Braidhurst High pupil Leigha Dobbins played her part as Scottish Schools FA Under-15 girls beat their English counterparts earlier this month.
Having been postponed a few times in the last 15 months due to Covid-19, the game finally took place at Newcastle University on June 5, with the visitors running out 2-1 winners against the Auld Enemy.
It was a first cap for the 16-year-old, who becomes the first outfield player from the Motherwell school to achieve such a feat.
Scotland took the lead in the first half following a strong run and cut back from Eilidh Austin, which Olivia Potter hit high into the net.
The visitors doubled their lead three minutes into the second half, when Gemma Watson won a penalty and converted it herself.
England pulled one back via a Poppy Pritchard penalty, but the Scots saw the game out to record a memorable victory.
Attacking full-back Leigha, who plays for Lanarkshire Hibs, is one of only two pupils from the school to have been capped at that level of girls’ football, following goalkeeper Niamh Miller.
Leigha’s pupil support teacher Mark Paterson said: “Leigha’s brilliant, she genuinely is.
“I think she’s one of the most talented at the school.
“She’s a lot stronger than the other girls as well, to be fair to her, and I definitely think she has a bright career ahead of her if she keeps going the way she’s going.
“Leigha had been selected in 2020 and they were meant to play a couple of games, but coronavirus halted everything.
“The school is very proud of her, over the moon.
“Leigha came through the girls’ football programme and she was also part of the school team that made the Scottish Cup semi-final as well, narrowly missing out against St Ninian’s, a couple of days before her Scottish debut.”
Mark says he hopes Leigha can progress in the Scotland girls’ set-up, but warned there is a lot of hard work ahead.
He said: “There’s no under-18s at girls’ level for some reason, so she needs to break into the first team now.
“She will be back to pre-season now and looking forward to club football, and hopefully push on.”
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