Scotland Women v Albania

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SCOTLAND v ALBANIA / UEFA WOMEN’S EURO 2021 QUALIFIER 

SWNT MAKE 

WELCOME 

RETURN 

It’s been a long seven months but the 

Scotland Women’s National Team 

are finally back in action tonight. 

When the final whistle blew in Pinatar 

after the win against Northern 

Ireland, no-one would have been able 

to predict what the world would have 

to endure in the coming months. 

Players returned home and took time 

to reflect but thankfully football is 

now back and this week Shelley Kerr 

geared her squad up for two matches, 

firstly Albania, before the team visit 

Finland at the start of next week. 

Here is what the players have been 

up to over the last few months when 

they were unable to take to the pitch. 

1. RACHEL CORSIE 

The skipper set up a brand new 

podcast ‘Behind The Goals’, with 

team-mate Leanne Crichton. 

2. HANNAH GODFREY 

The Tottenham Hotspur defender 

enjoyed socially-distanced catch-ups 

with her gran. 

3. CLAIRE EMSLIE 

Claire celebrated the first birthday of 

her dog, Bonnie. 

4. ERIN CUTHBERT 

The Chelsea star took in the fresh air 

while back in Irvine during lockdown. 

5. CAROLINE WEIR 

Caroline went back to basics to keep 

training. 

6. CHRISTIE MURRAY 

The Birmingham City captain found 

a partner to help with her lockdown 

training sessions. 

7. JANE ROSS 

Manchester United’s striker took a trip 

down memory lane back home on the 

Isle of Bute. 

1 2 

3 4 

5 6 

7 

3 

TYNECASTLE PARK / FRIDAY, 23 OCTOBER 2020


4 

FROM THE DUGOUT 

SHELLEY KERR 



Shelley, how does it feel to be back 

Q looking forward to international football 

once again? 

A 

It feels really good as we’ve not had football 

to look forward to since the Pinatar Cup 

back in March. We’ve already been to a Euro 

Finals, back in 2017, and we want to reach 

another. The upcoming two games are a step 

towards achieving that goal and it’s an exciting 

time for us as a group. 

It’s been a difficult last seven months but at 

the forefront of my mind has been that this is 

a global pandemic and football is secondary. 

You just need to find a different way of working 

and engaging with different people. It’s been 

really good recently for me being able to watch 

a lot of games, especially down south, as 

the players have been involved in some big 

fixtures. 

It’s exciting that we’ve got the prospect of 

these two matches, against Albania first and 

then Finland. The September fixtures were 

postponed and rearranged for February next 

year, which I think was the right decision as the 

players would have been vulnerable in terms of 

where they were at physically, with not having 

played many games. 

Q 

You’ve named a consistent squad for the 

upcoming games, you must be happy to 

keep that familiarity within the group? 

A 

It was a fantastic experience for the team in 

March as we achieved all of our objectives, 

winning the Pinatar Cup and experimenting 

with our squad. 

We still have some players who are not 

available but it’s a competitive, strong squad 

and that’s what we’ve always set out to do. 

I’ve been really impressed with Lucy Graham 

recently who has captained Everton well, 

getting to the FA Cup Final. 

Kirsty Hanson, who missed out last time 

round due to an ankle injury, has also done 

exceptionally well for Manchester United since 

the season started back. She won Player of 

the Month in England recently too. 

Q 

The new Covid-19 restrictions will 

obviously take a bit of getting used to. How 

have the players and staff coped with that? 

A 

A lot of our players have experienced the 

rigorous testing procedures at their clubs 

and are now really used to the procedures in 

place. We’ve made a few changes within the 

camp, with players having their own rooms 

and meal times being staggered, but these are 

the procedures we need to work with right now 

and we’re all just glad that football is back. 

We’ve got the experience of Doctor John 

MacLean and Graeme Jones, our High 

Performance Manager, who have been 

instrumental in terms of putting the protocols 

together for the return of international matches 

in Scotland. We’ve also got an intelligent group 

of players who understand the protocols. 

