Fran Kirby’s maiden England call-up for last month’s World Cup qualifying double-header was something of a no-brainer for Head Coach Mark Sampson.
With 11 goals in 10 matches, the Reading forward was arguably the most in-form player in The FA WSL.
Although the 21-year-old did not feature against either Belarus or Ukraine, she obviously did enough in training to earn a recall for Sunday’s mouth-watering encounter against Sweden.
England v Sweden
A Women's International
2pm, Sunday 3 August 2014
Victoria Park, Hartlepool United FC
Call 01429 272 584 for tickets
And now she has had a taste of the senior set-up, Kirby is targeting her first appearance in an England shirt.
She said: “A couple of years ago I made it my aim to break into the Under-23s and then hopefully step up to the seniors after that.
“I set myself a target to be involved with the seniors before I was 21, which I managed to do so I was really happy with that. Now I just want to break into the starting XI. It would be amazing to be a part of this team.”
Kirby continued: “I think I did OK last time. I think I held my own at least. I looked at every training session as though it was a trial so I wanted to go out there and show that I was good enough to be in the squad.
“It has made me even more motivated now. It was great to see the girls go out there and get two wins and I really wanted to be a part of that.
“Hopefully I can get some game time against Sweden and be given an opportunity to show that I can do it when it counts and not just in training. But it’s up to me to keep working hard. There are loads of great attacking players already in this squad so I’ve got to try and show that I can reach that same level.
“I’m delighted to have been called back into the squad for this game.”
Kirby was in our Under-23 squad for a friendly against Norway last June. She was also included for the La Manga tournament in March this year and she scored in the 4-2 defeat by Germany.
Her first experience of the senior team came less just three months later and she said her new team-mates helped her settle immediately.
Kirby explained: “I was a bit nervous at first. I didn’t really know where to go, what to do or who to talk to, but once I met the girls they made me feel really welcome straightaway and I really enjoyed it.
“I shared a room with Steph [Houghton] and I think she felt she had to look after me a little bit. Steph was lovely, and she really looked out for me, but all the girls were great with me as well.”
Tickets for the Sweden match are still available priced £5 for adults and £2.50 for children. A family ticket (two adults and two children) is available at £10 and group booking discounts apply.
Tickets can be purchased by calling 01429 272 584 (option 2), via TheFA.com's ticketing page or at the Hartlepool United ticket office.
Goalkeepers
Karen Bardsley (Manchester City), Rachel Brown-Finnis (Everton), Siobhan Chamberlain (Arsenal).
Defenders
Gemma Bonner (Liverpool), Lucy Bronze (Liverpool), Alex Greenwood (Everton), Steph Houghton (Manchester City), Alex Scott (Arsenal), Demi Stokes (University of South Florida).
Midfielders
Laura Bassett (Chelsea), Jade Moore (Birmingham City), Jordan Nobbs (Arsenal), Jill Scott (Manchester City), Fara Williams (Liverpool).
Forwards
Eniola Aluko (Chelsea), Karen Carney (Birmingham City), Jess Clarke (Notts County), Natasha Dowie (Liverpool), Toni Duggan (Manchester City), Fran Kirby (Reading), Lianne Sanderson (Boston Breakers), Dunia Susi (Notts County), Jodie Taylor (Washington Spirit).
