Kirby pleased that England could get the win for ‘ultimate professional’ Bright

Fran Kirby said that she was pleased that England could get the win against Austria as a tribute to their captain Millie Bright.

The Lionesses defeated the Austrians 1-0 at The Stadium of Light in Sunderland in a game which saw both Kirby and Bright play the full 90 minutes. The latter walked out with the captain’s armband in the absence of Arsenal’s Leah Williamson who missed out on selection for this month’s games with a hamstring injury.

When speaking to FAWSL Full-Time after the match, Kirby paid tribute to her Chelsea and England teammate Bright and said that she was pleased that the Lionesses won the game for their captain.

“Millie is the ultimate professional,” Kirby said. “She got her head down, she wanted everyone to do well and she was a leader on the pitch when we needed her.

“That role really brings out the qualities in her and I am really, really proud as a teammate to see her wear the captain’s armband. I know how hard she works and how much passion she has for the game playing for her country.

“I am really, really happy for her and I am pleased that we could get the win when she was captain.”

Despite the North East having been battered by severe gales overnight, over 9,000 fans attended the match at The Stadium of Light and Kirby paid tribute to those who were able to make the game.

She said “I just want to say a massive thank you from all of us. We are the lucky ones who get to run around and keep warm but they had to sit there (in the cold). Hopefully, we put on a good show for them today to keep their spirits high, they were singing the whole way through supporting us.

“I’ve seen a lot in the media before the game about it not being great up here because of what has happened with the storm and everything like that so we are really, really happy and really thankful that the fans have come out today to support us. We got the win for them, we knew that it wasn’t the best conditions to come and watch us so we are really happy.”

England return to action on Tuesday evening when they face Latvia at The Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster.