Under 16s

15 hours ago

Saturday 4th February 2023
Coton U13 Girls vs Stanground Sports, Home (League)

Seeking redemption, and perhaps retribution, from their last outing, Coton had fire in their bellies this morning. The unfortunate recipients, Stanground, felt the bite 4 mins in as Shannon intercepted a goal kick, headed it to her feet, and lobbed the keep. Any nervous energy evaporated as India fired in a corner to find Kate in a handy position. Curling the ball into the top right bin, Kate brought up her second for Coton in only her third appearance. Moments later she made this three from three as she finished a fluid and complex move that started at the back with Bam and Lia playing off each other to find Ellen, Ellen playing as the pivot, threading the ball to Julie for a deflected shot that Kate pounced on. Real exploitation of the left, and deliberate ball-to-feet play, initiated at the back, conducted by Ellen and finished off by the forwards. Lovely football.

Almost in repost, the action then exploded down the right, beginning with Mads converting a through ball from Emilia into points, Emilia banging in a lofty cross into the danger zone to deliver Kate her hat-trick, and India forcing an own goal from a well struck corner one moment then beating 4 and belting one past the keep just seconds later. Sealing off the half, Emilia belted in a 20-yard stunner.

The second half whistle unleashed a flurry of build-up play just outside the Stanground box, during which Julie claimed her place on the scoresheet, firing a ball into the bottom right. India, now playing on the left, linked up with Julie to create space. Julie fired a lateral cross to find Ellen on the edge of the box. A well-struck, rising belter, the Keep didn’t stand a chance. India, who was having a whale of a game down the right, and now down the left, fired in a pinpoint corner, which Julie gladly got on the end of to log her second. Ellen fired in her second, as did Mads moments later – both powerful, well-placed strikes. Emilia, having an enormous last game of the season, after being fed by Amandine, was unlucky to have her search for a second goal deflected. The ball falling at Julie’s feet brought up her hat-trick. Lia, despite a robust pantomime protest at the unjust nature of being moved into midfield, knitted with Tes to form a real defensive presence and a tangible asset for launching structured attacks. Special mention must go to the Cha’s clean sheet, made possible by an impenetrable back four of Bam, Tes, Lia and Amandine.

In what was a play that typifies the spirit of this Coton team, India streaked down the left, beating one and drawing two players, then unselfishly playing Emilia in for the closing goal of the match. What a fitting end to the match, with a team of girls playing for each other. And, what a send-off for Emilia – record points scored, a clean defensive sheet, two goals to her name and voted player of the match to boot! Wishing you a speedy return to the pitch next season Emilia!

Final score: 16-0
Players of the match: Emilia (Coton) & No5 (Stanground)⚽️👍 ... See MoreSee Less

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Coton Football Club

2 weeks ago

Saturday 21st January 2023
Coton U13 Girls vs Cambridge City, Home (League)

Coton U13 Girls kicked off late on a very frosty pitch this afternoon at the Rec against Cambridge City. A lovely winters’ afternoon, but a pitch not quite up to its usual standards, let’s say! Both teams did a brilliant job of adjusting to the football-cum-ice skating but City, aided by the late kick-off and multiple other cancelled games, had a team full of their big guns, and not many little guns!!

The first half started with a period of dominant play by City that our girls did well to weather. Charlotte made a couple of point blanks saves, and our midfield chased the City players as they passed it around us. The ball hardly made it into the City half with Julie, Indie and Pauline spending most of their time running back to help our struggling midfield. A couple of lapses in concentration were both punished by City, and where normally our girls would have bounced back quickly, there was an inevitability about the way the game was going. Things went from bad to worse with a nasty fall and bang to the head for Ellen, who had to come off. Luckily a tailor-made replacement in Annie was waiting on the bench and she quickly got into the swing of things playing only her second game for the team. A slightly unwell Tes came off and was replaced by an energetic Katty who chased down every ball and injected a new energy into our middle. We started to craft some chances; Pauline making great forward drives out on the left and Emilia and India crafting openings out wide on the right. Shannon was starting to get a foothold in the game and was seeing more of the ball, feeding Julie up top, but the City defence were strong today. If we thought we had a sniff of getting back into the game, those hopes were dashed with two more City goals before half time, nicely fired into the corners of our net beyond the reach of a diving Charlotte.

