England glory lifts Marley's Everton

Everton LFC kick off their campaign in the first UEFA Women's Champions League on Thursday and although their domestic season will not start until September, there is every chance they will hit the ground running in Group G in Croatia.

European return
Two years ago Everton, in their sole appearance in the UEFA Women's Cup, just missed out on the quarter-finals and are having to start in the qualifying round of the restyled competition after being pipped to the English title in the final game by Arsenal LFC. But as they prepare to meet hosts WFC Osijek, FC Levadia Tallinn and strong Norwegian runners-up Team Strømmen for a Round of 32 berth, the Merseyside club can take confidence from international exploits over the last couple of weeks.

England victory
In Belarus, Everton manager Mo Marley led England to the UEFA European Women's Under-19 Championship title on Saturday with club charges Toni Duggan, Isobel Christiansen, Michelle Hinnigan and Jess Holbrook in the squad, while they also provided several players to the seniors in two recent friendlies, Jody Handley scoring a late winner to beat Denmark 1-0 on Wednesday.

Perfect preparation
"You can't get better experience going into this kind of competition," Marley told uefa.com. The seniors are preparing for the European Championship finals and the U19s [have won theirs]. I'm not sure how many other countries in Europe can boast that; it's the best preparation they can possibly get. There are only a couple not involved, a couple who have been doing something else to keep sharp; we've had them on a dedicated programme and we're hoping the players will be fresh, sharp and ready to play."

Known unknowns
Marley, who thinks the emergence of the likes of Duggan and Hinnigan have made Everton a stronger prospect than in their last European entry, admits she is unsure as to exactly what the Toffees will face in Croatia. "It's hard to judge because we don't know too much about the other teams," she said. "Obviously we've got a strong Norwegian side in there, but I'm not too familiar with the Estonian team or the Croatian team. So I think it's a case of going in, feeling it and doing what we do well, what got us into the competition in the first place, then adapt and progress in the competition itself. It's a little bit of the unknown but we'll just take every game as it comes, play to our strengths and hope they're more concerned about what we do than what they do."

Williams thrilled
Key to Marley's squad is midfielder Fara Williams, who captained England's senior team against Denmark. And the 25-year-old is relishing playing in the relaunched competition. "It's fantastic, the Champions League," she said. "When you watch the men's game, that's what you wait for, and I think to be a woman and be able to play in the Champions League, it's great for us. We played in the UEFA Cup a couple of years ago, that was a great experience for us and that brought us together as a team, and it made us want more."