Character, grit, resilience – a few words that could be used to describe the England Under-17s ahead of their eagerly anticipated World Cup semi-final against Spain on Thursday night in the Dominican Republic. Natalie Henderson’s Young Lionesses have navigated a path to the final four. It has been far from plain sailing but their bravery and courage has shone, underpinned by talent and potential.
A core value of this team is to “find a way”. It is a motto that courses through the squad – a belief that no matter what is thrown at them, they will dig in, adapt and come out the other side.
Over the past few weeks, this value has been tested to the maximum. In their dramatic group match against Mexico, England came from behind and a player down to win 4-2 and progress to the knockout stages. Many sides might have sat tight and seen out the game at 2-2 for a valuable point. Not this England team, who were determined not to leave their hopes of progress hanging on an encounter with North Korea in the final match. In the 88th minute and with the game finely balanced, the sight of England’s left-back Rachel Maltby surging into the centre-forward position to turn home a delivery from their right-back epitomised this never-say-die attitude.
A comprehensive 4-0 defeat by North Korea, the outstanding team in the tournament, did little to dent their confidence. At this level, it goes down as a lesson learned, and another feature of this England side is that they learn quickly. No time for panic or to let their heads drop; just pick themselves back up and keep on trying. This was evident once more in the quarter-final against Japan last Sunday night as they fell behind twice before pulling themselves back to win on penalties.
The decision to bring on the 17-year-old goalkeeper Rebekah Dowsett – the only player in the squad not to have played in the tournament at that point – minutes before the shootout was as courageous as they come. As was her performance in saving two spot-kicks to see her side through.
“We talk in our team about everyone playing a role … each person has their strength and I believe that penalties is mine,” she told Fifa+ afterwards. “I am just so happy that I could show it and prove it to the world.”
The Football Association has put a lot of work into developing the England pathway. The talent pool is widening due to the work of Kay Cossington, the FA women’s technical director and her team, while club academies are playing an important role. Among the current squad, there are players from Arsenal, Leicester, Chelsea, Manchester City, Sunderland, Aston Villa and Liverpool while Erica Parkinson plays in Portugal for Valadares Gaia and Lauryn Thompson is based in the US with Indy Eleven.
Laila Harbert is the heartbeat of their midfield, her development in the Arsenal setup and during a loan spell at Watford clear to see. At right-back, Leicester’s Nelly Las has put in performances that have put her in line to be one of the players of the tournament. Lola Brown, meanwhile, is an indefatigable bundle of energy down the wing with the playmaking abilities to move into the No 10 role as needed. The list continues.
Steering the ship is the composed and positive Henderson, who clearly understands the role she plays in developing her players on and off the field. A Newcastle native, she has always dreamed of being a coach and honed her skills in Newcastle’s academy. She has achieved plenty since joining the FA in 2021. In May this year, she guided England to their first Euros final to cement their World Cup qualification for the first time since 2016. Now, this squad are the first England Under-17s to reach a World Cup semi-final since 2008.
Their next challenge comes in the form of Spain, a familiar opponent from May’s European Championship final and the World Cup holders. England found it incredibly tough that day, falling to a 4-0 defeat, but the preparation it provided for this moment will have been invaluable. With the prize of a World Cup final in sight, the resilience and character they have already displayed will be needed like never before.