Very proud of the way our girls came back out for the second half; 4-0 down against a side brimming with quality in every position, and looking for revenge over the previous meeting earlier in the season where our girls had managed to pull off an unlikely win. Now the game was much more even, both teams creating chances, but for all the nice play, we weren’t to find any clearcut shooting opportunities. City remained dangerous and looked to hit us on the break as we pushed forward. Bam had her work cut out against the impressive City winger, and for at least 20mins we held the fort with Annie and Kate doing a great job at the heart of our defence. But City weren’t done with their scoring, and the quality began to tell again. Each time we thought we might get a consolation, their powerful attack would burst through and fire in. Charlotte had had an outstanding game in goal, so was disappointed to have conceded four in each half through no fault of her own. With 15 mins remaining on the clock, the game was long gone, but Ellen had recovered and was bouncing, ready to come back on and she quickly injected a new energy into our midfield. Combining with the brilliant Mads, who had put on her usual consistent and strong performance from start to finish, we started to fashion chances and Julie was unlucky not to score after one of her traditional powerful runs through on goal, with the City keeper forced to save. Ellen herself had a run through too, followed by Mads out on the wing causing trouble for City and great feet in their box. It didn’t feel like that deserved goal would come, but next up was India, switched out to the left, and played in by Kate, her pace beating the City back line. Under pressure from the powerful defender, Indie had a cool finish tucked in at the near post to put smiles back on the faces of the onlooking Coton Supporters!

Well played both teams. Not quite the normal tense and close encounter, but definitely loads of quality on display as usual. Tough game, against a brilliant group, and a result that opens the league right up at the top, with four teams all gunning for that number one spot, and excitement certain right through to the end of the season 👍⚽️

Final score: 1-8
Players of the match: Ellen (Coton) & Niamh (City)⚽️👍 ... See MoreSee Less

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Coton Football Club

3 weeks ago

Saturday 14th January 2023
Coton U13 Girls vs Cambourne Town, Away (League)

The league has now started to shake out the front runners for the title, the closeness highlighting that any dropped points would be costly. Cambourne are notorious for being giant killers on their day, well known for battling until the final whistle. In past weeks Cambourne started slow but then competed to the bitter end, and this was certainly our experience last time we played. Today, however, Cambourne were to mix it up, matching the unpredictability of the weather! Alice, stealing a march down the right-hand side within minutes of the opening whistle, whipped a cross right into the danger zone, finding Sophie’s left boot as Sophie drilled the ball home and drew first blood. A superb goal! Minutes later, Cambourne exploited the disarray that they’d caused, and Alice scythed through Coton, beating 4, to hammer in a second. For the first time since early last season Coton found themselves trailing by 2. Adding insult to injury, the heavens opened with a deluge. Even though the players were drenched, spirits were far from dampened. An unfortunate mix up by the Cambourne Keep in the box gifted Ellen an indirect. Playing a 1-2 off Emilia, Ellen squared the ball to pick out our newest signing, Kate, hovering outside the 6 yard box. Kate made no mistake, drawing one back for Coton, just 12 minutes into her Coton career. Three more phases of attacking play saw Juliet and India both uncharacteristically pushing the final shot wide, but showed that the tables were starting to turn. Coton moved away from crowding the ball, to their typical more expansive play and started to make inroads into the Cambourne final third. Seizing the opportunity, Shannon put in a long range speculator which bounced awkwardly in front of the Cambourne Keep to level the match as the half drew to a close.

