Town boss Joe Sheehan has revealed Town's retained list ahead of the 2020/21 Women's National League season with 8 senior players set to depart the club this summer.
Retained:
Senior Players
Lindsey Cooper
Amanda Crump
Eva Hubbard
Ellie Rossiter
Nikita Runnacles
Natasha Thomas
Paige Wakefield
Academy Players Graduating To Senior Team
Amy-Leigh Abrehart
Livvy Billson
Lucy Egan
Anna Grey
Eloise King
Abbie Lafayette
Paige Peake
Emma Wallis
Lucy Williamson
Blue Wilson
Second-Year Academy Players
Zoe Barratt
Maddie Biggs
Maria Boswell
Abbie Jackson
Leonie Jackson
Sophie Peskett
Kyra Robertson
Molly Sutherland
** First-Year Academy Players TBC**
Departing:
Danni Clarke
Zoe Cossey
Chloe Dunn
Ciera Flatt
Nicole Pannifer
Roxy Small (Retiring)
Leanne Smith
Aimee Stretch
Senior Players
Lindsey Cooper
Amanda Crump
Eva Hubbard
Ellie Rossiter
Nikita Runnacles
Natasha Thomas
Paige Wakefield
Academy Players Graduating To Senior Team
Amy-Leigh Abrehart
Livvy Billson
Lucy Egan
Anna Grey
Eloise King
Abbie Lafayette
Paige Peake
Emma Wallis
Lucy Williamson
Blue Wilson
Second-Year Academy Players
Zoe Barratt
Maddie Biggs
Maria Boswell
Abbie Jackson
Leonie Jackson
Sophie Peskett
Kyra Robertson
Molly Sutherland
** First-Year Academy Players TBC**
Departing:
Danni Clarke
Zoe Cossey
Chloe Dunn
Ciera Flatt
Nicole Pannifer
Roxy Small (Retiring)
Leanne Smith
Aimee Stretch
Danni joined Town from East Bergholt in 2017 initially as the Blues' development team goalkeeper. She was elevated to the first-team the following season and made her senior debut in a Suffolk FA Women's Cup tie against Ipswich Wanderers. Cup competitions would be where Danni would see the majority of her playing time with the Blues before dual-signing with Wymondham Town in search of regular game time. Danni leaves Town for a university scholarship in the United States after making 8 appearances for Town, keeping 4 clean sheets.
Zoe departs Town after a successful four-year spell with the Tractor Girls. The young winger had a tough start to her time at the club after suffering a long-term ankle injury during her first season. However, she burst onto the scene in style in 2017 as she scored 21 goals on the way to helping Town to a third-placed finish. Zoe soon established herself as a key part of the squad and a favourite amongst Town fans before playing a less prominent role this season following the emergence of Anna Grey and Sophie Peskett. In total Zoe made 91 appearances for the Tractor Girls, scoring 42 goals.
Chloe rejoined Town in the summer after 2019 after spending a year at Limestone College in South Carolina. The full-back made her debut in the League Cup defeat to Southampton and mainly featured as a substitute or in cup competitions during her sole senior season with the Tractor Girls. In total Chloe made just 9 appearances for Town, scoring three times.
Ciera secured her dream move to Ipswich Town in January 2019 and quickly cemented her place in the team. However, she suffered a season-ending injury not long into her Town career and found herself short of game time upon her return. She made just two appearances this season before suffering yet another injury against AFC Sudbury before rejoining former side Wroxham on dual-terms in search of regular minutes. Ciera made just 9 appearances for Town without scoring.
Nicole made her debut for Town at the age of 16 after progressing through the club's former Centre Of Excellence. After two-years, Nicole left the club to join the University of Loughborough whilst studying for her degree but rejoined the Blues upon graduation four years later. She suffered a torn ACL on the opening day of the 2016/17 season but returned to the side in October 2017 after 14 months out. Nicole soon reclaimed her place in the Town team and had been a regular starter until finding herself playing a more sporadic role this season. The long-serving full-back departs Town after making 52 senior appearances, scoring twice.
Roxy spent her entire career with Town after joining the club as a teenager. The winger was always an immensely popular figure in the Town dressing room and became a favourite of former boss Ralph Pruden because of her dependability. In her latter years she played a sporadic role for the Tractor Girls before a torn ACL in the summer of 2018 brought her closer to retirement. Roxy would return from injury and make one final appearance for Town against Brantham Athletic in January 2020. She retires from football after making 74 appearances and scoring 25 goals.
Leanne joined the Blues from Brandon Town in 2015 and went on to become Town's number one shortly after. She soon suffered a torn ACL and as a result missed over a year of action. Upon her return from injury she once again established herself in the Tractor Girls' side but sadly suffered yet another torn ACL against Norwich City in September 2017. After two-years on the sidelines Leanne returned to the Town squad for pre-season in the summer of 2019 but didn't make any further appearances for Town before dual-signing with Wymondham Town. After one game for the Norfolk side Leanne announced she was expecting her first child and has since taken a break from football. Leanne leaves Town after making 44 appearances, keeping 9 clean sheets.
Aimee joined Town as a teenager and went on to become a long-serving stalwart of the Blues' defence. Her strong leadership qualities saw her named captain in the absence of Amanda Crump during the 2016/17 season. In the summer of 2017 Aimee announced she was expecting her first child and as a result had a year out of playing football to start a family. She returned to the Town squad for pre-season in the summer of 2018 but found game time scarce under then boss Carla Dickinson. Current Town manager Joe Sheehan restored Aimee to the side upon his appointment but after seeing out the 2018/19 season, she then found herself playing a sporadic role in cup competitions before joining Newmarket Town in early 2020 on dual-terms in order to secure regular game time. Aimee made the last of her 144 Ipswich Town appearances in the Tractor Girls' final game of this season against Needham Market. She also scored 15 goals during her time at the club.
Ipswich Town Football Club would like to place on record it's gratitude to the departing players for their service to the club. The commitment and effort shown by a number of players who have given a substantial part of their lives to Ipswich Town is incredibly valued and we hope they will enjoy continued success in the next chapter of their careers. We will always hold them in high regard and wish them the utmost best for the future.