Steph Houghton says she cannot wait to lead England to a World Cup for the first time.
The England captain – officially handed the armband by Mark Sampson shortly after his appointment in December – helped the Lionesses book their place in Canada with a 4-0 victory against Wales in Cardiff.
And she could not hide her delight at the whistle. “It’s an amazing feeling,” she said. “Tonight is exactly what we wanted to do – we wanted to go and qualify for a World Cup and I’m really proud of everyone in the squad.
Wales 0-4 England
FIFA Women's World Cup 2015
Group 6 qualifier
Thursday 21 August 2014
Cardiff City Stadium
England qualify for the World Cup
“We played really well over the qualification process. Credit to all the staff who get us all prepared for the games, everyone is just chuffed to bits in there.”
Houghton – who was making her 50th appearance for England – also said that with nine wins out of nine and only one goal conceded throughout the entire campaign, she could not have wished for a better record.
“If you’d have said that at the beginning of the qualification I would have snapped your hand off,” she added.
“I’m just delighted that we’ve managed to get there and we’ve finished off in style.”
“I’m just delighted that we’ve managed to get there and we’ve finished off in style.”
Steph Houghton England captain
The skipper also reserved a special word of thanks for the supporters, praising them for always being there, through thick and thin.
“We always get a good following whether we’re playing at home or away,” she continued.
“It’s for them really as well because they follow us all over and hopefully will follow us to Canada in the World Cup.”
