Coventry City Ladies tremendous season keeps on getting better.
Manager Paul Cudby has seen his squad strengthened by the speedy recovery of Katie Singleton and the addition of striker Nicole Evans. Singleton, daughter of City Chairman David, had surgery to repair her anterior cruciate ligament after suffering a similar injury to Chelsea and England midfielder Joe Cole. Just seven months on from that major operation Katie returned to match action whilst on loan to Leamington last weekend.
A substitute appearance with 20 minutes remaining, Singleton's return was particularly poignant after her surgeon had told her she'd never play again. Dad David was in attendance to cheer her on "She played 20 minutes and feels great. Her motivation and desire has been amazing, she wanted to prove that if she tried hard enough she could do it. I remain astonished and appreciate the quality of the work her surgeon has done to enable this return, despite his doubts and words of warning! We'll take her comeback at the right pace and will not mess up everyone's efforts. I'd also like to thank Chris Coleman who was a huge motivating factor too".
"Katie's a very strong minded and determined character" stated Cudby, continuing "she has very little fear which has helped speed her recovery along. Since returning to full training she's been going in for some crunching tackles as if they're nothing at all. Once she's back to full fitness, she'll pose a real threat to defences everywhere with her pace, power and finishing ability". Singleton had scored two goals and earned three assists in seven appearances from the bench last season after graduating from Coventry's Centre of Excellence.
Evans' signature came as a surprise boost, the 21 year old Rugby native contacted the club after returning from a four year scholarship in the United States where she played for the Murray State Racers. Happy to play anywhere across the front, the former Rugby Town player, was named all conference in her senior year. After graduating in Health and Physical Education, Evans will return to the US in the summer to coach football in California. "Nicole's a very lively attack minded player" reported Cudby "She has good feet, plays with great intensity and has really added a great deal to our squad since her arrival".