Boss Sampson thrilled as hard work pays off for England

Saturday 04 Jun 2016
Mark Sampson's team play Serbia again on Tuesday

Manager Mark Sampson felt England got their rewards for putting in the hard yards on the training pitch, as they closed in on a place at the European Championship.

Karen Carney hit a hat-trick, while there were goals too for Alex Greenwood, debutant Rachel Daly, Ellen White and Isobel Christiansen, back with the squad after injury.

And Sampson was thrilled to witness a complete performance.

England 7-0 Serbia

European Championship qualifier

Saturday 4 June 2016

Adams Park, Wycombe

 "It was important to be a little bit more clinical in front of goal and credit to the players," he said.

"They worked really hard this week. Their attitude to training and meetings and the way they have been with each other has been exceptional, so they deserve that performance.

"You can feel it. When they get the build up and preparation right they can produce performances like that, so I’m really pleased.

"It’s important to score goals and we kept another clean sheet. KB (Karen Bardsley) only had to make one save; that meant we stayed solid but we were still compact and organised and inventive in the final third.

"Special mention to the two debutants, Rachel Daly and Nikita Parris, we’re pleased for them to join the Lioness family."

England had scored three goals in the three previous qualifiers before arriving at Adams Park.

But they were simply too strong for Serbia, who they meet again on Tuesday.

And hat-trick hero Carney was delighted a packed stadium had so much to cheer.

"It’s really good for us to get seven goals at home," said the Chelsea forward.

"We’ve struggled in the last couple of games, so for us to come back home score a lot of goals and play really well was the main thing to get the Lionesses back on the map.

"We’re grateful to the fans who came and supported us, we had another sell-out crowd which is fantastic and hopefully when we come back we’ll sell out again.

"I’m proud to represent England and to score is a special achievement.

"You’re always excited to represent your country and we’ve found our rhythm again now. We’re excited for Tuesday. We need to recover well. We fly tomorrow, so we’ll enjoy some family time now."

By Josh Richards Digital Producer