Vote for your England Women's Player of the Year.

During 2009, Hope Powell awarded caps to 31 players – four goalkeepers, ten defenders, eleven midfielders and six forwards. As we search for the England Women's Player of the Year, we are concentrating on each position in turn and today we focus on the midfielders.

Nationwide England Women’s Player of the Year 2009

Midfielders

Danielle Buet
Age 21 Date of Birth 31.10.1988
Career caps 5
Caps in 2009 5
Chelsea

Dani Buet made her England against South Africa in the Cyprus Cup and has now earned five caps in total. Ideally a holding midfielder, Buet has targeted a regular place in the senior squad for the remainder of England’s World Cup Qualifying campaign having started the first two Qualifiers, against Malta and Turkey.

Karen Carney
Age 22 Date of Birth 01.08.1987
Career caps 55
Career goals 9
Caps in 2009 13
Goals in 2009 3
Chicago Red Stars

2009 has been a big year for Karen Carney. At the beginning of the year she left Arsenal to join Chicago Red Stars in the Women’s Professional Soccer League in America and she also played a key role in helping England reach the Final of the European Championship, scoring one of England’s two goals and making the other.

Carney’s deliveries from the wing created a large number of England’s 47 goals this year, none more so than her extra-time corner in the Euro semi-final which Jill Scott headed home to clinch victory. Against Russia in the group stage Carney was again at the fore, scoring one and creating the other, again from the wing, and she also provided the cross for Faye White to head home against Sweden.

Carney’s first goal of the year came against France in March but having been rested for England’s opening World Cup Qualifier, against Malta, she will be hoping to make an equally big impact in 2010.

Katie Chapman
Age 27 Date of Birth 15.06.82
Career caps 73
Career goals 7
Caps in 2009 11
Goals in 2009 2
Arsenal

Katie Chapman impressed many observers with her consistent performances in the European Championship, providing the experience and composure that comes with 73 caps. Her all-round midfield play offered Fara Williams a platform to support the attack, and she was neat and tidy when in possession.

Chapman wasn’t shy in front of goal, however, and she grabbed herself a late brace against South Africa. Her first was a tap-in, following a left-wing cross from Rachel Yankey, but her second was a thunderous 25-yard drive which put a fine gloss on a dominant England performance.

Jess Clarke
Age 20 Date of Birth 05.05.1989
Career caps 9
Career goals 3
Caps in 2009 9
Goals in 2009 3
Leeds Carnegie

Like Dani Buet, Jess Clarke also made her England debut in 2009. It came against South Africa when she replaced Karen Carney in the 62nd minute and she added eight more caps to her total by the end of the year.

Clarke immediately set about trying to establish herself in the senior set-up and scoring three goals will not have done her cause any harm at all. Her first goal came in just her second game as she scored the third in England’s 3-0 win over Scotland. Clarke then began England’s World Cup qualification campaign in style, scoring twice against Malta and creating another.

Gemma Davison
Age 22 Date of Birth 17.04.1987
Career caps 1
Caps in 2009 1
Arsenal

Gemma Davison is the third midfielder to make her senior England debut this year, coming off the bench against Iceland in July. The young, attacking midfielder has also recently been named in Hope Powell’s first squad of 2010 and she will travel to La Manga for a training camp in January.

Stephanie Houghton
Age 21 Date of Birth 23.04.1988
Career caps 10
Career goals 1
Caps in 2009 5
Goals in 2009 1
Leeds Carnegie

England were 3-0 up against South Africa in the opening match of the Cyprus Cup, when Stephanie Houghton struck in the 54th minute to score her first international goal, heading home Rachel Yankey’s cross from the left.

In 2009, Houghton doubled her caps total to ten as she also turned out against Finland (twice), France and Canada, helping England lift the Cyprus Cup.

Jill Scott
Age 22 Date of Birth 02.02.1987
Career caps 29
Career goals 4
Caps in 2009 11
Goals in 2009 1
Everton

Jill Scott’s only England goal of 2009 will certainly live long in the memory. It was deep into extra-time against Holland in the semi-final of the European Championship and the game had seemed set for penalties, but then the rangy midfielder popped up to head home a Karen Carney corner to spark jubilant scenes among the England players, staff and travelling fans; Scott’s goal had booked England’s first European Final for 25 years.

That goal would prove Scott’s most crucial contribution to England’s year but she also featured in ten other matches, producing consistently solid performances, and her height also offered an outlet in both attacking and defensive situations.

Sue Smith
Age 30 Date of Birth 24.11.1979
Career caps 83
Career goals 14
Caps in 2009 14
Leeds Carnegie

Sue Smith is the most capped Women’s player in current England set-up (83) and her experience has helped the Three Lions achieve some important results in 2009, with her dead ball delivery as good as anyone in the women’s game. Indeed, it was a Smith free-kick that allowed Fara Williams to score the third goal against Finland in the Euros. And only Williams made more midfield appearances than Smith this year as the 30-year-old looks to guide some of England’s younger players through the early stages of their international careers.

Emily Westwood
Age 25 Date of Birth 05.04.1984
Career caps 29
Career goals 4
Caps in 2009 10
Goals in 2009 3
Everton

In 2009 Emily Westwood increased her England goal tally from one to four, with strikes against Finland, Scotland and Malta and she has played an increasingly influential role in the heart of the pitch, able to act as an orthodox midfielder or in a more advanced role.

Fara Williams
Age 25 Date of Birth 25.01.1984
Career caps 78
Career goals 30
Caps in 2009 15
Goals in 2009 9
Everton

Fara Williams was England’s top goalscorer in 2009, notching nine goals in just 15 appearances from her central midfield berth.  She also captained the Three Lions six times, mainly in the absence of Faye White and has firmly established herself as a vital member of Powell’s side.

Her international tally of 30 goals from 78 appearances is a record any forward player would be proud of and is evidence of her ability to provide an attacking threat both from the midfield area and from set pieces.

She grabbed her first goal against South Africa the Cyprus Cup in March and also scored in the Cyprus Cup Final seven days later. This was followed by a brace in an April friendly against Norway and she then scored England’s first goal of their European Championship campaign. Williams also bagged what proved to be the decisive goal against Finland in the quarter-final, securing England’s spot in the last four. And she began this season in fine fettle, registering a hat-trick against Malta.

Rachel Yankey
Age 30 Date of Birth 01.11.1979
Career caps 89
Career goals 12
Caps in 2009 4
Goals in 2009 1
Arsenal

Rachel Yankey turned out for England four times this calendar year and scored her only goal against Finland in the run up to the Cyprus Cup. Yankey also provided one of Katie Chapman’s two goals against South Africa, delivering a delightful cross which the midfielder turned home, and another Yankey cross was converted by Stephanie Houghton for England’s fourth.

Yankey’s other caps came against South Africa, Scotland and Iceland and she has recently been named in Powell’s squad to travel to La Manga for a training camp in January 2010.