Vale Park aided last Euros quest from Lionesses
The countdown is well and truly on as England prepares to throw open its doors once more and play host to another major international tournament. Having taken on a leading role during Euro 2020 last summer, attention now turns to the UEFA European Women’s Championship in 2022.
The Lionesses are hitting the road once again as preparations for another shot at continental glory are finalised, with friendly dates intended to narrow focus while providing answers to any late selection or tactical posers.
Sarina Wiegman’s side are expected to go well within football betting markets, with the hope being that home comforts will work in their favour. Women’s EUROs betting has England loaded at 4/1 to claim a prestigious prize in their own backyard, with only 5/2 Spain available at a shorter price.
That all bodes well, but momentum and confidence will need to be established before and during a star-studded event in order for ultimate accolades to fall within reach. Before a ball is kicked in competitive anger, a favoured starting XI and system need to be settled on.
😍 𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐇 𝐓𝐎 𝐆𝐎 😍
Who’s getting their hands on this 🏆? #WEURO2022 pic.twitter.com/DAxMwdpfI5
— UEFA Women's EURO (@WEURO) June 6, 2022
That is where preparatory outings come into the equation, with England ready to pit their wits against Belgium, the Netherlands and Switzerland before the real business begins – with said contests taking them to Wolverhampton, Leeds and Zurich.
No path will be trodden through Staffordshire on this occasion, but Vale Park did aid the Lionesses in their last Euros quest some five years ago.
Valiant effort
Back in the April of 2017, with another European Championship looming large on the horizon, England headed to Vale Park for a meeting with Italy. The game in question represented then manager Mark Sampson’s 50th match at the helm and was always going to deliver a stern test of credentials.
So it proved, with a little over 7,000 spectators on hand to witness an entertaining 1-1 draw. Jodie Taylor gave the locals something to cheer about when breaking the deadlock with 70 minutes on the clock, but parity was restored just three minutes later when Valentina Cernoia found the target.
The Lionesses had been urged prior to kick-off to deliver “foot to the floor” football, with it important to start moving through metaphorical gears in order to arrive at an eagerly anticipated event in the best possible shape to stage a surge for the finishing line.
While Sampson’s squad put in a valiant effort at the home of the Valiants, it was not their day and positives had to be taken from a fixture that delivered as many questions as it did answers. As it happens, that proved to be no bad thing for a squad that always believed it was capable of landing a notable crown.
England fared admirably on Dutch soil that summer, making the semi-finals before eventually coming unstuck against eventual winners the Netherlands, with Taylor ending the tournament as top scorer with five goals to her name.
Another bid for European honours is now about to be opened, with memories of a visit to Vale Park helping to hammer home the point that it is not about how you start, it is how you finish – with important lessons needing to be taken from each passing fixture.