Rehanne Skinner wants her England U19s to build on their success so far this season with a Euro title and a World Cup spot.
The Young Lionesses sealed qualification for this summer’s U19 Euro Finals on Tuesday after their 2-0 win over Italy made it a perfect record of three wins from three in the elite qualifying rounds.
They’ll now head north for the Finals in Scotland in July, where there’s also an opportunity to qualify for the FIFA U20 World Cup.
And head coach Skinner believes she’s seen the right sort of attitude from her players over the course of the season to know they have a chance of succeeding.
“I’m ecstatic, excited, this is a great group of players to work with and there’s been a lot of progress over the course of the season,” said Skinner, after seeing Jessica Naz and Lauren Hemp score first-half goals at St. George’s Park.
“Before the game, the players had a real clear intent on what they wanted out of it, and they’ll be exactly the same going into the summer.
“The big thing was that we didn’t just want to perform well, we wanted to send a message for what that’s going to look like going into the finals.
“We were quick out of the starting blocks again today and that made it difficult for Italy to settle – the two early goals set the tone for us.
“It wasn’t as pretty as we’d have liked in the second half, but sometimes you’ve just got to get through those parts of the game."
With a spot in the Finals now secure, Skinner and her squad await the draw which will be made in Glasgow on 16 April.
But Skinner is aiming to head north of the border with big ambitions.
“As England teams, we’re looking to be regular contenders in World Cup finals and Euro Finals,” she added.
“That’s something we’re striving towards. It’s been on our radar since we got this group last August and the players are well aware that that’s the ultimate aim – to get ourselves to a World Cup.”
The finals will take place in Scotland between 16-28 July.
