A debut for Lauren James as a sub in England Women’s World Cup qualifying clincher against Austria hopefully heralds the start of a long international career for Chelsea’s combative forward, who turns 21 later this month.
James came on for Ella Toone with just over 10 minutes remaining of the match – part of a double substitution that also saw Jess Carter gain valuable gametime.
The disappointment, as the Lionesses cemented their place in next year’s global tournament Down Under with a 2-0 win, was that only 2,600 were in attendance at the SC Weiner Neustadt stadium – a venue smaller than Chelsea’s Kingsmeadow.
While women’s football is powering away as a sport in its own right in England, there’s clearly a lot of ground to make up in other parts of Europe.
The Lionesses played in front of near-full houses at Old Trafford and Wembley during the Euros, yet quarter-finalists Austria were reluctant to stage the international at somewhere with a larger capacity.
No such fears as Chelsea Women play West Ham at Stamford Bridge this Sunday lunchtime. While 39,923 watched the men take on the Irons last weekend at the Bridge, the club is confident it can attract more than 25,000 to watch a women’s league game.
The hope is to exceed the attendance at the equivalent game in 2019, months before the Covid pandemic swept the planet, when 24,564 watched Beth England score the only goal as the Blues beat Spurs in the first WSL game of the season.
England also featured as a sub in the Lionesses’ game against Austria, coming on just after the hour mark for scorer Alessia Russo, and hoping that Ellen White’s retirement from international football will offer her more opportunities up front for the national team, instead of merely warming up on the touchline or gazing on from the bench.
Lauren James is likely to play a role in Sunday’s match at the Bridge, but as an impact second-half sub with Sam Kerr and Pernille Harder preferred up front, while Erin Cuthbert continues to adjust to Emma Hayes’ new tactical position for the Scot, linking play between defence and midfield.
Harder helped Denmark seal their own place in the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, scoring in a 5-1 win over Montenegro, while Guro Reiten and Maren Mjelde confirmed Norway’s qualification with a surprisingly assured 1-0 away win against much-fancied Belgium.
The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and unless specifically stated are not necessarily those of Hammersmith & Fulham Council.
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