A refocusing half time talk, or perhaps the promise of McDonalds, saw a renewed Coton in the second half. Holding space, playing ball to feet, Coton quickly turned possession into points through a superb corner from India that found Madds in the box, nudging Coton in front. Shannon jumped on a kickout to curl one into the top right to ease the tension a little more. Meanwhile on the left, the battle between Bam and Alice that had seen Alice win the first half, had turned, with Bam now dominant, closing the door on Alice time and time again, complete with the slide tackle of the match! Kate, controlling play and clearly enjoying her first Coton game, threaded the ball to India to put her in behind the Cambourne defense. 1 v 1 with the Keep, India fired a shot away, then pounced on the deflection to hammer the ball home. Another beautiful goal by India minutes later, courtesy of a deft interplay between Kate and Ami, had Cambourne’s heads spinning wondering where the next attack might come from. Emilia lifted the intensity, complementing her high-speed defensive work with some lovely incisive runs into the box to threaten the Cambourne Keep, but it was Shannon who struck next, jumping on a lay-off from Seyma to find a pristine finish and to bring up her hat-trick. Not to be outdone, a last minute hand ball in the box saw India step up to take what is possibly the most understated finish of the season as India gave us a lesson in how to take a pen, slotting the ball into the bottom left to bring up her hat-trick.

The final whistle brought with it a sense of satisfaction that the team, even when everything was stacking up against them, kept their cool, rallied together to play ‘their game’ and came away with the result. The turnaround started from the back, with Cha coming off her line again and again, distributing laterally, but also putting bullets up to half way to put Coton on the offense. Lia and Tes played a crucial role in the middle, limiting Cambourne’s options, and providing a platform to launch attack after attack from. Ellen and Madds were key for the battle for midfield dominance, and to sure up our defense when the pendulum swung towards Cambourne. Pauline, again showing a combination of resilience and skill, looked dangerous each time she touched the ball, and linked up well with Juliet to form a new dynamic. Ami looked relaxed in both the midfield and the attack, and Julie threatened many times but just couldn’t grab that few extra inches to get on the scoreboard.

Final score: 2-8
Players of the match: Seyma (Coton) & Alice (Cambourne)
Special mention: Happy Birthday to Linesman Simon!⚽️👍 ... See MoreSee Less

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Well done Coton

Brilliant summary 🙂

Another great write-up. Thank you. Well played.

Coton Football Club

4 weeks ago

Saturday 7th January 2023
Coton U13 Girls vs Rushden & Diamonds, Home (League)

Playing at home for the first time in nearly two months, our Girls were keen to bring the Rec’s reputation as ‘the fortress’ into 2023. Rushden and Diamonds present an unknown quantity to us. Given R&D’s successful track record last year before joining our league, and the knowledge that both teams came away frustrated after our last encounter, today was a pivotal match. The first 10 minutes were an arm wrestle, difficult to get a glimpse of which team would triumph. Coton showed their intentions early with a desire to play ball-to-feet. Bam, Ellen, and Madds, drawing upon the training ground rondo’s, worked the ball up the left to put Ellen in the attacking corner. Pulling it back and playing Madds on, Madds wrong-footed two defenders and sent the ball bulleting into danger. Snaffled in the box by Juliet, she turned and fired the ball home to draw first blood. Confidence on the rise for Coton, a momentary mistake on the edge of the box had our Girls reeling and on the back foot only to gift R&D an equaliser, adding to the tensions on the side-line, and showing the danger that lurked in the R&D attack. As the half wore on, the pendulum of advantage swung both ways. Madds, determined to edge Coton forward, linked up with Shannon for a smooth 1-2, giving her the half-yard she needed to curl one around the Keep, edging Coton into the break 2-1 up.

From the restart, leading from the front, Shannon pushed a ball through for Juliet to run onto. Driving from half-way Juliet turned the through-ball into a 1v1 and put the ball away to extend the lead. Less than a minute later, in a near carbon copy movement, Pauline beat her marker at pace and threaded a Messi-style ball through the defensive line, laying it up for Julie to bring up her hat-trick and giving Coton some much needed breathing space. R&D, starting to show the pressure, lifted their intensity in an attempt to rescue the match. A promising attack was diffused centrally by Ellen, who put Emilia on the front foot. Emilia, dominant in both attack and defense today, put India into space down the wing. A 30m battle, shoulder-to-shoulder with the robust R&D defence ensued, with India proving the more determined, finishing with a clinical bullet across the Keep to effectively seal the match.

