An England Lioness has spoken of the long route she’s taken to becoming a World Cup finalist, and it all began in a Barnsley fish and chip shop.
Sarina Wiegman’s side will face Spain on Sunday as England’s women’s team take part in a World Cup final for the very first time.
Yet it’s a far cry from one member’s early beginnings, where she was shovelling chips into the hands of locals as she juggled a day job around her footballing career and finishing her A Levels.
After spending four years with Barnsley’s youth team, this England star signed for Sheffield United’s all-girls team before moving to Doncaster Belles, aged 16, to become a first-team regular.
However, her fledging football career had to be manoeuvred around her 9-5 shifts serving cod and chips, sometimes working on match days and having just three hours sleep before taking her place up front the Belles.
Bethany England has come a long way after beginning her career at Doncaster Belles
England used to juggle shifts working in a fish and chip shop alongside her football career
The England striker made sure of her World Cup place after scoring 13 goals for Tottenham
Your browser does not support iframes.
The tough routine saw striker Bethany England admit in a 2020 interview that it was the hard graft that helped her get where she is today.
‘Everyone’s journey is different,’ England said.
‘I can’t say mine has been easy. It’s just been a long old roll, just putting myself out there, trying to prove myself.
‘I have always been a grafter. My parents brought me up to never give up and be a worker.’
The work certainly paid off for England, after helping Doncaster to promotion in 2016 she earned herself a move to WSL side Chelsea.
During her time with the Blues, the Lioness would net over 70 goals for the club and win four WSL titles, as coach Emma Hayes hailed her as the best number nine in the league.
The striker came off the bench and scored in England’s penalty shoot out win over Nigeria
Chelsea coach Emma Hayes called England the WSL’s best number nine during her seven-year stint with the Blues
Seeking more first-team opportunities ahead of this summer’s World Cup, England moved to Spurs in January for a domestic record fee of £250,000 and her 13 goals helped the club avoid relegation.
That form helped secure her a place in Wiegman’s World Cup squad and England has already played an important role in the team’s run to the final.
The Tottenham striker has proved to be a useful weapon Wiegman’s side, coming off the bench as another attacking option in games against Denmark, China, Nigeria and Colombia.
Keeping her nerve to slot home one of the spot-kicks in the Lionesses penalty shootout win over Nigeria in the tournament’s last sixteen.
Now the striker could go from serving up dinner to Barnsley locals, to help serving up England’s first World Cup win since 1966.
IT’S ALL KICKING OFF!
It’s All Kicking Off is an exciting new podcast from Mail Sport that promises a different take on Premier League football, launching with a preview show today and every week this season.
It is available on MailOnline, Mail+, YouTube , Apple Music and Spotify
Your browser does not support iframes.
ncG1vNJzZmhqZGy7psPSmqmorZ6Zwamx1qippZxemLyue82erqxnmpawrK3SrGSsrJGneqOtzGakmqqXmr%2BiedGerZ6ZnKh6qbXSZpmepqShsrp51pqqZqukpLmmuoyfqailXZZ6qK3SZqqtmaSevK95wKebZpuilsCpscNmoKesn2KubrTOrqqeZw%3D%3D