are delighted with the win, it was about as difficult a tie outside of the Premier League that we could have got, Spurs are going well in their division, have a strong squad and are well organized and I am sure there were some tipping a possible upset. We were not at our best in the first half which is perhaps understandable after a long lay off but we have trained well over the break and I think our fitness level and quality showed when our sharpness improved in the second half.

Credit to Spurs it was a tough game but in fairness other than the goal our keeper hasn’t had to make a save whereas theirs has made half a dozen quality stops so I think we have done more over the 90 to win the game.”

The reward for Colchester is a 3rd round home tie against Newcastle United Ladies FC scheduled for February 6th.

Colchester United:
Runnacles, Shepherd, Southgate, Fagg, Jiggins, Gamby (Heaslip 72) Rushen, Doyle (Bass 55), L. Mellors (Rodney 46), Gowland, Parnell
Scorers: Gowland 45, Bass 67

Colchester United Ladies were today handed an away tie versus Tottenham Hotspur Ladies in the draw for the 2nd Round of the FA Women’s Cup. The match will be the first competitive action of the new year on Sunday 9th January and while it will be Colchester’s first outing in this years competition it will be Spurs third consecutive tie against Essex based opposition having disposed of Eastern Regional Premier League sides Brentwood Town and Chelmsford City in the two previous rounds.

With Tottenham mounting a strong challenge for promotion from the South East Combination League it will be no easy task for Colchester to advance and U’s Director of Football Kevin Anderson is in no way underestimating the opposition commenting,

“It’s definitely a tricky tie, we know Tottenham have some quality players who will cause us problems, they are going well in their league, looking to get promoted into the Premier League South so I am sure they will see it as a great opportunity to test themselves against that level of opposition. We’ll do our homework, I’ll be chatting with a couple of local managers who have come up against them allready this season to get some insights and if we prepare well, go into the game with confidence and perform on the day I am sure we can get the right result.”

Anderson sees the opportunity for a good run in the competition this season adding,

“With the eight Super league teams not coming into the hat until I believe the 5th round, there is every chance for a team to get a favourable draw, put in some decent performances and go deep into the competition and I’d like to think we could be capable of that. We narrowly lost to Barnet in extra time in last seasons competition and they went on to the semis so it can be done.”

In other cup news Colchester will begin the defence of their Essex FA Women’s Cup the following weekend travelling down the A12 to Billericay’s New Lodge home in the Quarter Final stage on Sunday 16th Jan