England duo want to keep Cyprus Cup form going

England duo Steph Houghton and Carly Telford are hoping to take the momentum from the Cyprus Cup into World Cup qualifying when the Three Lions resume their campaign this week.

Mark Sampson’s side entertain Montenegro on Saturday at Brighton & Hove Albion’s Amex Stadium, less than a month after finishing runners-up to France in the annual friendly tournament.

New Notts County goalkeeper Telford told FATV: "It was a really exciting trip in Cyprus, everyone had a brilliant time. It was unfortunate to finish the way we did but it was a great trip.

"We conceded two goals the whole [tournament] so we’re looking to take that into Montenegro game, pick up three points, a clean sheet and on we go."

Houghton added: "We’ve been under Mark for a couple of trips now and I think everybody’s really excited for the qualifier coming up."

England currently top Group 6 with maximum points after four games, scoring 20 goals without reply.

They defeated Turkey twice, Wales and Belarus under interim boss Brent Hills.

The qualifier against Montenegro is Sampson’s first competitive match at the helm and his first on home soil, and Telford said the new head coach is already looking at ways England can get better.

She added: "We are trying to bridge that gap on the teams ahead of us [in the world rankings]. We had a great result against the Canadians so there are lots of positives to take out.

"Obviously there are a few things we can work on, which is always good, and I’m sure Mark will have a lot of stuff for us to work on, a lot of video stuff that we’ll be looking back at and finding ways to improve as best we can."

Watch the full FATV interview with Telford and Houghton in the video player at the top of the page

Tickets are still on sale, priced £5 for adults and £2.50 for children and concessions. A family ticket is available at £10 (two adults, two children).

Squad in full

Goalkeepers
Siobhan Chamberlain (Arsenal), Mary Earps (Bristol Academy), Carly Telford (Notts County)
Defenders
Laura Bassett (Chelsea), Gemma Bonner (Liverpool), Sophie Bradley (Notts County), Lucy Bronze (Liverpool), Alex Greenwood (Everton), Steph Houghton (Manchester City), Alex Scott (Arsenal), Demi Stokes (University of South Florida), Casey Stoney (Arsenal)
Midfielders
Anita Asante (Malmo), Karen Carney (Birmingham City), Jade Moore (Birmingham City), Jill Scott (Manchester City), Fara Williams (Liverpool),
Forwards
Eniola Aluko (Chelsea), Natasha Dowie (Liverpool), Toni Duggan (Manchester City), Lianne Sanderson (Boston Breakers), Kelly Smith (Arsenal), Ellen White (Notts County).