White demands carnival atmosphere

By Pete Sanderson in Blackburn

England captain Faye White knows her side can "turn their performance up a gear" in their Group A showdown with Denmark but has asked the supporters for an "exact repeat" of the spectacular sideshow they put on during the 3-2 win over Finland.

Carnival atmosphere
The England fans' roadshow moves from the City of Manchester Stadium to Blackburn Rovers FC's Ewood Park for the second leg of their UEFA WOMEN'S EURO 2005™ campaign and, although the attendance is not expected to match the record 29,092 who visited Manchester on Sunday, White wants the same carnival atmosphere to help England to victory tonight.

Total focus
"The feeling as we walked out will stay with me for the rest of my life," White told uefa.com. "I have played in front of 30,000 people in France before, but they have always been cheering the other team, so the City of Manchester Stadium on Sunday was a sensational experience for me and all the girls. The fans created so much noise – an incredible atmosphere and we want an exact repeat at Ewood Park."

Danish draw
The 27–year-old centre-half was forced off in the second half against Finland and as England tired, the Scandinavians grabbed a late equaliser after a defensive error. Both White and coach Hope Powell conceded England had struggled to find the fluency shown in their build-up to the tournament when they won nine out of ten friendlies - but the Arsenal LFC player said they were keen to put it right against a talented Danish team who drew 1-1 with group favourites Sweden on the opening day.

Speedy wingers
"There was a sense of 'we can do better' and 'we want to do better'," said White. "We won but we know we did not play particularly well. We have the opportunity to put things right against Denmark. They are a tough team who possess two quick wingers and our defence will have our work cut out to keep Merete Pedersen and Johanna Rasmussen quiet."

Vital goal
White was also full of praise for youngster Karen Carney who scored the added-time winner against the Finns. "I gave Karen a big hug after the final whistle and said 'well done' – it was a tremendous finish," she said. "There is good spirit in the squad and we knew it was thanks to her in the end that we got the win, so it was important we told her how much we appreciated her efforts."

Tunnel vision
Asked if she had ambitions of winning the tournament, White admitted she had always dreamt of lifting the trophy but could not afford to think beyond the next game. "In the back of my mind I have thought about going all the way," she said. "I am a winner and I am ambitious and I know exactly what I am striving for, so it would be wrong not to believe we can go all the way. But at the same time I am a professional and know it would be stupid to start looking beyond the Denmark game right now."