Jess Carter: Class Act (Jess Carter interview)

Four months into 2017 Jess Carter has reached a Wembley cup final, won the PFA Young Player of the Year award, made the WSL team of the year and been called into an England senior camp – none of which the nineteen-year-old had ever dreamt of. She recalls making her Birmingham debut at sixteen in a Champions League quarter-final against Arsenal and being named player of the match, largely because she had come from grassroots football and did not know enough about the big clubs to be intimidated. She went to a Blues trial only to keep a friend company. Ahead of the final she rejects the underdog tag Birmingham carried past Arsenal and Chelsea, crediting a resilient, well-organised side now playing better football forward under Marc Skinner.