She knows she may well have to settle for a place on the bench for England against Spain in the Euros final on Sunday (27 July).
But as a Lioness supersub, west London football star Chloe Kelly looks destined to play some part in the game.
It was Kelly, after all, who netted the 110th-minute winner at Wembley at the final of Euro 2022, when she celebrated by whipping off her top and whirling it round her head – a tribute to her favourite QPR player of all time, Bobby Zamora.
Kelly is an 'Rs' fan through and through, having grown up just down the road in Hanwell. "I was a season ticket holder at Loftus Road, and it's always nice to go back there," she said, confirming that the famous Wembley shirt whirl was an echo of Zamora's celebration following his 2014 goal which secured Rangers promotion to the Premier League.
Born in January 1998, the youngest of seven siblings, Kelly's footballing career began with kickabouts in the park with her brothers and sisters before joining QPR's women's youth set-up at the age of eight, and then playing for the club's U10s team.
The then QPR FC Women's manager Steve Quashie remembers her as "a nice eight-year-old, involved in training programmes and our development process".
He added: "She played in our Under-10 team in the Home Counties Cup, and that team was full of some talented players. She is one that would just glide past opponents, had some lovely receiving skills and some good movement.
"But she also was tenacious. That came from playing football with her brothers. She always had a beaming smile at training because she was playing for the club she loves."
Kelly was part of a QPR youth team that remained undefeated for two straight years before joining Arsenal's Centre of Excellence when she was 12.
After the Gunners, she had loan spells at Everton, joined Man City and has now gone full circle back to Arsenal, where she was a Champions League winner. But her heart remains in W12.
"I enjoy every moment of my football, and it's great to see how the Lionesses team inspires not just girls but the nation too," said Kelly, who still gets to as many Rangers matches as she can, with her family.
Zamora, who is equally claimed by rival Whites as one of Fulham's own (not to mention by fans of West Ham and Brighton), joined the Rangers in early 2012, scored on his debut and went on to net a dozen times for the Shepherds Bush club. He's a big fan of women's football, having three daughters of his own.
Meanwhile Chelsea star Lucy Bronze, whose headed goal from a tight angle helped England overcome Italy in the semis, summed up teammate Chloe Kelly as a mix of "attitude, sass and confidence".
The Lionesses may start Sunday's final as marginal underdogs. But the west London spirit could yet make all the difference!
The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and unless specifically stated are not necessarily those of Hammersmith & Fulham Council.
