'We can't wait'

England ‘keeper Rachel Brown is counting the hours until Sunday’s big Women’s Euro 2005 kick-off – it will be, in her own words, the ‘biggest moment of all our careers’.

Having trained with the squad in the Lancashire countryside, Rachel caught up with TheFA.com at pitchside and expressed her delight that after a year of frustration through injury, she is now back to full fitness.

"Training’s been going really well," she enthused. "Everybody’s focussed on the game, and very excited.

"The staff have done a wonderful job over the 18 months to two years that they’ve set the weights programmes and training programmes in motion, and it’s paying dividends - we’re peaking at just the right time.

"Personally I feel like I’m playing just as well as I was just before I got injured. The knee’s got better every single time I’ve come away with the England squad and I’d say I was in the final percentage of being fully fit."

Finland provide the first test for Hope Powell’s charges, and as the lowest ranked team in the tournament England will certainly be looking for a positive outcome. Rachel, however, is taking nothing for granted.

"The Finnish team are ranked lowest in the tournament, but we’ve beaten teams like Denmark, Italy and Norway very recently and they’re all ranked ahead of us.

"So looking at the rankings means nothing to us – the Finnish are going to be a strong team.

"We’re a confident side though, and we’re doing our homework which is essential for any game at this level.

"We’re hoping we can put on a good performance, and in turn get a first victory, but we can’t be complacent for any game."

With a ten game unbeaten run under the belts there is a real buoyancy around the England camp as they head into the weekend’s big clash.

"We’ve never gone ten games unbeaten before so we’re excited about this," Rachel confirmed. "It’s something we’ve been waiting on for two years.

"This is the biggest moment of all our careers and we can’t wait for the day when it starts."

That day is of course Sunday 5 June, when the City of Manchester Stadium looks set to be filled by a European record crowd for a women’s international. And as for anyone in the North West without a ticket yet, well Rachel thinks you’re crazy!

"We’re hoping for over twenty thousand which will be the biggest crowd we’ve played in front of and will be a record for the European Championships so we’re all very excited about it.

"We’ll use the big crowd to our advantage and hopefully the other team’s disadvantage.

"This is the best opportunity for people to come along and watch and form their opinions. It’s a wonderful day for everyone, which will be a spectacle not only on the pitch, but off the pitch as well."

England kick-off their campaign against Finland at 7pm on Sunday 05 June at the City of Manchester Stadium.