HIBS Ladies player Natalie Ross today admitted watching Euro 2008 had merely made her all the more impatient for the European Women's under-19 championship to get underway.
The 18-year-old was an avid viewer as the action unfolded in Switzerland and Austria, hardly missing a minute of the excitement as Spain were eventually crowned champions.
But today she was heading for central France dreaming of similar glory al
though she admitted she and her team-mates face a tough task having been drawn against reigning champions Germany, England and Sweden.
However, Ross believes creating something of a shock isn't beyond the Scots. She said: "We played Sweden last year and drew 0-0 but should have won and, although we lost 2-0 to Germany, we held our own until the last ten minutes only for them to score from a penalty and a free-kick.
"And, of course, there will be the usual intense rivalry as there always is when Scotland play England. I feel we have improved as a team over the past year and while no-one expects us to do well we believe we can get some good results.
"I watched most of Euro 2008 and thoroughly enjoyed it but it also made me impatient for our own tournament to get underway, it's only when you play in such competitions you realise just how important they are."
Although she already has six full caps to her name, Ross insisted she had no problem with stepping "down" again to under-19 level. She said: "We have a great team spirit and while I enjoyed playing for the full squad, it's great to have a chance to join the rest of the girls again.
"I think it probably shows the growing strength of the women's game that girls like myself and Kim Little are playing full internationals but still qualify at this level and hopefully the experience we have picked up will help the team over these three games."
Ross, though, revealed she'll be leaving Hibs Ladies to join Arsenal's Academy this summer. She said: "They are the top team in Britain and I've got the chance to join them and to me it was too good an opportunity to miss. I didn't want to turn it down and then regret it in a few years time."
The full article contains 400 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
