City Ladies Defender Forced To Retire

Last updated : 24 November 2014 By Matty Roper
This week the Ladies bid an emotional farewell to Natalie Wilcox, who has made the decision to hang up her boots after a prolonged and difficult recovery since rupturing her ACL just 15 minutes into a 3-0 victory at Spurs in September last year. 
 
Nat joined the club from Villa as a promising 16 year old in 2004. She became a first team regular in 2005 and was an ever present throughout the four seasons that the SkyBluescame runners up in the Midland Combination League, before storming the Division with a record breaking 61 points from 66 to win promotion to the FA Premier League North in 2009-10. 
 
Natalie Wilcox
 
Nat had half a season with Forest in 2010-11, but rejoined her beloved Skyblues for the 2011-12 campaign in the FA Premier League National division, the highest tier in Women’s football. A lifelong Villa fan, this was the season that the Skyblues famously celebrated their first ever Birmingham County FA Cup Final win ….against Villa. 
 
The highlight of her career though, was a memorable game played in torrential rain on a Tuesday night in May 2013, in front of a big crowd at Villa Park. The Ladies came from a goal down to beat Villa 4-1 in spectacular style and Nat Wilcox wore the biggest smile ever seen at Villa Park.
 
It’s been an honour to play for CCLFC for the last ten years, with so many amazing achievements, memories, great team mates and staff. I feel the time is right to refocus my time following injury, and take on a new challenge away from football.
 
I would like to thank everyone at the club; particularly the medical team for helping me back to full fitness, and wish the club every success for the future in its pursuit of super league status, where it belongs