Reading revelation Fran Kirby will aim to transfer her explosive club form to the international stage when England play China in their last home match before the Women's World Cup.
The 21-year-old striker has fired 10 goals in her last three matches for the Royals ladies' team, including a five-goal haul against London Bees and four against Yeovil.
She was player of the match when England lost 1-0 to the United States in February, dazzled in a cameo against Germany at Wembley last November, and after just eight months as an international is looking the part.
But Kirby knows she will only stay in the England side for the summer tournament in Canada if she finds the net, and in seven internationals she has struck just once for the team rated the sixth best in the world by FIFA.
At 5ft 1in she will be winning few aerial battles, but Kirby is prodigiously skilled and against a team such as 16th-ranked China she could thrive, providing she gets the nod from head coach Mark Sampson to play in Thursday's friendly international at Manchester City's 7,000-seat Academy Stadium.
"You dream of it when you're a kid and knowing I'm in with a chance to go to a World Cup is incredible," Kirby told Press Association Sport.
"I'm trying not to get too far ahead of myself. I'm trying to focus on this friendly, and making sure I'm playing well for my club.
"There were aspects where I could have done better against the USA. I was happy with my overall performance but I still know there's little bits I need to improve on to make sure I'm ready for the World Cup."
Kirby briefly gave up football in her late teens during a period of depression which followed the sudden death of her mother, Denise.
Reading supported her throughout, offering encouragement as she came back through Sunday league football, and gave her a full-time professional contract last year to keep her at the club, with Kirby becoming the first player in the second tier of the Women's Super League to be offered such terms.
It was an easy decision for Kirby to commit, even if she admits now there are games in WSL2 where she finds it almost too easy to score.
"They were there for me when I didn't want to play football, and they were there to pick up the pieces when I did want to," Kirby said.
"I've got a lot of respect for the club and they've done a lot for me to make sure I'm ready to play for England.
"In some cases it gets a bit silly when I'm scoring hat-tricks before half-time, but I love the challenge."
Source: PA
