...AND HERE’S SISTER JEN!

GIVEN she has earned 110 caps for Scotland and is living the dream at Manchester City, it takes a lot to halt Jen Beattie. But is she unstoppable? Sadly the answer is no as she realised her finals dream was shattered last year. With the Scotland women’s camp buzzing as they prepared for their first major finals at Euro 2017, Beattie was left heartbroken as an ankle injury ruled her out of last summer’s festival. It was a devastating blow for the centre-half at the time. However, Beattie, in Spain as Shelley Kerr’s team prepare to face New Zealand today, is only thinking of reaching next year’s World Cup in France. ‘Nothing motivates you to reach a major finals more than missing one through injury,’ said the 26-year-old. ‘Every day last summer, I made it my main focus to get back stronger and better than I was before. ‘Shelley was excellent with me, phoning me for chats and making me think ahead rather than be frustrated I was missing the Euros. ‘I did find it hard but I am now determined to help us get to the World Cup. I’ve never been as driven about something as I am about getting us to France 2019.’ Such passion runs in the Beattie family. Her father John and older brother Johnnie chose rugby instead of football and their competitiveness is evident. The ex-Montpellier, Celtic and Arsenal star has helped Scotland to victory in their first two World Cup qualifiers. And she believes new coach Kerr, a former team-mate, can take the Scots to France. She added: ‘She’s changed things for the better and she is a top head coach.’