Smith counting days until China

Kelly Smith is in upbeat mood. The England women's team, of which she is an integral part, spent late January in China playing in the Four Nations Tournament that included the female game's traditional powerhouses of Germany and the United States. England managed credible draws with both - their first ever with Germany, and excellent preparation for the FIFA Women's World Cup, which will also be held in China in September.

'Eye-opener'
"It was a big eye-opener for me and the team," Smith said. "It was a good experience to go out there, see China, deal with the travel, the jet lag, the food and the difference of tournament football." Even with six months to go, the talented playmaker is getting excited about the prospect of her first World Cup: "Each time we meet up for internationals you feel a lot of excitement within the squad, especially as everyone's fighting for places."

March friendlies
That was perhaps evident in the results achieved in China. "Drawing with the USA and Germany is a big accomplishment and parts of the games we dominated, so we have to take a lot of confidence from that," Smith said. England will have the chance to continue that form when they play Russia, Scotland and the Netherlands in home friendlies on 8, 11 and 14 March, when they should welcome captain Faye White back into the squad after a long absence due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury. The defender is not quite fit to play but will be present as part of her rehabilitation.

Personal honours
By contrast, Smith seems to have put her history of injury problems far behind her. After being voted into the top five in the 2006 FIFA Women's World Player of the Year poll, the 28-year-old was named MVP at the Four Nations Tournament and has also helped Arsenal LFC to April's UEFA Women's Cup final - the first English club to contest that showpiece event.

'Team performance'
Smith prefers to spread the credit around, despite the personal plaudits. "In China, it was a team performance, not just me," she insisted. "I've known our potential for a while." So, how far can England go at the World Cup? Smith is positive without being gung-ho: "No one is expecting us to win, but deep down we have a strong belief and if we get out of the group, I think anything's possible."

Profile
Which, of course, would only further boost the profile of the female game in England, which reached new levels when UEFA WOMEN'S EURO 2005™ was staged there. "All the games were covered on TV, I was getting recognised more in terms of going out and a couple of other players were too," Smith said. "With the World Cup coming up now, we're getting bigger attendances and we hope it will boom again."

Role model
In addition, she hopes to inspire young girls just getting into the game. "If I could be a seven or eight-year-old's role model then I'd love that," she said. "They'd think, 'maybe I can be the next Kelly Smith, play for England and be the player of a tournament'." Judging by recent displays, Smith and England have every possibility of making an impact - not only on budding stars of the future, but in China too this September.