Myself and the coaching staff have enjoyed 

being back on the training pitch this week and 

can’t wait to see the players back involved in a 

match again. 

Q 

A 

How do you assess the upcoming 

matches? 

We know Albania well and I think they’re 

getting better and better. They’ve got some 

good individual players, they’ll shoot from 

distance and try and play a bit too. If we give 

them time and space they’ll give us problems. 

We need to make sure we start well. It’ll be 

strange playing a home game in front of no 

fans, especially when our crowds have been 

growing rapidly, but it’ll be down to the players 

on the pitch to generate their own atmosphere 

and motivate each other to victory. 

After tonight’s game we travel to Finland to 

face a very strong and well-organised team, 

led by my old coach Anna Signeul who I’ve got 

a lot of respect for. They’ll be a tough opponent 

to play against and they’ve proved to be a 

talented side so far in the group, scoring a late 

equaliser against Portugal. 

These are the games you want to be involved 

in. Despite not having fans inside Tynecastle 

tonight, I hope all of our supporters enjoy 

watching the match from home thanks to 

BBC ALBA. 

5 



PLAYER FOCUS 

MARTHA FEELING 

AT HOME 

WITH SCOTLAND 

6 

Earlier this year Martha Thomas took the international stage by 

storm, scoring two goals against Ukraine on her Scotland debut. 

The West Ham United striker chose 

Scotland despite having other options 

of countries to play for and now she 

aims to do her family proud in the dark 

blue of Scotland. 

Born in England and brought up in 

America, Thomas has an interesting 

background and ahead of tonight’s 

match against Albania she sat down to 

chat about her journey so far and her 

future ambitions with Shelley Kerr’s side. 

Q 

A 

What are your reflections on your 

Scotland debut back in March? 

It seems so long ago now but going 

into that match I just wanted to fit 

into the squad and do anything I could 

to help the team win the game, and 

the tournament. 

To walk away with two goals on my 

debut was a surprise for me but I was 

thrilled. I had my family in the crowd too, 

so all in all it was a really special trip. 

I want to build on that now. 

All of the girls were really open and 

accepting to me. I never felt out of 

place at all and that is credit to them 

and the staff. 

I was thrilled scoring on my debut 

and the biggest thing for me is to 

now continue that form as I set high 

standards for myself. 

Q 

A 

What was playing international 

football like? 

It was a dream come true. To have 

played at the top level internationally 

and ticked that box is great. It was 

a special moment for myself and my 

family. I’m now aiming to get an official 

UEFA cap and represent Scotland at 

tournaments. That would be massive 

for me. 

If you watched the first game I played 

I did struggle a bit at times in Spain 

as it’s such a high pace. After a 

while I settled into the game, grew in 

confidence and managed to score two. 



You had the chance to play for 

Q England. Why did you choose 

Scotland? 

A 

I’ve got a lot of Scottish pride from 

my mum’s side of the family, with my 

great uncle playing football in Scotland. 

His name is Jim Kirkland and he played 

for Aberdeen a while ago. All of the 

people in my family who are interested 

in football are Scottish. My mum’s side 

is Scottish and my dad is English. My 

brothers are both 50/50. I know I don’t 

sound Scottish, but I feel it. As soon as 

the opportunity arose I jumped at it and 

I see a long future with Scotland. 

Q 

A 

What was your upbringing like? 

I was born in England and my 

family moved to America when I 

was five. I grew up in South Florida until 

I went to university at 18. I went to uni 

in North Carolina at Charlotte and then 

moved to France, playing a year there. 

I was only considered a US resident 

and not a citizen, so I played for the US 

Under-23s but not having citizenship I 

couldn’t play fully for the national team. 

Q 

After the Pinatar Cup the country 

entered a full lockdown. How did 

you find that time? 

