Histon Ladies forward Natasha Coe inspired by recent success of England’s Lionesses

Time will tell if Histon Ladies forward Natasha Coe will one day realise her dream of becoming a professional footballer.

But thanks to the recent success of England’s Lionesses, it is no longer an ambition that feels too far fetched.

Like many of us, 16-year-old Coe has been inspired by what Sarina Wiegman and her team have achieved, first by winning the European Championships and then going gut-wrenchingly close to getting their hands on the World Cup.

And the current Long Road Sixth Form College student would love nothing more than to be part of a generation of footballers that follows in their footsteps.

“The Euros made it feel much more possible,” said Coe, who picks out Alessia Russo and Georgia Stanway as two of her footballing idols.

“And then the World Cup just proved it even more. It was gutting to see them go so close to winning it.

“I didn’t actually follow women’s football too much before the Euros, but it got me hooked.

“I’d love to get a scholarship in America. So many of the Lionesses went there and it looks like a great place to go.

“If I could do that and end up with a career, that’s the dream.”

It was not so long ago that Coe was playing alongside boys. As part of a Milton team, she would often be the subject of jokes from opposition sides.

However, the former Coleridge Community College pupil believes that it provided her with the perfect grounding.

“I played in a team with boys until I was about 13,” she added. “I didn’t actually mind it and I think it toughened me up.

“Some teams would turn up and laugh because there was a girl on the team, but I’d just keep quiet and then smile when I scored against them.”

That aforementioned goalscoring touch has certainly not deserted Coe since she stepped up to adult women’s football with Histon at the start of the current season.

She came off the bench to score a penalty and then a long-range winner in the opening day 4-3 victory over Harpenden Town, while last weekend she netted on her Women’s FA Cup debut.

Coe, who also plays for Cambridge United Under-18s, said: “Senior football is a lot faster paced and the players are stronger and know what they’re doing. But the players in the Histon team are really nice and luckily I scored two goals in my first game.

“I was very scared before the penalty but I just picked a side and hit it with power.

“Playing with Histon has already helped me to improve and so does the coaching I get at Cambridge United.

“With Cambridge we’ll be playing against clubs with big resources so that will be a great challenge.

“I’m hoping that playing for both of the teams this season will help me to improve.”