Millie Bright backed to fill Leah Williamson leadership role by Lionesses legend

A legendary Lioness has stressed the importance of ‘level-headed’ leadership ahead of the upcoming Women’s World Cup.

Millie Bright setto lead the pack Down Under following Leah Williamson’s withdrawal from the England squad earlier this year.

The Chelsea defender is likely to have regained full fitness by the time the Lionesses take on Haiti on July 22.

Former England star Carol Thomas knows first hand the pressure Williamson’s successor will be feeling.

She first headed up the Lionesses in 1976 at the tender age of 20, taking over the role from Sheila Parker.

Thomas, 68, told Metro.co.uk: ‘Captaincy is a hugely important job. I was never one for shouting and screaming at the players, I led by example and earned the respect of the girls I was playing with.

‘To me, you have to focus on encouragement and make sure everyone is trying their hardest.

‘I think Leah [Williamson] led in a similar way. And Millie, if she’s back and fully fit in time, will be the same I’m sure. She’s got those same attributes and would do a great job heading up the team in Australia and New Zealand.’

Thomas says she is eager to see the ‘charging’ runs of fellow defender Lucy Bronze and watch the ‘exciting’ play of Alessia Russo up front.

She added: ‘Having met a lot of the team, I know they’re all really great players who really respect each other. 

‘I think they’ll do very well in Australia and New Zealand. Sarina [Wiegman] has got a great backroom squad with her as well and she’ll have everyone level-headed in camp.’

Carol, who played as a right-back, headed up the Lionesses as captain for nine years.

During that time the team attracted large crowds – especially in countries where the women’s game had advanced more.

During Carol’s time as captain, she saw the England women’s team play at a Football League First Division ground for the first time in 1978, to a then-record crowd of 5,471.

The squad had several poignant moments, such as playing in a series of charity matches to raise money following a devastating earthquake in Italy in 1976.

Carol also took the Lionesses to play outside of Europe for the very first time, for the 1981 Mundialito in Japan.

She added: ‘It was a brilliant experience for us, many of us had barely travelled and here we were playing to huge crowds across the world.

‘It was hard work, we all had jobs and worked full time.

‘Many of the girls had to use holidays to get to play. But we enjoyed it and we were just so happy and honoured to play for England. So we made it work.’

Carol also made history in her own right when she became the first woman to to reach 50 caps for England.

Throughout her football career, she was supported by her husband Alan and was fortunate that her workplace, Northern Dairies, gave her paid leave while she played football.

However, this level of support wasn’t enjoyed by many of her teammates. 

Carol added: ‘Without my parents, Alan and others that supported me I wouldn’t have achieved what I did for England. I was very lucky to have that support.’

As women’s football continues to grow in popularity, Carol and her generation of trailblazing Lionesses increasingly have enjoyed the recognition they deserve.

They feared their efforts had been ‘forgotten’ with the first official FIFA Women’s World Cup, played in 1991, previously seen by many as the opening chapter of professional women’s football.

But, bolstered by England’s Euros success, Carol and her teammates have seen their stories reach and inspire thousands.

Following her time as a footballer, Carol became a school lunchtime supervisor then a postie.

Today, she runs a Twitter account which showcases her memories, photos and memorabilia from her time as a Lioness.

She’s also working on changing the future as well as highlighting the past.

Carol added: ‘In 2019, Hull City Ladies asked me to be their ambassador. 

‘It was another really special moment. To get the chance to encourage young girls, to go into schools for talks, to hopefully inspire the next generation – that’s what’s really important to me.’

You can follow Carol on Twitter here

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.