England and Tottenham forward Beth England has opened up on the Lionesses' agonising World Cup run in Australia, including what she "hated" most.
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England opens up on World Cup experienceAdmits she "hated" flyingStill hurt by final loss to SpainGettyWHAT HAPPENED?
England watched a large part of the tournament from the bench as the Lionesses made it all the way to the final, only to fall at the last hurdle to an impressive Spain side. But the Spurs star, who is currently out after a hip operation, reveals the worst thing about the showcase event in Australia and New Zealand wasn't the lack of playing time – it was the travelling.
AdvertisementWHAT ENGLAND SAID ON TRAVELLING
England told : "I actually have a big fear of flying… I hated it. I loved Australia, loved every minute of it but all the internal flights in between, it was a bit heavy for me. There was one flight I was really unwell afterwards and the girls were all laughing at me but I just felt like I was going to be sick. Flying is not for me. They were together in that they were laughing at me in unison. It's part of the game though and it was a great experience for us to be out there and to do what we did."
Getty ImagesWHAT ENGLAND SAID ON LOSING THE FINAL
The 29-year-old also opened up on the disappointment of losing the final in Sydney, adding: "I probably feel the same now as I did at the time; we fell short. On the day we weren't good enough to win. We wanted to be better and bring it home like we did during the Euros but it just wasn't meant to be. I'm still proud of how we handled ourselves throughout the World Cup and how we did as a group. To say you're second best in the world is something not many can say. We still want to strive for more and hopefully there's an opportunity again for us to win it but we did the best we could on the day."
THE BIGGER PICTURE
The forward joined Tottenham at the beginning of last season after spending six years with rivals Chelsea, and immediately hit the ground running. England scored 12 goals in 12 league matches as her new club could only manage a ninth-placed finish. However, she has missed the start of the current campaign with a hip problem. In England's absence, Spurs have risen as high as fourth, and will be hoping to climb higher still when she eventually makes her return.