Almost five months after returning from the World Cup in Canada clutching bronze medals, England finally feel reassured that feat was no fluke. By holding Germany – the side they defeated in the third-place play-off at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium – to a goalless draw in Duisburg last Thursday, any lingering doubt was banished. Mark Sampson’s Lionesses are confident their Euro 2017 potential has been confirmed.
“We’ve got some really good players,” said Karen Bardsley, who is expected to again be in goal when England face Bosnia-Herzegovina in a European Championship qualifier at Ashton Gate on Sunday. “There’s a lot to look forward to in the next few years.”
With Sampson’s side in a straightforward-looking qualifying group for the tournament in the Netherlands (their 8-0 crushing of Estonia in Tallinn in September is unlikely to prove a one-off) friendlies against leading sides offer invaluable tests. “We wanted to make sure the World Cup wasn’t a fluke,” Bardsley said. “We’re now ready to start changing the rivalry between England and Germany to try to tip the scales in our favour.”
Considering the Lionesses have beaten Germany once in more than three decades, there is sense the past two matches represent a watershed. “Since our performances at the World Cup, I think we’re believing in ourselves more,” Bardsley said. “Believing that we’re quite a good team.”
Steph Houghton agreed. “Our performance was even better than in Edmonton,” said England’s captain and centre-half. “At the World Cup we grew in confidence and belief and that’s been a massive thing. Now we’ve got that winning mentality we know we can perform against the best teams.”
Not that Houghton is remotely complacent about the Euro 17 Group Seven task confronting England on Sunday. It is the final fixture of the season that began in March and the first game the Lionesses have played on home soil since returning from Canada.
“We’ve got to remain focused,” said Houghton who knows there will be consternation should Sampson’s side fail to top a group that also contains Belgium, Serbia and Estonia. “Bosnia may be ranked lower than us but we have to make sure we get three points. We also want to try to put on a fantastic performance for the fans who are coming to congratulate us on what has been a fantastic year.”
As a former coach of Bristol Academy, Sampson will be keen for his side to impress in front of old friends after making “a big statement” against the eight-times European champions in Duisburg. “We stamped our authority on Germany,” he said. “We were disappointed not to win. We’re producing performances that justify our belief but we need to keep building on that momentum.”
Before the kick-off the nine England players who have played at least 100 times for their country will take part in a ceremony on the pitch. As Casey Stoney, Fara Williams, Rachel Yankey, Alex Scott, Gill Coultard, Kelly Smith, Karen Carney, Rachel Unitt and Jill Scott receive commemorative caps there will be a chance to reflect on the dramatic strides the female game has made since 1997 when Coultard became the Lionesses’ first centurion. Now 52, the former midfielder, who also played sweeper, combined her playing career with a full-time job in a factory.
