Monday 22nd February, 2010

Students hoping for success over Swiss at Forthbank!

Five female footballers are facing a big night at Forthbank as they look to repeat the feat of their scholarship pals.

In 2008, Scotland reached the UEFA European Women's U-19 Championships for the first ever time. That squad included six players now supported by Winning Students, Scotland's sports scholarship scheme for student athletes.

University of Stirling students Frankie Brown, Jo Hutcheson, Molly McKean, Christie Murray and Jane Ross as well as captain Rachel Corsie, an Accounting and Finance student at Robert Gordon University, all wrote themselves into the history books in France.

Murray, a Sport and Exercise Science student, scored one of Scotland's two goals at the showpiece finals and on Friday (26 February), a further five Winning Students scholars will be taking a big step towards their own Championship dreams.

Forth Valley College students Sarah Crilly, Lisa Evans, Eilish McSorley and Emma Mitchell join Stirling undergraduate Lee Alexander in the Scotland U19 squad for the International Challenge match against Switzerland, taking place at the home of Stirling Albion FC.

And Kimberly Thomson, a Physical and Professional Education student at Stirling is on the standby list in what is the last chance for the players to impress the coaches before the crucial second round of the 2009/10 Championship qualifiers.

Central midfielder Mitchell, back in the squad after recovering from knee ligament problems, said: "At times over the last few months I've been pretty low, but to be selected means all my rehab work has paid off. We are playing a really tough team, but the big games are the better ones to play in.

"It is nice to have so many of the academy players together, we work together well and put in a lot of hard work so we have proved we deserve to be there. And knowing some of the other academy players have reached the finals before gives us the determination to do it for ourselves - if they can do it then so can we."

Having negotiated their way out of a group which included Italy, the Scots must now emerge victorious in a quartet with Holland, Denmark and Finland if they are to reach the main event in FYR Macedonia in May.

The players will have a short distance to travel from their base at the University of Stirling, where they train together as part of the Scottish FA National Women's Football Academy. Only one eligible player from the Academy was not selected, but Lauren McMurchie is on the road to a full recovery after a cruciate injury.

While the U19s are busy battling a strong Swiss team, Scotland's A squad are in sunnier climes for the Cyprus Cup. U19 goal-hero Murray has been drafted into the squad to take on Holland, Italy and New Zealand this week, joining her University colleagues Brown, from Bridge of Allan and Ross, from Rothesay.

Academy manager Pauline Hamill, Scotland's most capped internationalist, is also part of the travelling squad. Reflecting on the U19 selection, she said: "It is a credit to the hard work the players have put in over the last few months. It is a fantastic opportunity to represent their country and they should use the game against Switzerland and their time at the academy to get into the best possible shape to help Scotland qualify."