England's Lionesses, The Next Gen

Why our Euros winners are now facing a fight for their futures

- SIMON COLLINGS

IT is 14 years since Kay Cossington received the phone call, but she can still remember it now. The person on the other end was from Blackburn Rovers and she was adamant Cossington had to come see this young girl in action. Cossington, who is the FA's Women's Technical Director, was a one-woman band at the time and drove all over the country looking for the next generation of Lionesses.

After some persuading, she finally made the trip up from her home in Kent to see Blackburn's Under-14s play at a local tournament in Preston.

"I turn up and there were kids everywhere," Cossington tells Standard Sport. "I had no idea where I was going, so I phoned the lady - no answer. I eventually found the Under-14s and I was like, ah, I am guessing this is the player you wanted me to see. She got the ball, walked round everyone, scored a goal and came back. One of her teammates would win the ball and give it to her straight away. It was almost like she was a magnet.

"Who was that player? It was Keira Walsh."

Unearthing the gems