Cambridge City Relies on Young Talent for Women’s FA Cup Campaign

Cambridge City’s current squad includes nine 16-year-old players. Coach Stewart Nicholls remarked, “They’ve got tons of energy, they’ll run all day.” Nicholls clarified that he was not referencing persistent battery-powered rabbit mascots from television commercials, but rather highlighting that over half of his team members are only 16 years of age. The young Lilywhites squad is, as expected, very enthusiastic about their forthcoming match against Stevenage in the first round of the Women’s FA Cup, which represents the most significant game of their careers to date. They have already demonstrated their composure under pressure, with three of the team’s youngest members successfully converting penalties during a shootout win against Wormley Rovers in the final qualifying stage. This marks only the second occasion in the competition’s history that City has advanced to the main draw, achieving this with their youngest team ever. Winger Poppy MacLeod, 16, informed BBC Look East, “I think the average age is 17.8 or something (like that). The majority of us are still doing A-levels or learning to drive.” Centre-back Isabel Beeson, 17, stated, “From a young age, I’ve always wanted to play in the FA Cup, watching it on TV, and to think that we, as 16 and 17 year olds at college, are in this, it’s just amazing.” A significant restructuring has occurred at the New Croft, as numerous players from the previous season’s squad departed the club after relegation from Women’s National League Division One South East or enrolled in university. This situation effectively compelled Nicholls to rely on his young players as he prepared for the team’s participation in the Eastern Region League, which is the fifth tier of women’s football in England. Nicholls commented, “Relegation cost us a bit with players, we’ve had to bring them through quicker than we wanted.” He added, “We’re trying to ease them in slowly and make a lot of rotations, stepping them up from the A team, then bouncing them back down so we don’t overload them.” He further explained, “We believe in the philosophy and the way we want to do it, but it’s been a massive step up for a lot of them.” Nicholls concluded, “They’ve worked really hard, they want to compete in this league, and as you can see from the cup run, it’s starting to pay off.” Faith Harrison (left, with Isabel Beeson) holds the position of Cambridge’s leading scorer this season. The squad members by age are: 16 – Erica Meale, Gabrielle Guissani, Lily Horsler, Faith Harrison, Natasha Coe, Summer Taylor, Phoebe Newman, Poppy MacLeod, Ruby Rolfe Long; 17 – Isabel Beeson; 18 – Thea Black, Sakina Dhirani, Erin Burling; 21 – Tye Smith; 23 – Jade Barrett. Zoe Winchester and Olivia Briffa have participated this season but are currently attending university. Several Cambridge squad members were pictured in a sport and exercise class led by teacher Cat Ruth. A number of players are enrolled as students at Long Road Sixth Form College in Cambridge, and their combined academic and athletic obligations result in limited leisure time. MacLeod stated, “We train twice a week and some of us play matches twice a week as well, travelling to and from college takes a lot of time, travelling to and from training takes a lot of time, so it’s quite hard to balance it all.” She added, “But we all do quite well with it, we all manage to keep up with everything.” Midfielder Natasha Coe further noted, “Any spare time I have, I’m doing coursework. I meet most deadlines so that’s OK and the teachers are very understanding about it too.” Even with the extensive time they spend together, there is no desire among the players to seek separation or different activities. Striker Faith Harrison, 16, who converted one of the penalties in the 4-1 victory against Wormsley following a 1-1 draw, remarked, “It’s nice having the company in school and outside of school. We see each other all the time, so we’re really close.” Harrison also scored in a 3-0 away win against Woodbridge Town in the second qualifying round, which was their entry point into the competition. The other goals in that match were scored by Lily Horsler and Phoebe Newman, both also 16. These victories have generated £7,000 for the club thus far. Depending on the outcome against Stevenage, they stand to gain an additional £6,000 for a win or £1,500 for a defeat, which represents a substantial sum for a club at their tier. Cambridge City secured their spot in the first round by defeating Wormley Rovers in a penalty shootout. Captain Jade Barrett, considered a veteran at 23 years old, is a crucial component of the Cambridge team. She was unavailable during their 6-2 league loss to Stevenage in early September, a result which Nicholls stated “didn’t really reflect the game” overall. Barrett converted the decisive penalty in the cup victory against Wormley. When asked how leading such a youthful squad through what she terms a “rebuild period” has influenced her leadership approach, she informed BBC Sport, “I try to bring the best out of the girls through encouragement and constant communication.” She continued, “I feel it is my role to give them the confidence to try new things and to be the best player they can be for the team, as well as helping them develop as the future leaders of this club.” Barrett further elaborated: “Sometimes they do make me feel very old – and also like to tell me how old I am – but in all seriousness, a squad this young is quite unusual in senior football, and it is a new challenge for me being one of the oldest players.” She added, “However, I think that sometimes people get too bogged down in how young a squad is, when actually it is their footballing abilities that are more important.” Coach Stewart Nicholls joined Cambridge City at the start of 2023. These are certainly promising times for Cambridge City, as the entire club is preparing to relocate to a new facility in Sawston, an external site six miles south of the city. The women’s team is included in this transition, despite Nicholls’ young squad requiring time to establish themselves in the league, securing their initial victory only on 20 October, with Harrison netting both goals in a 2-1 triumph over Wroxham. Nicholls remarked, “It’s a big prize for the club (to be in the first round of the FA Cup) and for the players. Everyone’s buzzing and exposure is crucial, especially at a club that’s trying to build quick.” He continued, “We’ve got the new stadium going up, a lot of work’s gone into that, and the girls are working really hard to achieve what we’ve set out for them.” Captain Barrett, having debuted in the FA Cup first round for Northumberland club Alnwick Town at 16, fully understands the significance of the match against Stevenage. She stated, “Coming up against a very strong side in Burnley, we unfortunately didn’t progress to the next round, so I am hoping to go one better than that this time.” She added, “We know Stevenage are a strong side who can score goals, having already faced them in the league this season – however, we have grown and gelled as a squad since that game, and I know the girls will give it their all to get the result we all want. Anything can happen in the FA Cup.”