BRONZE: SILVER IS ALL I WANT
Lucy urges England to seize chance of lifetime
LUCY BRONZE has urged the Lionesses to seize the chance of a lifetime with the country gripped by Euros fever.
Television figures hit a peak of 9.3million for England’s semi-final win over Sweden as they clinched a place in Sunday’s final at Wembley. The BBC received another two million requests for online streams of the game. UEFA released 4000 extra tickets and they were snapped up within minutes of going on sale yesterday morning with the 90,000-seater stadium guaranteed to be sold out. But England hero Bronze insists just reaching the final will not be enough as the Lionesses are determined to win their first major trophy in front of a new record TV audience and crowd. Bronze said: “It’s certainly not done yet. For players like myself and Ellen and Fran who’ve experienced a lot of semi-final defeats, it’s nice to get over those defeats and finally get ourselves in the final. “But it’s certainly not job done. Anyone I’ve spoken to before the tournament knows I was always focused on wanting to win the final.
“We’ve every chance of doing that. That was a job we came here to do and now we’ve got ourselves in the best position to do that.”
Captain Leah Williamson insists her generation are determined to complete an “incredible” journey by beating Germany on Sunday.
Williamson, 25, started her career at a time when the women’s game was still part time and they could only dream of days like these.
It promises to be a huge moment in time for the Lionesses and Williamson insisted that the final and potential Euros glory is everything they have been working towards.
She said: “One hundred per cent. We started a journey and we’ve got people with us. We’ve changed the game and that’s what’s happened, but that’s the people before us.
“That’s the likes of Carol Thomas, Jill Scott, Ellen White, who I looked at and was inspired by when I was younger.
“Now it is about doing our job on the pitch. That’s the biggest way we can contribute and that’s what we are focused on.”
Arsenal star Williamson has been a driving force throughout the tournament as she has led from the back, guiding the team through difficult moments.
They certainly had testing times at Bramall Lane but playing against Germany at Wembley will be all her dreams come true in one moment.
Williamson says Wembley will be a unique, unforgettable occasion for the whole team and one all of the squad will cherish forever, especially playing in front of a full capacity crowd.
She said: “I want to appreciate it for what it is. I know I have a job to do, but who says I can’t enjoy those moments and the team can’t enjoy those moments? That’s what I hope that we are giving off that vibe because that’s what it is.
“It’s genuine and the crowd can enjoy that with us. I hope that crowd at Wembley is going to have as good a time as we are going to have, because I promise you, we will enjoy it.”
The FA already have new security measures in place after the crowd violence seen at the men’s Euros last July, with an alcohol ban in specific areas around the stadium, a wider perimeter and extra security measures.
Police experts believe a different crowd plus an earlier kick-off time of 5pm will ensure there is less risk of trouble.
Anyone I’ve spoken to knows I was always focused on wanting to win the final