Marieanne Spacey has urged England Women to raise their performances to 'inspire the nation' and ensure the World Cup is not a missed opportunity.
The 49-year-old assistant coach cannot call herself a World Cup winner, but if FIFA had put a World Cup for women in place before 1991 there is every chance she would have that stature.
Spacey ranks among England's greatest women footballers, and her presence in the England set-up provides a link to a genuine golden generation.
She starred as a young striker in the England team that twice won the Mundialito tournament in Italy in the 1980s. It was as close as the women's game had to a World Cup at the time, and England's triumphs in 1985 and 1988 demonstrated the strength of the national side in that era.
On being reminded of her role, Spacey said: "Ah, the Mundialito - the little World Cup. We won it twice. We played Italy in both finals, in Italy - the first one we won 3-2 and I scored two in the final, and the second we won 2-1 after extra-time. It was an enormous part of my career, winning a trophy with the national side."
Spacey also appeared at the 1995 World Cup, when England reached the quarter-finals. The Lionesses failed to qualify for the next two tournaments, but returned to again have their progressed halted at the last-eight stage in 2007 and 2011.
It worries Spacey to think England might never conquer the world of women's football again, so she wants to see progress made during the tournament in Canada, which for Mark Sampson's side began with a 1-0 defeat against France on Tuesday night in Moncton.
Mexico are next up for England on Saturday, in the same New Brunswick city. Unlike for the France game, England will start as strong favourites.
"Because of the growth of the game in the last few years, we're very much aware of the importance of us inspiring the nation," Spacey told Press Association Sport.
"I think it's important we continue the upward trend of women's football rather than let it plateau, where we're doing what we've always done. Let's see if we can inspire the nation now and take it to the next level and get ready for what that brings.
"As a nation in terms of women's football we've never won a knock-out game at the World Cup, so to achieve that will be a step further, and I know it's a cliche but from there in knock-out competitions it's 'on the day'. If we win our first knock-out game, who knows where we can go from there."
For much of Spacey's playing career, earning a living as a woman in football was an unrealistic prospect. Yet the England stars she works with now can all have full-time playing careers, picking up an income from their clubs and the Football Association. Most have boot sponsors, some have media careers.
"It's very exciting," Spacey said. "It's 20 years since I played at a World Cup and to see the other side of it, how it was then compared to now, it's immense how far the game has travelled.
"We worked full-time, played football and trained part-time, so the working week for me was early shifts, and I went to the gym before going to work. I was assistant manager in a leisure centre so I had the keys and could go in before the public.
"We had to work that balance of work and football.
"As a player, going to the World Cup was the pinnacle of everything I had dreamed of achieving. From a coaching perspective it's no different."
Source: PA
