A TALENTED young footballer has died in an horrific crash on a Suffolk road just days after paying an emotional tribute to her teacher who was killed by a car last week

Emma Holloway, 19, of Badwell Ash, died on the A134 between the villages of Cockfield and Bradfield Combust, near Bury St Edmunds, at 10pm on Wednesday night.

The death of the former King Edward VI student comes after one of her teachers at the Bury St Edmunds school, Katie Colson, was killed while out jogging last Friday.

On Monday, Miss Holloway posted a message on her Facebook page paying tribute to the 28-year-old, which said: “RIP Miss Colson, you were a top person, and had great laughs. You will be missed by all.”

Miss Holloway had been travelling home from football training at AFC Sudbury, with whom she had been an “extremely talented” player in the ladies team.

She was driving a Vauxhall Corsa when it collided with a Peugeot 407. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

The man in the Peugeot was taken to the West Suffolk Hospital with chest and arm injuries.

In a statement released by Mark Pearman, chief executive of AFC Sudbury, he said: “To lose someone so young, vibrant and gifted, with her whole life to look forward to, is an absolute tragedy in any walk of life.

“For such a close-knit club as AFC, you will all appreciate there is much grief and sadness that surrounds King’s Marsh at this present time.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Emma’s immediate family, to all her extended family and playing colleagues here at AFC Sudbury and to her work colleagues at Stephen Walters Ltd.”

Miss Holloway joined AFC ladies in 2008 and scored 49 goals during her first full season. She also helped coach the AFC Grassroots Under-11s.

Mr Pearman said: “She was a very popular young lady throughout the club and her presence and contribution will be sadly missed by all.

“It is AFC Sudbury’s intentions to pay tribute to Emma in a way that is both respectful and in accordance with her family’s wishes.

“As an initial mark of respect, all AFC Grassroots and AFC Ladies games scheduled for this weekend have been cancelled.”

Geoff Barton, headteacher at King Edward VI School, said the death of Miss Holloway had come as a terrible shock for the school, which was already mourning the death of Katie Colson.

He said: “Emma’s death is terrible news in a week of terrible news for the school.

“She was a student at the school until summer 2010 when she completed her A-levels in biology, physical education and business studies.

“She was a quiet, helpful and utterly reliable young lady. We will remember her best as a superb footballer – in fact, she was captain of our very successful girls’ football team.

“Emma was also a sports leader who used her sporting skills with younger children from primary and middle schools.

“She exemplified the spirit of our sports college – her life in school was all about volunteering, participation and leadership. We feel very proud of what she gave to this school and our thoughts are with her family.”

A police spokeswoman said: “Police are investigating exactly what occurred, and are asking anyone who may have been travelling along the A134 at the time to come forward if they saw either vehicle prior to the collision.”

She is the 19th person to die on the county’s roads so far this year.

Anybody with information about the Cockfield crash is asked to telephone Sgt Bob Patterson at the serious collision investigation team on 01473 613500.

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