Keeper Lee wants to keep the No.1 jersey for France
For Lee Alexander, reaching the World Cup has been 13 years in the making.
From Hamilton Accies to Glasgow City, to Mallbackens in Sweden and back to Glasgow City, her quest to be Scotland’s No.1 has been realised.
But before now, playing for Scotland brought pain and heartache.
She suffered a serious leg break while on international duty in 2006 and two years later the under-19 European Championships qualifiers saw her dislocate her thumb in a match against Slovenia, ruling her out again.
In 2010, Alexander was involved as Scotland exited the U19 Euros in Macedonia at the group stage and her senior breakthrough took years to come to fruition.
But the last fortnight has made all the knocks worthwhile. She said:“The first time I went away with Scotland I must have been about 13 or so for an under-15s tournament.
“From there I went through the youth squads and had about four or five years where I wasn’t in the national set-up at all.
“I’ve had to bide my time. In the last couple of years I’ve been in and out of the main squad, but in the last year it’s been excellent for me.
“It’s a cliché, but [reaching a World Cup] is what you dream of as a young kid.”
Her performances with Glasgow City, which enabled her to gain valuable Champions League experience, have caught the eye of national boss Shelley Kerr. She handed Alexander her debut in a 3-0 win over Hungary in September 2017.
Alexander didn’t get a look in under former boss Anna Signeul, who stuck with the now retired Gemma Fay throughout her time at the helm, and Alexander was on the bench for the 2017 Euros with the senior team.
So now that she has the jersey, she’s determined to keep a hold of it with France on the horizon. She said:“I can’t complain about my journey. I’ve been very fortunate along the way.
“It’s great I’ve been with Glasgow City in the Champions League. The experience you get from playing in that almost sets you up for what international football is like.
“It gives you similar atmospheres and pressure games. I’ve benefited from those experiences. Now I need to put the work in to be in the squad that goes to the finals.
“I’m still continuing to compete, playing well and getting myself on the plane to France is my aim.”