Ely & Chesterton United eager for more despite tough debut at European level

Ely & Chesterton United ‘learned lessons the hard way’ during their debut European adventure.

After losing 5-4 on aggregate to Swiss outfit Uttigen in a WSE Female Champions League qualifier late last year, the youngsters were subsequently drawn to face Italian side Valdagno in the quarter-finals of the World Skate European Cup.

And it proved to be a chastening two-legged affair for head coach Roger Courtenay-Barrow and his players as they suffered a 13-1 defeat.

Nevertheless, Courtenay-Barrow is hopeful that it will prove to be an invaluable experience.

He said: “When you break the games down, it tended to be the little moments and small periods in games that proved to be the difference.

“Across the four games, in three of them we conceded goals inside the opening 60 seconds and that puts you on the back foot straight away.

“Like in any sport, some times are worse than others to concede goals and it felt like we managed to do that every time.

“But overall, for 40 minutes of the 50-minute games there really wasn’t much between the teams.

“As a group we have to take the learnings form it and we certainly learned lessons the hard way.

“It’s a quick sport and you get punished for lapses – the ball can travel from one end to the other in three seconds.

“We’re a young group and perhaps we lacked some maturity, but we’ll be a better team for the experience.”

And the players have certainly not been put off by their hefty loss, with plans in place for a return to European action next season.

Courtenay-Barrow added: “We’ve definitely got the appetite for more. Win or lose this group play for each other – there’s no finger pointing or blame culture.

“It’s been a huge experience and despite the results there’s still be plenty to enjoy.

“Speaking to parents and players, everyone sounds keen to try again, so why not go for it?

“We don’t know if we’ll get in the Champions League automatically, but there will be a spot for us in the European Cup at least.”