A 

It was hard as I was on such a high 

after representing Scotland. It was 

about a week later that the country 

when into a full shut down. It was a bit 

of a downer but it is what it is. No-one 

could foresee a global pandemic and 

it was just a weird period, especially 

for footballers as you had no work. My 

days just consisted of keeping in shape 

whatever way possible and not going 

far to exercise. I was lucky enough to 

spend it with my girlfriend and her 

family in Wales with beautiful scenery. 

Q 

What’s it been like playing football 

again with West Ham, now the 

season has resumed? 

A 

It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster as 

I was buzzing to be back and I felt 

sharp after a period of rest. I then picked 

up a pre-season injury, so my first 

game back was last weekend against 

Manchester United. I’m delighted to be 

back fit and included for this camp. 

7 



You were involved in a BBC 

Q documentary, charting your time 

at West Ham last season, and in 

particular a meeting where you opened 

up to the team about struggles you 

were going through at the time. What 

was that like? 

A 

It took some getting used to with 

cameras following us around but they 

were great with it and were respectful 

if you didn’t want to do something. 

They filmed bits you wouldn’t want 

the public to see but the point of the 

documentary was to show the life of a 

women’s footballer in England. It gave a 

good insight into the everyday life and 

struggles of a footballer. It’s not always 

as good as people think. 

On a personal note it was an emotional 

time for me as it was the first time I’d 

played professionally. I felt like I wasn’t 

contributing to the team winning games 

and that my team-mates didn’t trust 

me to play me the ball, but in reality I 

think it was more about me struggling 

with confidence and mental health. That 

meeting was a good turnaround for me 

and I got a lot of good feedback from the 

players and the coaches. From that point 

I did well against Liverpool and then 

obviously went away with Scotland and 

scored two on my debut. 

Q 

A 

What are your ambitions with the 

national team? 

I want to achieve big things with 

Scotland. I want to represent them at 

the Euros and the World Cup. My family 

are so proud of me playing for Scotland 

which is a nice feeling. They were 

booked to come to the game in June and 

I know they’d love to be at Tynecastle 

tonight. I’ve not seen them since March 

when they were in Spain so hopefully 

I can do them proud against Albania. 

9 


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SCOTTISH FA LAUNCH GRASSROOTS 

FOOTBALL SUPPORT FUND 

The Scottish FA has 

launched ‘Give for 

Grassroots’, a new support 

fund that will allow fans 

of Scottish football to help 

grassroots clubs continue to 

provide for children within 

their local communities. 

With Covid-19 having had a 

severely detrimental impact 

on grassroots football across 

the country, many clubs are 

facing financial difficulty, with 

the potential for thousands of 

young players to drop out of 

playing the game. 

Some 57 percent of Scottish 

grassroots clubs are currently 

facing critical financial 

challenges in the coming 

months, with both player and 

volunteer numbers already 

lower compared to prelockdown 

levels. 

The Grassroots Football 

Support Fund, ‘Give for 

Grassroots, has been set 

up by the Scottish FA, with 

support from its charity 

partner ‘The Scottish 

Football Partnership Trust’ 

(SC044867). It will help 

ensure young football players 

across the country have the 

opportunity to return to the 

game they love. 

The Scottish FA have 

already kicked off the ‘Give 

for Grassroots Appeal’ with 

a £50,000 donation to the 

initiative - and are now 

encouraging fans across 

Scotland to donate. 

All donations will be managed 

by the Scottish Football 

Partnership Trust, allowing 

affiliated grassroots football 

clubs to apply for funds to 

give the growing number of 

disadvantaged young people 

in their community the chance 

to play and remain part of the 

football family. The fund can 

also be accessed to 

cover critical equipment and 

facility costs. 

All money raised by the 

fund will go directly towards 

children’s grassroots football 

in Scotland, providing vital 

financial assistance during 

these difficult times and 

allowing young people to 

continue to play the game 

they love. 

Scottish FA Chief Executive 

Ian Maxwell said: “We are 

acutely aware at the Scottish 

FA just how vital grassroots 

football is for children across 

the nation and how much the 

Coronavirus pandemic has 

negatively affected that. 

