Poppy Pattinson’s pride and “never give up” attitude succeeding senior Lionesses debut

Poppy Pattinson received her first senior Lionesses call-up and made her senior debut in a 6-1 victory over Ukraine, coming on as a second-half substitute.

The London City Lionesses’ defender spoke to the media following her first senior England experience. She outlined the highlights of camp, the pride of making her debut, what sets her aside from other left-backs, and her long-term ambitions both on the domestic and international footballing scenes.

Her England experience and senior debut

Giving an insight into her first senior England camp experience, Pattinson spoke about her pride to be part of a team with such special history:

“Great to be a part of that group. Obviously, a special team with a big history and to play a small part in that and get the chances to be involved in it is huge. Obviously, I want to be a part of it in the long run, and that’s what I work hard to do.”

Regarding the timing of her call-up, she spoke about the rollercoaster of emotions that she has experienced in the last few weeks:

“It’s kind of put my whole emotions from being eight years old into perspective, and now it’s come true at 25. Obviously throughout the age groups, throughout clubs, you feel so close at times and you also feel so far away at other times. So, it’s definitely been a roller coaster in terms of emotions and that, but I’m definitely someone with a strong mindset and never wanted to give up on that.”

Regarding making her debut with Esme Morgan, who she linked up with in the U23 Lionesses, Pattinson spoke about how surreal this moment was and certainly the highlight of her career so far:

“It was so nice to be on the pitch again with players that I've played with in Under 23s, under 19s, under 17s. I think you saw I came on at halftime with Esme Morgan, who's playing that out now in the States. But we spent a lot of time in the youth groups together, so that was really nice to get that moment with her.

But yeah, lots of other players too, and I think, yeah, the pathway creates an environment where you're kind of ready for seniors when your time comes. I think that's a big aim of England.

On the pitch, they want to play the same style and yeah, you can see that, I think. Obviously, the quality of players in the seniors is huge and that's, that's great to be a part of when you know, you can only develop it when you go there.”

What makes Pattinson stand out?

When asked about her superpower of being left-footed, Pattinson spoke about using it to her advantage:

“Of course, it’s a great strength. You know, it’s a, you could say a rare quality to have in teams. There’s not a lot. But yeah, I just want to use it as a superpower, like you say.

I think as a left-back, I like to do both. I like to defend, obviously, and not let anyone pass, but also the offensive side of the game, getting forward and delivering left foot crosses into the box and creating chances.”

Alongside this, she has played in the WSL for almost seven years and had experience among several different clubs in the top division:

“I think the past seven years in the WSL have been pretty steady for me, consistent in terms of performing at a certain level.”

The build up to her call-up

Prior to receiving the go ahead from Sarina Wiegman, Pattinson suffered a setback with injury. As something almost new to her, with a lack of injuries throughout her career, this was a challenging period that she had to overcome:

“But this time when I got injured and started the season, you know, it really hit hard and hit home that it’s going to be something different this time. I never had to deal with a setback in that way.”

However, under new head coach, Eder Maestre, Pattinson featured in the last five games and performed consistently in the left-back role; this ultimately proved herself worthy of making her debut in Wiegman’s eyes:

“A real chance to do something different and come back in the second half of the season, which I’ve never had to do and really make my mark and make an impact.

And, you know, this is the feeling I have now. I’ve played five games and I got the call up, which is really special. So yeah, I’m proud of myself for that and that’s something I’m really happy about right now.”

Her England future

Now, Pattinson aims to stay focused and work-hard to continue developing as a player and putting herself consistently on Wiegman’s radar:

“I think just to maintain that standard and also the belief in myself to keep going and wanting to be better still and keep on pushing on from here.”

In terms of aiming to cement her role in left-back for the Lionesses, which is a position that has been up for grabs for a while, she is determined to keep pushing to reach her goal:

“I think first and foremost, I'm happy to get the recognition now I got the chance that I did on this camp. Yeah, of course, as a player, the goal is to stay there to make that my own. Obviously, the quality of players that are also competing there is very high and all well aware of that and I think we can keep pushing each other to make it even better.”

Asking Poppy for one piece of advice she would give to the young girls following her journey and aspiring to become Lionesses one day, she responded with a never give up attitude:

“Enjoy the journey, everyone’s is different. Be yourself, and you know, never give up.”

Positive steps being taken at London City Lionesses

Despite perhaps not the best start for London City Lionesses in the Barclays Women’s Super League, respective to their ambitions in the top-flight, Pattinson is certain that something special is in the making at London City and she is enjoying being part of the journey:

“I think it’s definitely gone in the right direction, you know, this is football. I think you can’t turn things around and win trophies overnight. Different WSL teams have seen that over the years. You have to build, start with the structure, and build from there, create connections, and I think we’re definitely going in the right direction. You know, we have a great group.”

With the recent announcement of their first sell-out for a home game in club history, London City will welcome 5,000 fans to their WSL fixture against Arsenal on Sunday. Regarding this, Pattinson spoke about rising to the occasion:

“Everyone here is super excited about the sellout, you know, first time for the club. So yeah, that’s a huge moment and we just want to put on a good performance.”

Welcome back celebrations and team environment

As the first London City Lionesses player to make her senior England debut, the club threw her a surprise welcome back this morning which was greatly received:

“I actually got a special welcome this morning. The guys decorated our place with some balloons and confetti and everything… a really nice thing to come back to.”

At London City Lionesses, there is a close-knit environment where leaders and experienced players on both the domestic and international scene linkup with young, exciting players breaking into the international setup. Pattinson spoke about the importance of this for her personal development:

“Yeah, I think it's so great to be around such talented and good people as well. We have a lot of ladies. A lot of captains at national teams, people who have been game for a while, but also a good combination with young players, young talent, who's developing, and really making their mark on the league and with their own national teams, you know.

It's a great balance and I think that's down to the club and what they've brought together and we're only going to keep pushing for more and build them connections with each other on the pitch.”

London City Lionesses host Arsenal in front of a sold-out crowed on Sunday, where Pattinson will prove her quality as a left-back, following her first time in Wiegman’s Lionesses setup.