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 forwards.

Nationwide England Women’s Player of the Year 2009

Forwards

Eniola Aluko
Age 22 Date of Birth 21.02.87
Career caps 44
Career goals 9
Caps in 2009 13
Goals in 2009 4
St Louis Athletica

With three goals, Eniola Aluko was England’s joint top goalscorer in the European Championship, along with Kelly Smith. This tally included a superb solo effort against Finland in the quarter-final. Annica Sjolund had just halved the hosts’ deficit, when Aluko embarked on a driving run from the restart. She stormed through three challenges and smashed the ball into the net to restore England two-goal cushion. Aluko also scored against Scotland in the Cyprus Cup.

Aluko joined St Louis Athletica earlier in the year and enjoyed her debut season in the Women’s Professional Soccer League.

Natasha Dowie
Age 21 Date of Birth 30.06.1988
Career caps 1
Caps in 2009 1
Everton

Natasha Dowie’s goalscoring exploits for Everton this season earned her a maiden international appearance against Turkey in November. The 21-year-old came on as a second-half substitute replacing Jody Handley in the 84th minute and if her club form continues, she can look to 2010 with optimism.

Jody Handley
Age 30 Date of Birth 12.03.1979
Career caps 36
Career goals 6
Caps in 2009 4
Goals in 2009 1
Everton

Having recovered from an horrific ankle injury in 2008, Jody Handley registered one goal in her four England internationals this year, scoring the winner against Denmark in July. She glanced home a fine header, from a Karen Carney cross, to give England a morale-boosting win ahead of the Euros.

Handley also featured against Finland in February and she has featured in both of England’s opening two World Cup Qualifiers, bringing her experience to the frontline.

Lianne Sanderson
Age 21 Date of Birth 03.02.1988
Career caps 25
Career goals 6
Caps in 2009 9
Goals in 2009 4
Chelsea

Lianne Sanderson can boast a strike rate of almost one in two after she bagged four goals in nine appearances in 2009.

Her first goal of the year came in England’s first game of the year, against Finland in February, and she was on target again in the Cyprus Cup victory over South Africa. The Chelsea forward also notched England’s equaliser in the Cyprus Cup Final, heading home a Casey Stoney cross after a fine passing move. Sanderson’s fourth goal of the year came in the 3-0 victory over Turkey last month when she fired home England’s second from the edge of the area.

Kelly Smith
Age 31 Date of Birth 29.10.1978
Career caps 86
Career goals 37
Caps in 2009 10
Goals in 2009 7
Boston Breakers

Kelly Smith arguably scored the greatest England goal of 2009. England had fought back from two goals down against Russia in the European Championship when Elena Kochneva’s goal-kick dropped to Smith just inside the Russia half. She took a touch to control the ball then unleashed an audacious long-range effort which dipped into the goal to give England a 3-2 lead which they held on to for three valuable points. Smith was England’s second top goalscorer in 2009 with seven goals in just ten games, her strikes coming against Finland (two), South Africa, Canada, Russia, Holland and Germany.

The 31-year-old has recently been voted the third best player in women’s football at FIFA’s World Player of the Year awards and enjoyed a fruitful season back in America with Boston Breakers.

Rachel Williams
Age 21 Date of Birth 10.01.1988
Career caps 1
Caps in 2009 1
Doncaster Rovers Belles

Like Natasha Dowie, Rachel Williams also made her England debut in 2009 when she came off the bench against Iceland in July. She replaced Jill Scott in the 65th minute and has been named in the squad for both of England’s opening World Cup Qualifiers so far.