She Kicks a Beat: Linnett’s Encore at the House of Blues (Kirsty Linnett interview)

Birmingham City striker Kirsty Linnett, twenty-two, signed a new contract in March after speculation about her future and after captain Karen Carney’s departure to Chelsea. A former Arsenal youngster whose Gunners spell was defined by cruciate injuries that cost nearly two years, she describes indie and rock tastes – Nirvana and Kasabian – too acquired for the dressing room. She recalls her Birmingham initiation, rapping Biggie’s Juicy word for word, and making beats with team-mate Freda Ayisi. She scored the vital away goal that knocked Arsenal out en route to the 2013-14 Champions League semi-final, and remembers a Leicester FA Cup win alongside a team-mate who became the DJ Hannah Wants.