Ely & Chesterton head to Switzerland with one-goal deficit against Uttigen in WSE Female Champions League qualifier

Ely & Chesterton United’s hopes of qualifying for the group stages of the WSE Female Champions League remain alive ahead of this weekend’s clash in Switzerland.

Last Saturday was a momentous occasion for the club, which trains at Ross Peers Sports Centre in Soham.

They played a European fixture for the first time and while the result ultimately went the way of visiting Uttigen, a 2-1 scoreline means that there is still everything to play for in the second leg on Saturday.

Head coach of the young side, Roger Courtenay-Barrow, said: “We were more than a match for them and I think overall a draw probably would have been the fairest result.

“We had more clear chances from close range, whereas a lot of their chances were from far range.

“But despite the result I was so happy and so pleased with the performance the girls have produced against players with a lot of experience.

“One goal is nothing in rink hockey and there is no reason why we cannot turn it around. We’re really excited to fly to Switzerland and give it everything.”

Despite the side having an average age of only 18, Courtenay-Barrow does not expect his players to be overawed by an away encounter in Europe. Many of the squad helped England Under-17s to win a silver medal at the European Championships last year, and there is various other international experience throughout the set-up.

Courtenay-Barrow added: “Because this team has a lot of experience and some of them won medals with England as recently as 2023, this game at the weekend will not fill them with any dread or worry them.

“Of course they’ll be nervous because it’s a big game, but they’ll be quietly nervous and it will not impact on their performance.

“They will have been nervous before the first leg but they certainly didn’t play that way.

“This group has a confidence and belief in themselves. I’m sure they’ll put in another good performance this weekend.”

Kentford-based Scarlett Courtenay-Barrow gave Ely & Chesterton a dream start during last weekend’s first leg when she broke the deadlock in the third minute.

However, Uttigen – a club formed in 1980 – responded with an equalising goal in the 12th minute before they scored the winner with seven minutes of the match remaining.

Defeat on Saturday would not mean the end of Ely & Chesterton’s European journey as they will drop into the World Skate European Cup, where they will take on Italian opposition in a two-legged straight knockout affair.