Jade Moore wants England to make the football world sit up and take notice at the Cyprus Cup.
The Lionesses are in Larnaca preparing to face Finland on Wednesday in their opening match of the annual friendly tournament.
Last season’s runners-up will then take on Australia and Holland before one last match against either Canada, Italy, South Korea or Scotland.
England v Finland
The Cyprus Cup
12.30pm, Wednesday 4 March
GSZ Stadium, Larnaca, Cyprus
And the Birmingham City midfielder believes a successful Cyprus Cup campaign can help England send out a message ahead of this summer’s World Cup in Canada.
Moore said: “We want to show everyone what we are capable of. We came here last year with exactly the same attitude.
“Of course we want to use this tournament in terms of match preparation, maybe trying out a few things tactically, but every team has come here to win it, and we’re no different.
“This is different to just a programme of four friendlies. Having a cup to play for makes all the difference. There’s an end goal.”
The 24-year-old continued: “This trip is perfect preparation for Canada. We’ve got four matches in the space of seven days which near enough mimics what we’ll have at the World Cup.
Jade Moore in action against Finland in last year's Cyprus Cup
“It’s a great trial run, and if we can do all the right things over here – if we can prepare right, train well, play well and win, then why can’t we do it over there?”
The Cyprus Cup has traditionally been a good breeding ground for England. A number of players have made their international bow in this tournament, including Moore in 2012.
After excelling at youth level, she made her senior team debut in a 3-1 win over Finland. A week later she scored her first, and to date only, England goal, in a 3-1 defeat by Italy.
She said: “I can’t remember too much about my debut actually. It was a night game and I remember the stadium but I don’t think we’ve played there since. Kelly Smith scored twice for us and to make my debut alongside Kelly was pretty special for me.
“Training has been high intensity and high in quality. The girls have delivered”
Moore on Cyprus preparations
“I think I had a steady game. Apparently I ran the most in the squad that day.
“But I do remember my goal pretty well. Rachel Williams cut the ball back across the 18-yard box and I ran onto it. Because the pitch was quite wet I kept it low so it would skid off the surface, and it went into the corner. It was quite a tidy finish, if I say so myself.
“But we ended up losing, so hopefully next time I score it will be in a game we win.”
Moore and co. are out here to win the Cyprus Cup for the third time, following their successes in 2009 and 2013, but she can also see the bigger picture.
She added: “Being out here is really beneficial for a number of reasons. Obviously we want to win the tournament but it allows players to get minutes on the pitch at this early stage of the season.
“It’s also a chance for everyone to try and claim their place in the team ahead of the World Cup.
“And it allows you to get even more familiar with your team-mates. You can never play enough games together as a team.”
England arrived in Larnaca on Thursday night, and Moore has been happy with how preparations have gone so far.
She said: “We’ve had some really good training sessions out here already.
“The emphasis has been on high-tempo, shorter sessions, but really high intensity and high quality, and that’s what the girls have delivered. The sessions have been quite fun and enjoyable as well.”
