Rayer tipping 12th man to be England’s key
ELLIE RAYER hopes England can be carried to a first Women’s World Cup win tonight by their ‘12th man’.
England take on the United States in their second Pool B clash hoping to improve on their disappointing 1-1 draw with India in Saturday’s opener.
They are also hoping to atone for their dispiriting defeat by the Stars and Stripes at the last World Cup.
England need a win to leave them in a favourable position to top Pool B before their clash against Ireland on Sunday.
England are now world No2 behind Holland with a markedly different side from 2014.
And Rayer, one of 15 new recruits called up for the Tokyo 2020 cycle, admitted she had never played in front of a crowd quite like the one she experienced at the Olympic Park in England’s opener.
The East Grinstead midfielder said: “I had a little peek before the India game to get an idea of what it would be like. I wasn’t aware of the fireworks, flames and the band. The cheer was very special.
“It showed how far hockey has come that we can play in front of 10,000 crowds like that. We train at Bisham every day to play in front of numbers like these.
“The buzz created when we moved forward was like a 12th man. You could really feel that and it was a cool experience knowing they were rooting for you.” One
BUZZING: Fans have lifted Rayer
potential cause for concern remains England’s penalty corner routines. The side have lacked a figurehead at the top of the circle for set-piece strikes since the heyday of Crista Cullen, who has retired post Rio.
England won nine penalty corners against India, scoring only one from a rebound in the circle.
But Rayer said: “We just got back on the training pitch, rehearsed some corners and it’s about going back out there with nothing to worry about.”
Rayer is also making headway off the pitch when it comes to gelling the team together. Lily Owsley, who scored against India, is seen as the queen of board games at the team hotel but now has competition in Rayer, who said: “I’ve packed a whole toy bag and got all the cards and games set up in my room.”