Laura Bassett was one of England’s most capped players in 2014 – and her champagne moment came in the victory against Wales in August.
A regular squad member for a number of years, Bassett’s 10 caps during this calendar year took her total to 43.
After substitute appearances against Norway and Italy, the 31-year-old’s first start came in the 3-0 win over Finland in the Cyprus Cup – a match in which she captained her country.
Another cap was earned after coming from the bench, against Ukraine, before Mark Sampson used Bassett on the left side of a midfield diamond for two matches in a row.
And it paid off as England registered wins over Belarus and Ukraine.
The versatile Chelsea player was once more a used sub, in the 4-0 victory over Sweden, before starting at centre back in the match that sealed England’s place at next year’s World Cup.
With Sampson’s side needing just a draw to book their plane tickets to Canada, they went one better and were 3-0 up by half-time, with Bassett grabbing the third just before the interval. It was just her second England goal.
She also started the 10-0 win over Montenegro in September, England’s final World Cup qualifier, before coming on in the final few minutes of the historic match at Wembley against Germany.
