Steph Houghton says England Women cannot wait for their World Cup homecoming.
The Lionesses take on Bosnia & Herzegovina in a Euro 2017 qualifier in Bristol on Sunday 29 November – their first home match since winning bronze at Canada 2015.
Since that historic third-place finish Mark Sampson’s side have won 8-0 in Estonia and played two matches in China.
England v Bosnia & Herzegovina
UEFA Women’s Euro 2017
Group 7 qualifier
3.30pm, Sunday 29 November
Ashton Gate, Bristol City FC
Tickets priced £5 adults, £2.50 children
They have yet to soak up the adulation of a home crowd since the summer, but with activities planned at Ashton Gate to greet the nation’s new heroes, Houghton revealed the level of excitement in the squad ahead of Sunday’s match.
She said: “I think it will be an unbelievable occasion.
“It has been a long time coming and I’d like to think that even though it’s been a few months since the World Cup, we will still get a great reception as if it was just a week after Canada.
“We need to get a result first and foremost. We want three qualifying points, but we want to put on a good performance at the same time.
“It will be a really special day with a lot of fans coming to cheer us on and I’m sure that will help make the difference.”
As Houghton alluded to, the Bosnia match is an opportunity for the players to thank the England fans for their support both during and after the World Cup.
England players celebrate after defeating Germany in Canada
“If you speak to any of the girls, they will tell you that we are still getting people coming up to us and congratulating us," the 27-year-old continued.
"That’s a really nice feeling and it’s nice to hear that people are proud of us and that we’ve inspired them. It’s great being appreciated by people that you don’t even know.
“That just shows how well we have done to inspire a nation – and not just young girls, but boys as well.
“Hopefully we can entertain them and reward them for what I know will be a great reception. We are all really looking forward to it.”
England got together at St. George’s Park on Sunday to begin preparations for the week ahead.
They take on European champions Germany in Duisburg in a tantalising friendly on Thursday before flying home for the Bosnia qualifier.
Bosnia tickets are still available priced £5 for adults and £2.50 for children.
A family ticket (two adults and two children) is available at £10 and group booking discounts apply.
Tickets can be purchased via TheFA.com/Tickets or by calling 01179 630 600.
