With the highly-rated team unbeaten in two years, the aim of the trip was to provide the players with experience of intensive tournament football, including preparation and recovery techniques whilst also experiencing different styles of football against other countries.

The side featured just ten of the existing players from the squad who had competed against Australia, Northern Ireland and the two-legged shield victory over Wales. For the first time ever, the remaining seven members of the squad included players from this year’s new U-17 programme, who are first year college students. With such a young squad, the trip was therefore an early opportunity to test out the best new young talent coming through.

England Colleges’ tournament got underway with a cagey 1-1 draw against Swedish side Rytterne IS. The team then picked up their stride to strongly beat Polish side KS Bronowianka Krakow 5-0. The final group game saw the team clinch an eye-catching win against tournament favourites and last year’s winners, Tölö IF, in front of a large local home crowd. An exceptional performance which allowed the squad to progress into the last 16 as group winners.

The knock-out stages followed thick and fast, with two games each day testing the capabilities of the whole squad. The first knockout game saw England Colleges complete a thundering 6-0 win over Norwegian side Oppsal IF in the last 16 fixture, with the opposition coach full of praise for the quality of the England team’s play.

An evening fixture then followed against Swedish side Torslanda IK. In a difficult fixture, the England Colleges side lost talismanic skipper Emily Hansen from Birmingham Met College with a ruptured cruciate ligament at the end of the first half. This provided a real test of character for the young England side, who managed to regain their composure and complete a goal flurry in the latter stages of the game, to win 6-0 and progress onto the semi-finals.

The physically demanding programme then brought the semi-final game the following morning against Norwegian side Kongsvinger IL. England Colleges started the strongest, dominating possession and had shots rebound off the Norwegian crossbar, post and also forced a late goal-line clearance.

The England Colleges side eventually paid the price for opportunities missed, conceding from a corner in the first half. To compound matters, the England side then sustained a catalogue of serious injuries to four players in the game, three of whom required hospital treatment.

A second goal conceded from yet another corner condemned the side to their first defeat in two years and sent the team out of the tournament. The team were later awarded third place overall and took part in the finals medal ceremony, picking up bronze medals.

The tournament was a huge learning curve for England Colleges and the way the girls applied themselves was a great credit to their colleges and clubs. The young squad’s participation in their first ever tournament also served as a great educational tool.

The side, which is run by British Colleges Sport in partnership with the Football Association, can now look ahead to the 2010-11 international fixtures with a great deal of excitement.

Further information on the England Colleges Football programme is available at www.britishcollegessport.org

England Colleges' Gothia Cup 2010 Squad:
Danielle Gibbons - Runshaw College
Lauren Cheshire - South Downs College
Jennifer Louise Frost - Bridgwater College
Danielle Penn - Birmingham Met College
Jade Richards - Birmingham Met College
Emily Hanson - Birmingham Met College
Polly New - Kingston College
Stephanie Annes - Kingston College
Zoe Fisher - Kingston College
Holly Miller - Bridgwater College
Holly Cox - Bridgwater College
Chantelle O'Hara - Holy Cross College
Chloe Foster - Chesterfield College
Jade Bell - Huntingdonshire Regional College
Stephanie Warren - Cornwall College
Ashleigh-Jo Neville - Birmingham Met College
Nikki Miles - Henley College (Coventry)