Reading forward Natasha Harding says becoming the latest Welsh footballer to win 100 caps "means everything", but insists there will be no time for celebrations until the job is done in their latest World Cup qualifier.
Wales take on Kazakhstan at the Astana Arena on Tuesday night, and Harding is poised to become the latest Welsh star to reach a century of international appearances. She follows on from Jess Fishlock, Chris Gunter, Gareth Bale, Wayne Hennessey, Helen Ward, Loren Dykes and Sophie Ingle in joining the Welsh 100 Club.
Commenting on her potential achievement, the 33-year-old said: “This means everything to me, to put your name in the history books and as an openly gay women to do that, it’s amazing.
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“We try to be inspirations for others, and I truly believe if you can see it, you can believe it and be it. I’m sure tomorrow will be an amazing game, but I just want to get three points and maybe celebrate on the plane back.”
Meanwhile, boss Gemma Grainger says Wales will be focusing on "staying patient" as they bid to break down Kazakhstan’s defence and keep their bid for a first World Cup on track.
Grainger’s side could go second and occupy the all-important play-off spot if they win in Astana and Slovenia lose to France. This would put Wales in a healthy position with remaining fixtures against unfancied Greece and a potentially mouth-watering clash against Slovenia at home.
Captain Sophie Ingle said: “This is a massive game. We have to get three points, but it is going to be tough, it’s always tough against the teams that block up.
“We have to stay patient and believe in ourselves that we can get the goals. It’s about staying calm and sticking to our game plan.”
The women in red are also sticking to UK time despite the match being played in Kazakhstan, five hours ahead. Coach Grainger said: “I’m trying to block out the time because mentally and psychologically all our watches are on UK time. It’s the best thing to do because we didn’t have the chance to travel out earlier and acclimatise.”
It took the team nine hours to get to Kazakhstan after a one hour stop off in Turkey. On the game, Grainger added: “We’re all about the performance because we know if we get the performance right the result will take care of itself. That will be our mindset from the first minute to the last.”
A return to winning ways would be most welcome for Wales, who head into this game on the back of a brave 2-1 defeat at the hands of Group I leaders France on Friday. That result has left Grainger's side eight points behind the French, who look set to claim the top spot needed for automatic World Cup qualification.
In their first meeting, the women in red thrashed Kazakhstan 6-0 at Llanelli’s Parc-Y-Scarlets, but Wales will surely not be taking anything for granted this time around. Even so, they will surely be favourites in taking on a side that has conceded 23 goals in six games so far.