“There is a real danger that 

many children across Scotland 

will be lost to the game as 

a result of their grassroots 

clubs suffering financially from 

the impact of the pandemic, 

which is a situation I am not 

willing to countenance.” 

11 

To donate to ‘Give for Grassroots’, visit virginmoneygiving.com/fund/GiveForGrassroots 


If you’ve played The National 

Lottery, you’ve supported local 

football across Scotland. 

THANK YOU 

Every week, National Lottery players raise an 

amazing £30 million for good causes, including 

grassroots football. 

By buying a National Lottery ticket, you have supported 

clubs across the country, creating opportunities for 

everyone to get involved in the sport. 

www.sportscotland.org.uk


SCOTTISH FA CALLS FOR UNITY 

The Scottish FA has called on football to unite to make the country’s national 

sport more representative and inclusive than ever before. 

Football Unites invites stakeholders at 

every level of the game to come together 

and deliver meaningful change, which will 

ensure Scottish football is more reflective and 

representative of the country’s demographic. 

The strategy was launched at Oriam, Edinburgh, 

by Malcolm Kpedekpo, the Scottish FA’s 

independent non-executive board director and 

former Aberdeen striker, Pauline MacDonald, 

the Scotland Women’s Under-17 coach who is 

currently completing her UEFA Pro Licence, and 

David McArdle, the Scottish FA’s Diversity and 

Inclusion Manager. 

Football Unites aims to remove barriers to 

access and participate in football and a platform 

to educate the wider football community on the 

challenges and requirements for diverse groups 

to access the game, and allow their voices to be 

heard. The framework is based around four key 

strategic pillars: 

• LEAD by example in implementing diversity 

and inclusion practice 

• INSPIRE individuals to view the power of 

football within diversity and inclusion 

• EDUCATE the Scottish game on improving 

the footballing diversity and inclusion 

environment 

• GROW the diverse representation within 

Scottish football 

After achieving the prestigious Advanced Level 

for the Equality Standard for Sport in 2019, 

and becoming the only Football Association 

and one of only a few governing bodies in 

Scotland to achieve this award, the Scottish FA 

has re-affirmed its commitment to delivering 

sustainable change and greater diversity 

throughout the sport. 

The Equality Standard for Sport was launched 

by the UK Sports Councils to address inequality 

within the sports sector and the Scottish FA 

achieved Foundation Level back in 2009, 

Preliminary Level in 2012 and the Intermediate 

Level in 2014. 

Malcolm Kpedekpo said: “The Football Unites 

framework is a well-researched, tangible and 

ambitious document produced by a group of 

experts in this subject and we ask everyone 

involved in our game to support it. 

“I suffered racism as a player and want to 

help bring about change to the game: there is 

no place for discrimination of any kind within 

football, or indeed wider society. 

“We are making progress in Scottish football but 

we have a long way to go and this framework 

will help us bring about more change to 

ensure our game is more representative from 

the boardroom to the dressing room and 

everywhere in between.” 

13 



THE CAMPAIGN SO FAR 

The Scotland Women’s National Team return to European Qualification 

tonight, with nearly a year passing since their previous fixture in Group E. 

The football shutdown 

brought a halt to 

fixtures across the 

globe throughout 2020, 

forcing Scotland’s 

encounters with Albania 

and Portugal to be 

postponed. 

Scotland will now play 

two matches this month 

before fixtures against 

Portugal and Finland at 

the end of the year. 

Clashes against Cyprus 

and Portugal will take 

place in February 2021, 

with dates still to be 

confirmed. 

Now though, Shelley 

Kerr’s team are set 

to return to the pitch 

for the first time since 

March, with Albania at 

Tynecastle up first before 

a trip to table-toppers 

Finland. 

The Scots find themselves 

in a strong position 

following emphatic 

victories in the opening 

two games of the group. 

It all started with a 

resounding 8-0 victory 

over Cyprus back in 

August 2019. 