Strong work in the churn of the midfield by Tes, Katty, Madds and Shannon ensured that any advances down the middle from R&D were quickly disrupted and diffused. Lia was resolute, whether playing last-person-standing defense or distributing the ball laterally to control play, and Cha was resilient in goal, decisive in action and always looking to put Coton on the front foot. On the right, India battled hard to draw the ball away from an enthusiastic and dogged left back. India, beating her opponent time and time again, was unlucky not to score a second. Similarly, on the left, both Ellen and Pauline battled hard against their opposite numbers, beating their mark, drawing in defenders and creating chances. After some tight foot control to beat three, Pauline put a speculator in to the box. Shannon, appearing from nowhere, guided the ball home to finish the game off.

Another superb performance from all members of the team. From Cha’s distributions, through the backline’s confidence to play the ball around the attacking player, to the midfield’s stoic and dynamic approach, Coton played some intelligent passing football. Well played Girls.. a great start to 2023!

Final score: 6-1⚽️👍 ... See MoreSee Less

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Good result against a very strong team! And great pics too! 👏👏

Great write-up and pics. Well done.

Coton Football Club

3 months ago

Saturday 19th November 2022
Coton U13 Girls vs Stanground Sports, Stanground FC (League)

A trip up to Peterborough is never easy.. historically the trip brings tough, physical matches and our Girls know we need to play at our best to be competitive. Stanground, despite a mixed season so far, have held us to task on our last two encounters, with Stanground coming out on top. With intensity from the outset, some immediate pressure from the Coton midfield put Stanground on the back foot. Ball spilling loose, Juliet wasted no time in pouncing and getting in behind the defense to put her mark on the scoreboard with just 2 mins on the clock. Perhaps stunned by the goal, Stanground sat back to consolidate their defensive effort. This only served to invite Coton in to camp in their final third, applying wave after wave of pressure. Another two shots on from Julie, including one that just skimmed past the right upright, and a belter from India after a cute 1-2 with Emilia, had Stanground visibly rattled. Pressuring the keep at kick out, India snaffled up the wayward kick and drove straight at the Keep, ruthlessly finishing with a boomer to bring up Coton’s second. It was clear that Coton had a taste for it today. Coton continued the barrage, playing the remainder of the half deep in Stanground territory, pressuring and frustrating home side. Madds, always in the action put in a snap kick. The Keep dove to deflect the ball free only to have India send it to the back of the net for her double. Madds, in the action again, sent in a dangerous corner.. a cheeky flick on from Emilia put her on the scoresheet and took Coton into the break 4 clear.

Beginning right where they left off, the second half started with a fizz. Katty gathered the ball in midfield to put Pauline in behind the Stanground defense. Pauline threaded a clever ball through the last defender’s legs to find Mads on-the-spot for a clinical finish. Shannon continued as the puppet-master, directing play out to Frosso on the left, through the channels to find Julie and out right to engage India. Lia, making sure Char had very little to do in goal, worked confidently to marshal the defensive effort, claiming and distributing the ball on the occasions it made it into Coton’s half. Meanwhile, Tesni, acted as the glue between defense and midfield, composed on the ball, dispossessing Stanground and distributing intelligently. Emilia, India and Shannon exploited the right, with Emilia getting a number of shots off, and claiming a second for her persistent efforts. Keen to lead the season’s goal scoring tally, Madds finished another two to bring up her hatrick. Playing advanced, Bam harassed the Stanground defense time and time again, until, from an impossible angle, she snuck a blinder into the back of the net, bringing up her first for the season. Not wanting to be left out, and desperate to advance her record of hitting the post during every match this season, Ellen managed to round it out by striking the crossbar, and then finishing in the back of the net to bring up her first for the season also. Now 8 games in, and with 8 different scorers on the tally sheet, we’re shaping into a team with threats all over the pitch. Huge respect must go to the Stanground team who battled to the end, and special mention must go to the amazing quality of the pitch that enabled such expansive football. Well played Girls!

