Carney hopes England Can Continue perfect start on Saturday
England v Wales FIFA Women’s World Cup 2015 Group 6 Qualifier
7.05pm, Saturday 26 October 2013 The Den, Millwall FC Ticket hotline 0844 826 2004
Karen Carney wants England to maintain the momentum picked up during last month’s emphatic opening to the World Cup qualifiers.
Brent Hills’s side take on Wales at The Den on Saturday hoping to extend their 100 per cent start to their Canada 2015 campaign.
Carney bagged a hat-trick as England defeated Belarus 6-0 at Bournemouth in their Group 6 opener and played a big part in their 8-0 rout of Turkey five days later.
And the forward has targeted another win at the weekend – but is expecting a much tougher assignment against the Dragons.
Carney said: “If we get the win then we will be in a nice position, but we can’t just turn up and assume we’ll win. We have to prepare properly and do what we did for the last two games.
“It will not be easy for either side and you will not see anywhere near as many goals as last month. But we will give it our best shot. We’d love to get the three points to continue our good start.
“This game will be much harder than our first two games, that’s for sure. There will be a good tempo to the game and I think it will be a great game to watch, it should be really exciting.”
The Birmingham star, who recently signed a new contract with the Blues, is satisfied with England’s performance in the first two qualifiers, especially after such a disappointing European Championship campaign in the summer. The Three Lions finished bottom of their group, losing two of their three games.
She added: “It was a good way to bounce back. It was our chance to try and prove that what happened in Sweden was just a blip. We are not a bad team and we just needed to regroup and go again.
“We kept going in both games even after we had built up a comfortable lead. You should always try to progress even during a game. Even when we were 5-0 up we still wanted our passes to go to a white shirt. We tried to implement everything we had worked on in training - we always try to practise good habits and I think that came across in the last two games.”
Carney also revealed her delight at the strength in depth in the current England set-up. The 26-year-old has earned 87 caps in her eight-year international career and is next in line to reach triple figures – where she will join four current team-mates on that landmark tally.
But a number of younger players have started to make an impression in the senior team, particularly the band of players who helped the U19s win the European Championship in 2009 – Jade Moore, Jordan Nobbs, Toni Duggan, Gemma Bonner and Lucy Bronze. Arsenal youngster Danielle Carter has also been called up for the last three matches.
Carney explained: “Whether you’re established in the squad or not, we are all fighting for a place in the team, which is how it should be. The competition for places is fierce and we all know there are a couple of players who could step in and take our place at any time.
“The training is competitive and it’s great to be a part of. No-one can take their foot off the pedal because they will find themselves out of the squad.
“The way I look at it is that every time I put on an England shirt it’s always borrowed; it’s never your shirt because someone can always take it off you.”
Read more at http://www.thefa.com/england/womens-seniors/News/2013/world-cup-qualifier-wales-the-den-millwall-karen-carney#H47qq80LDG1vpGRk.99