A crowd of 6,206 

watched Scotland 

produce a totally 

dominant display at 

Easter Road, in what was 

their first match since the 

World Cup in the summer 

of 2019. 

Kim Little bagged five 

after Claire Emslie had 

opened the scoring. 

Jane Ross and Caroline 

Weir were also on the 

scoresheet that night. 

Shelley Kerr’s side 

brought an historic year 

to an end in style with 

a 5-0 win over tonight’s 

opponents Albania. 

The manager handed a 

start to Kirsty Hanson and 

Hannah Godfrey as the 

duo made their debuts, 

but it was a familiar 

face who opened the 

scoring. Emslie, making 

no mistake from inside the 

six-yard box, slammed 

the ball home before Jane 

Ross scored her 60th goal 

for her country shortly 

after the 20th minute. 

Erin Cuthbert added a 

third, Godfrey scored on 

her debut and Christie 

Murray added the fifth 

to round off a wonderful 

away performance from 

the Scots. 

2020 started strongly for 

Kerr’s team, with a perfect 

Pinatar Cup campaign. 

Martha Thomas made it 

a debut to remember as 

she scored twice in a 3-0 

win over Ukraine, with 

Emslie adding the third in 

the opening game back in 

March. 

A 1-0 win over Iceland 

followed thanks to a 

second-half winner from 

EURO 

2022 

RESULTS 

SO FAR 

SCOTLAND 8 

CYPRUS 0 

ALBANIA 0 

SCOTLAND 5 

FIXTURES 

23.10.20 

SCOTLAND V 

ALBANIA 

Tynecastle Park 

27.10.20 

FINLAND V 

SCOTLAND 

Bolt Arena, Helsinki 

27.11.20: 

PORTUGAL V 

SCOTLAND 

TBC 

01.12.20: 

SCOTLAND V 

FINLAND 

Easter Road 

February 2021: 

CYPRUS V 

SCOTLAND 

TBC 

February 2021: 

SCOTLAND V 

PORTUGAL 

TBC 

GROUP E 

Abbi Grant and with 

other results going their 

way, Kerr’s players soon 

discovered they had won 

the tournament with a 

game to spare. 

That didn’t result in 

Scotland downing tools 

though, as they brought 

the campaign to a perfect 

close with a 2-1 win over 

Northern Ireland. 

After falling behind, 

Cuthbert and Grant 

bagged goals to make it 

three wins from three. 

P W D L F A GD Pts 

Finland 4 3 1 0 16 2 14 10 

Scotland 2 2 0 0 13 0 13 6 

Portugal 2 1 1 0 2 1 1 4 

Albania 5 1 0 4 3 17 -14 3 

Cyprus 3 0 0 3 0 14 -14 0 

15 



QUICKFIRE Q&A 

HANNAH 

GODFREY 

16 

Favourite stadium you’ve played at? 

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. We played 

against Arsenal and it was an amazing 

experience, starting with all the build-up 

and then playing in a North London 

derby in front of 38,000 fans. 

Favourite holiday destinations? Greece 

or Tennessee, USA. 

Best game you’ve been involved in and 

why? It is tough to pick between two. 

Tottenham vs West Ham at the Olympic 

Stadium was brilliant because we won 

2-0, there was a huge crowd in and I got 

my first Player of the Match award. It 

was a really exciting game to play in. 

My debut for Scotland vs Albania last 

year was really special too. It was my 

first 90 minutes for Scotland, my first 

cap and I scored in a 5-0 win. 

Pre-match meal? Porridge, and peanut 

butter and jam on toast. 

Best player you’ve played with and 

why? Caroline Weir or Kim Little. They’re 

two of the most technical players I’ve 

played with, and they always want 

the ball. 

Best player you’ve played against and 

why? Beth England in our first game of 

the 2019-20 season. She’s an all round 

centre forward who is strong on and off 

the ball. Her movement makes it hard to 

defend against and she’s clinical in front 

of goal. 