Final Score: 0-10⚽️👍 ... See MoreSee Less

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Amazing reports as usual!!

Coton Football Club

3 months ago

Saturday 12th November 2022
Coton U13 Girls vs Chesterton Eagles, Coton Rec (League)

Losses are few and far between for Coton, but when faced with one, we can be counted on to bounce back with venom the following week. Today was no different, with the intensity that was missing last week was now displayed in spades right from the opening whistle. Chesterton, feeling the immediate pressure, were drawn centrally towards Shannon, who laid a ball off laterally finding Frosso on the front foot. A swift, confident pass into space allowed Julie to turn a 50:50 into an 80:20 as she poked the ball forwards, beating two Chesterton players and homing in on goal. Shoulder to shoulder with the Chesterton centre back, Julie nudged ahead and finished in the top left to put Coton on the board with just 3 mins played. Sensing that Chesterton were rattled, Julie, India and Frosso pressured the kick out, with Julie snaffling the ball and putting it high, just over the cross bar. As the half wore on, the trio of Bam, Frosso and Julie continued to work the left flank, creating chances again and again, and keeping the pressure on Chesterton. The combination of Shannon picking the Chesterton plays and winning the midfield, and Madds cutting the Eagles attack off at the head, made transit down the centre of the park tough for Chesterton. There were many ‘proud coach’ moments during the match, one such moment saw Madds driving the ball into the Eagles box only to find a wall of defense. Pulling a full 180, Madds played backwards finding Indy who took the ball to the corner, drawing out the defense, and put a cross in behind the defensive line for Madds to then pounce on. Some intelligent play, creating a chance out of nothing, and lovely to watch. Such is the tenacity of this Chesterton side, moments later, in front of our box, Alex stole an opportunity from a ‘soft’ Coton pass and was clinical with a top-drawer finish to level the match.

Frosso, having a blinder, probed the Chesterton box out left, but to no avail. Gathering the spilled ball she played centrally to find Katty. In classic Katty style, calm as a cucumber, Katty spotted Madds creating space for a shot on goal and fed the ball to her perfectly. Madds put in a dipping long-range shot, the type any Keep hates. Shannon, sensing an opportunity, followed the ball in and pounced on the ball as it glanced free to edge Coton into the lead as the half drew to a close.

The second half started right where the first left off. Intensity from the outset, both teams strived to get that next score, one that would decide the match. Coton, calm but structured, again played more intelligent football. Ellen and Lia set the platform at the back, with Ellen marshalling the offside line, claiming a couple of important successes. Showing confidence on the ball, Bam pulled the L-turn out of her sleeve to lose her opposite number, and Ellen make a formidable and unchallenged run 35m up the guts, much to the consternation of the Eagles midfield who she scythed through.

Chesterton began to run the changes, trying to find any advantage. With no route through the centre Chesterton were forced to play the long ball. In response, Emilia turned up the physicality to repel advances down her side and acting as a sweeper when needed. Hammering it home, she and her partner in crime, India, continued to work the right wing and threaten Chesterton. Finally the breakthrough came as Madds took the ball off a pinpoint Tesni pass, turned out and peeled the ball over the foot of the encroaching Eagles defense to put India in on the goal. Like an unstoppable force, India bore down on the Eagles goal, creating a 1 v 1 with the Keep, and belting in an outswinger that crossed in front of the keep and hit the top left corner. The goal was of a rare quality and won’t be forgotten any time soon. As Chesterton threw caution to the wind and piled forward they created several nail biting chances, piercing our defense on a number of occasions. Cha, dominant and defiant in goal, plucked the ball from the air in no less than three occasions and saved a certain goal from the Chesterton No 9 with a fully-horizontal, full stretched. Well played Girls, you did yourselves proud today. And, as always, a huge thanks and respect to a wonderful Chesterton side for a match that had it all. ⚽️👍 ... See MoreSee Less

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