White inspired by tennis star

30 July 2015 02:16

Ellen White is taking inspiration from Laura Bassett and Serena Williams as she bids to fire Notts County Ladies to Wembley glory on Saturday.

The SSE Women's FA Cup final is being staged at the national stadium for the first time, and a record 30,000-strong crowd is expected as White, Bassett and Co tackle Chelsea Ladies.

As a winner of the competition with Arsenal in 2011 and 2013, striker White is bidding to complete a medal hat-trick.

The resilience of County skipper and England team-mate Bassett, who has brushed off her World Cup semi-final own goal heartbreak, plus the crossover appeal of American tennis star Williams, give the Buckinghamshire-born 26-year-old all the motivation she needs for such major occasions.

" We all rallied around Laura. She's a fantastic character, mentally very tough, and she was straight back into it with Notts County," White said.

"I thought she had a fantastic tournament at the World Cup - and we're so proud she's part of Notts County and she's our captain. She's put all that to one side to focus on Notts County and we're right here next to her.

"With Serena Williams, I went with the England team to watch her at Wimbledon and I heard an interview after she won the final, when she was talking about how she'd had a lot of setbacks in her life, how she'd gone away from tennis and she'd built herself back up to come back and be one of the best players ever.

"She's incredibly inspiring and an amazing inspiration to women who would like to play sport - not just tennis players but all different sports. She's an incredible athlete."

County, nicknamed the Lady Pies, have caused controversy by their very existence.

Until 2013, the club competed as Lincoln Ladies, latterly playing home games at Lincoln City's Sincil Bank.

However owner Ray Trew, who took control of Notts County in 2010, then merged the men's and women's clubs in his portfolio to make Nottingham the base for his twin investments.

The switch safeguarded the renamed club's place in the Women's Super League top tier, as criteria were tightened in an era of increasing professionalism.

Yet it drew fierce criticism, with disenchanted Lincoln supporters likening the club to the breakaway MK Dons, the men's side that began life as Wimbledon before uprooting to Milton Keynes.

White joined County from Arsenal in time for the first season in Nottingham, but immediately suffered a knee injury that sidelined her for 11 months.

She sprung back to action this March, earning an England call for the World Cup, and hopes the Wembley showpiece serves as a springboard for the club.

Notts County are determined to wow their new neighbourhood and impress a national audience in a game screened by BBC One, as they compete against players who rub shoulders at their Cobham training base with the likes of John Terry - Chelsea Ladies' club president - and Jose Mourinho.

"It's a great moment for Nottingham," White, who played for Chelsea as a teenager, told Press Association Sport.

"To bring home some silverware to the city would be fantastic. People will hopefully recognise Notts County Ladies a bit more.

"Chelsea as a club speak for themselves, but in the women's game we're right up with them.

"For an English player to be going to Wembley for an FA Cup final is an amazing experience and we all can't wait for it."

:: Tickets are available for just £15 for adults and £5 for children at www.thefa.com/tickets

Source: PA