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 defenders.

Nationwide England Women’s Player of the Year 2009

Defenders

Anita Asante
Age 24 Date of Birth 27.04.85
Career caps 45
Career goals 1
Caps in 2009 11
Sky Blue

Throughout 2009 Anita Asante has once again proved to be one of England’s most consistent performers. She has been a regular fixture at the heart of the Three Lions backline for a number of seasons now and featured in eleven of England’s 17 games this year.

Asante began the year by helping England claim the Cyprus Cup, missing only the penultimate match against Scotland. She was also a key squad member at this summer’s European Championship, missing only two games, but she starred in all three knockout games, including the Final against Germany.

2009 also saw Asante join fellow England international, Karen Bardsley, at Sky Blue FC in America.

Laura Bassett
Age 26 Date of Birth 02.08.83
Career caps 14
Caps in 2009 5
Leeds Carnegie

Over the past two seasons Laura Bassett has really proved her worth to the England Women’s set-up and her upward trajectory continued in the final match of 2009, the   3-0 victory over Turkey.

England were forced to break down a dogged and defensive Turkish outfit who were only keen to break forward on the counter attack, meaning Bassett and her three fellow defenders had to be alert at all times, and although both Alex Scott and Rachel Unitt scored, Bassett was certainly the pick of the bunch, winning everything in the air and proving confident in tackle.

She has appeared in five England matches this year, and has reason to be optimistic, having started alongside Faye White in the opening two World Cup Qualifiers.

The 26-year-old has recently joined Leeds Carnegie from Arsenal.

Michelle Hickmott
Age 24 Date of Birth 20.02.1985
Career caps 1
Caps in 2009 1
Birmingham City

Michelle Hickmott will have fond memories of 2009, having made her debut for the England Women’s team in February. The left-back replaced Corinne Yorston during England’s 4-1 win over Finland in Larnaca and with 2010 looming, Hickmott will be hoping to add to her maiden England cap.

Lindsay Johnson
Age 29 Date of Birth 08.05.1980
Career caps 38
Career goals 1
Caps in 2009 11
Goals in 2009 1
Everton

Like Hickmott, Lindsay Johnson will have reason to look back on 2009 with fondness after she scored her first international goal, against Norway in April. England were leading   1-0 with just six minutes remaining of the first-half when Karen Carney delivered a delicious cross for Johnson to head home and double the advantage.

The Toffees defender appeared eleven times for her country in 2009 including four games in the Euros. She replaced Faye White in England’s opening World Cup Qualifier in October, but had to sit out the second match against Turkey with a calf injury. However, her performances in both the blue of Everton and the white of England means she will certainly be in Hope Powell’s thoughts in 2010.

Alex Scott
Age 25 Date of Birth 14.10.1984
Career caps 58
Career goals 9
Caps in 2009 15
Goals in 2009 1
Boston Breakers

Alex Scott played for England more times than any other defender in 2009, appearing in all but two matches. Along with Kelly Smith, Scott joined Boston Breakers early in the year and starred for both club and country throughout.

The right-back impressed in her debut season in the Women’s Professional Soccer League and carried this form onto the international stage, producing consistent performance after consistent performance.

In November Scott also registered her ninth international goal when she coolly slotted home against Turkey.

Casey Stoney
Age 27 Date of Birth 13.05.1982
Career caps 69
Career goals 3
Caps in 2009 11
Chelsea

Casey Stoney briefly acquired a new responsibility in 2009 when she took charge of the Chelsea Ladies team following the departure of Steve Jones. Although Stoney was already the Blues captain, she later admitted that her new leadership duties had helped improve her performances on the pitch.

Stoney can now concentrate fully on her on-field obligations and both Chelsea and England will benefit from the left-back’s leadership qualities. The 27-year-old played eleven times for England in 2009, overcoming her red card against Italy to star for England at the Euros in Finland.

Dunia Susi
Age 22 Date of Birth 10.08.1987
Career caps 1
Caps in 2009 1
Chelsea

Dunia Susi is another player who made her England debut in 2009. Although she usually operates in midfield for Chelsea, against Iceland Susi replaced Corinne Yorston in the England backline and she went on to play the final 25 minutes.

Powell has selected Susi for the last few England squads, so it would be no surprise at all to see the 22-year-old increase her caps total in 2010.

Rachel Unitt
Age 27 Date of Birth 05.06.1982
Career caps 72
Career goals 6
Caps in 2009 6
Goals in 2009 2
Everton

Remarkably, 2009 saw left-back, Rachel Unitt, acquire a one-in-three strike rate for her country, bringing her international tally up to six. Both goals came in the final two matches of the year, the 8-0 win over Malta and the 3-0 defeat of Turkey. Her first was the final goal of the game against Malta, tapping home after Sharon Costantino had parried Alex Scott’s effort and her goal against Turkey was a powerful header from Sue Smith’s corner.

Despite her prowess in the opposition box, Unitt remains a key member of the England defence and her 72 caps certainly do justice to her ability and consistent level of performance.

Faye White
Age 31 Date of Birth 02.02.1978
Career caps 71
Career Goals 8
Caps in 2009 9
Goals in 2009 3
Arsenal

Faye White came agonisingly close to European glory this year, captaining England to the Final of the European Championship in Finland. Injury largely restricted her to just nine international appearances in 2009 but she led by example on each occasion, as she has done throughout her career. However, in the European Championship semi-final White was forced to watch from the sidelines after fracturing her cheekbone in the quarter-final against Finland. She had to wear a protective mask during the Final.

Like Unitt, White also has a one-in-three strike rate for England this year, a statistic typical of a team that has scored 47 goals in just 17 games. She got off the mark against Finland in February and doubled her 2009 tally against Sweden in the Euros, heading home a Karen Carney centre. Her final goal of the year was England’s first of their 2011 World Cup Qualifying campaign as White converted the rebound after Sue Smith’s seventh-minute free-kick hit the post.

Corinne Yorston
Age 26 Date of Birth 15.06.1983
Career caps 6
Caps in 2009 3
Arsenal

Corinne Yorston doubled her caps total in 2009, from three to six. Her first game of the year came against Finland in February. She also featured in the 3-0 Cyprus Cup win over Scotland and the 2-0 friendly defeat to Iceland in July.