If you could be a Scotland team-mate 

for a day, who would you be? Kim Little 

because she’s an all round professional 

both on and off the pitch. It would be 

interesting to see first hand how she 

goes about her week in training and 

how she prepares for games. 

Most memorable game you’ve 

been to? Chelsea vs Barcelona in the 

Champions League. I was able to watch 

some of the best players in the world in 

a very entertaining game. 

Favourite Scotland kit of all time? 

I really like the current kits, both home 

and away. If I had to choose one, it 

would be the light blue away kit, but I 

think they’ve got smarter every year. 

Favourite film? Free Willy. 

Favourite TV shows? Grey’s Anatomy 

and Station 19. 

Any phobias? Heights, claustrophobic 

and tuna. 

Most famous person you’ve met? 

Jose Mourinho. 

Pet hates? Loud eaters and people who 

sit in the middle lane when driving. 



17 



18 

MANAGER: 

Shelley Kerr 

O 

O 

O 

O 

O 

O 

O 

O 

O 

O 

O 

O 

O 

O 

O 

O 

O 

O 

O 

O 

O 

O 

O 

O 

Lee Alexander 

Glasgow City 

Jenna Fife 

Rangers 

Shannon Lynn 

Vittsjö GIK 

Rachael Boyle 

Hibernian 

Rachel Corsie 

Birmingham City * 

Nicola Docherty 

Rangers 

Hannah Godfrey 

Tottenham Hotspur 

Sophie Howard 

Leicester City 

Rachel McLauchlan 

Glasgow City 

Emma Mitchell 

Reading 

Kirsty Smith 

Manchester United 

Amy Muir 

Hibernian 

Leanne Crichton 

Glasgow City 

Lucy Graham 

Everton 

Christie Murray 

Birmingham City 

Caroline Weir 

Manchester City 

Lizzie Arnot 

Rangers 

Erin Cuthbert 

Chelsea 

Claire Emslie 

Everton** 

Abbi Grant 

Birmingham City 

Kirsty Hanson 


Zoe Ness 

Rangers 

Jane Ross 


Martha Thomas 

West Ham United 

*On loan from Utah Royals 

**On loan from Orlando Pride 

MANAGER: 

Armir Grimaj 

Match Officials 

O 

O 

O 

O 

O 

O 

O 

O 

O 

O 

O 

O 

O 

O 

O 

O 

O 

O 

O 

O 

Viona Rexhepi 

Lechia Gdańsk 

Antigona Hysko 


Meriem Isa 


Albina Rrahmani 


Arbenita Curraj 


Aidena Mustafa 


Endrina Elezaj 


Arbiona Bajraktari 


Paula Jaku 


Megi Doci 


Suada Jashari 


Sara Maliqi 


Lucije Gjini 


Vanesa Levendi 


Alketa Rragami 


Qendresa Krasniqi 


Esi Lufo 


Kristina Maksuti 


Mimoza Hamidi 


Zylfiji Bajramaj 

Referee: Graziella Pirriatore (ITA) 

Assistant referee 1: Lucia Abruzzese (ITA) 

Assistant referee 2: Tiziana Trasciatti (ITA) 

Fourth official: Martina Molinaro (ITA) 



Jenna Fife 

MATCHDAY 

PLAYLIST 

Heart and Soul: Twin Atlantic 

Blinding Lights: The Weeknd 

I’m Gonna Be (500 miles): The Proclaimers 

Feel the Love: Rudimental, John Newman 

Lose Control: MEDUZA, Becky Hill, Goodboys 

Levels: Avicii 

One Dance: Drake, WizKid, Kyla 

One Kiss: Calvin Harris, Dua Lipa 

Mr. Brightside: The Killers 

Crown: Stormzy 

Thunder: Imagine Dragons 

Giants: Dermot Kennedy 

17: MK 

Sun Queen: Gerry Cinnamon 

Belter: Gerry Cinnamon 

19 


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Scotland Women v Albania

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