Bethany back with a bang

After three months out, Bethany England returned to action in style with four goals in a training ground friendly against Gibraltar national women’s team at Hotspur Way on Friday.

Bethany, who scored 12 goals in 12 games to help steer us away from trouble in the Women’s Super League last season after joining us in January, underwent hip surgery in early September. Indeed, her last action was off the bench in the World Cup Final for England against Spain on 20 August.

Head Coach Robert Vilahamn appointed Bethany as captain in September and was delighted to see her take this important step on her road back. “Gibraltar are quite new as a national team, so it was ideal for us in terms of a game where we could dictate play and get Bethany into the right positions,” he said.

“And she was brilliant… scored four goals, had an assist, so that was perfect. She played 45 minutes, did all the running at half-time, so everything went to plan, and she looked very happy afterwards.

“It’s a big moment for us, she’s our captain and I was able to see in those minutes how she speaks to the players, how she makes them calm, how they want to try and find her in attacking areas and then, how she finishes those chances. There is something extra about Bethany, her quality, how she is around the team… she will have a huge impact for us going forward, I’m sure.

“It was a really good exercise for us. We worked on attacking combinations, different phases of our game and it was the perfect way to introduce Bethany back, and for the team. In the second half, we played some younger players, so that was great experience for them as well.”