13th March 2004
Colchester United Girls Centre of Excellence Teams have had regular opportunities to hone their football skills with plenty of competitive games against clubs from around the South East. The girls have given a great account of themselves this season and there are now just three games left in the current campaign.
Last weekend the U's girls played host at their home ground in Clairmont Road, Colchester to South London outfit, Charlton. The players were under no illusions as to the task at hand with the Charlton Ladies club already one of the best female teams in the country currently topping the Women's National Premier League alongside other footballing giants such as Arsenal and Fulham.
Charlton did take the lions share of goals on the day, beating the under 10 and under 12 teams, 5-1 and 1-0 respectively, however, the under 12 team held a physically strong Addicks side to a 1-1 draw courtesy of a late equaliser from Francesca Swales, while an exciting comeback for the under 16's saw them fight back from 3-1 down to level the scores at 3-3 thanks to goals from Kate Longhurst, Laura Guyon and Kirsty Cammell.
The girls now face Leyton Orient, Southampton and Wimbledon to finish off their season before they take a well earned break. Some of the current under 16 squad will be trying out for places in the Colchester Utd Ladies team and their respective clubs during the summer, and trials for the Centre of Excellence teams will also be held. If you would like more information on how you can get involved in the fairer side of football simply contact Ben Bartlett on 01206 572378 or visit the club website at
www.culfc.com.