Mo Marley ready to go again as her U19 side begin their Euro-title defence.
England v Belarus
UEFA European Women's U19 Championship
First Qualifying Round
4pm (BST), Saturday 19 September 2009
Spotland, Rochdale AFC
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The England Women's U19 side travel to Spotland, home of Rochdale AFC, on Saturday ready to begin their defence of the UEFA European Women's U19 Championship.
It is fitting that Belarus provide the opposition, because it was in Belarus in July that the U19s clinched their first-ever European crown. Now, all eyes are on the first of two qualifying rounds to get back to the Finals, which, this season is being staged in Macedonia. Norway and Slovakia complete England's First Qualifying Round group.
"Winning the Euros in July was an amazing experience for everyone involved," Head Coach, Mo Marley said. "It was the culmination of several years of hard work within the England Women’s development teams and for it to all come together in Belarus was fantastic. It’s great to be coming into these qualifiers as the holders of the competition, but now the hard work starts all over again.
"We enjoyed that success over the summer because it was thoroughly deserved, and it’s important to enjoy moments like that, but we can’t dwell on it because before you know it, here we are, ready to go again and we’re looking to defend our title. Now our attention switches to the next challenge which is these three qualifiers. We do not want to relinquish our grip on the trophy and the focus now is to be stronger than we were last season."
Marley has the benefit of being able to name 12 of that European Championship-winning squad again, while there are first call-ups for Lyndsey Cunningham and Emma Follis.
England take on Slovakia at Gigg Lane, Bury FC, on Monday 21 September, before rounding their group games off against the Norwegians at Spotland on Thursday 24 September. The top two nations in this group will progress to the Elite Qualifying Round, which will be held at the beginning of 2010.
"It’s great that we're hosting these matches," Marley admitted. "It’s been a while since we’ve played in England so it’s good to be back on home soil. It’ll be nice for the players’ families and friends and people in the local region to see these players perform, especially after the success in Belarus.
"That’s what this week is all about – making sure we qualify for the Elite Round, which will bring us one step closer to another appearance at a major Finals."
Squad in full:
Name |
Club |
Lauren Davey |
Watford |
Rebecca Spencer |
Arsenal |
Gemma Bonner |
Leeds Carnegie |
Lucy Bronze |
Uni North Carolina |
Lyndsey Cunningham |
Nottingham Forest |
Gilly Flaherty |
Arsenal |
Stephanie Marsh |
Everton |
Laura Coombs |
Arsenal |
Emma Follis |
Aston Villa |
Rebecca Jane |
Chelsea |
Jordan Nobbs |
Sunderland |
Abbie Prosser |
Arsenal |
Lucy Staniforth |
Sunderland |
Demi Stokes |
Sunderland |
Lauren Bruton |
Arsenal |
Isobel Christiansen |
Everton |
Toni Duggan |
Everton |
Jessica Holbrook |
Everton |