England Supporters Club

Wembley Cup Final gives fresh challenge for Laura Bassett

The rain hammered down but still Laura Bassett did not bother to shelter under a proffered umbrella.

“What’s the point,” she said, wiping rivulets of water out of her eyes, “I’m wet through as it is.”

Not so long ago it was tears of horrified disappointment – viewed by millions – she was wiping out of her eyes after that accidental own goal at the World Cup finals.

It ended the Lionesses’ tilt for the trophy and, rather wonderfully, began the international stardom of Bassett of Notts County, England and redoubtable stuff.

Pretty much nobody blamed her, especially since she had enjoyed such a fine tournament, pitting her canny defensive skills against some of the greatest players in the world. And now that she is home, she is a star.

Not that she felt like it out on the pitch in the rain after Notts County’s defeat to Arsenal recently. Few sports people would raise a smile in such circumstances, let alone endure a post-match interview.

But the 31-year-old – it is her 32nd birthday on Sunday – has played years of women’s football in anonymity and relative poverty. Attention is still a novelty.

Even at a wedding last weekend, she could barely catch a moment’s rest until she had played table football with a raft of children who had joyously identified her.

“There I was, all dressed up, hair and makeup done, and the kids got me on the table football. And they were all beating me – I’m rubbish at table football," she told the Women’s Sport Trust.

"They were saying, ‘I’ve got to get a picture with you and send it to my mate. They’ll be so jealous’. That never happened before [the World Cup].

“It already feels like so long ago… a distant memory. But still everyone wants to talk to us about the World Cup and how proud they feel of us.”

As with all of Mark Sampson’s heroes who returned from Canada, the aftermath has been as incredible as the tournament itself.

Just days after landing back in England, Bassett and her team-mates met Prince William, David Cameron at 10 Downing Street and watched the Ladies’ Wimbledon tennis semi-finals on Centre Court.

“It was the most surreal day of my life,” she says. “It will stay in our memories and our hearts for a very long time. It was so special that we could spend it together as well so soon after coming home.”

An appearance on Loose Women beckoned too with international colleague and Arsenal defender Casey Stoney, where the pair were surprised with a video tribute from none other than former Liverpool and England captain Steven Gerrard.

"He’s such a legend, we all look up to him. To hear he watched us, looked out for us, was excited and we made him proud, it certainly makes you feel good.

"Me and Casey didn’t know anything about that VT. It was really, really nice. Although it did make me laugh because he said, ‘I’ll see you around when I bump into you’.".

The crowds in the WSL have increased substantially since the Lionesses returned from Canada, and most fixtures more than double their normal attendances on the first weekend back after the break.

That phenomenon has not gone unnoticed by Bassett and her team-mates. Indeed, it is as notable an achievement as their World Cup bronze medal.

“I think even people who hadn’t watched football before fell in love with our team,” she says. “That’s quite hard to achieve, isn’t it?”

Tickets for the 2015 SSE Women’s FA Cup Final on are available on the door at Wembley Stadium, buy yours online here or call 0844 826 2010.