Locker Room – Before & After: Melissa Lawley

The Locker Room’s Before and After slot follows Manchester City forward Melissa Lawley, who marked her full England debut with a goal in November’s 5-0 World Cup qualifying win over Kazakhstan at Colchester. The 23-year-old describes a pre-match routine built on porridge, with brown bread, scrambled eggs and chicken for breakfast, painted nails and high-tempo music in the changing room. She finds club and country much the same because many of the same players are around her, needing only to accept that more fans will be watching. Lawley watches good clips of her own play for confidence, carries a photograph of her family to make them proud while living away, and welcomes nerves as a sign of readiness. She names herself the funniest in the dressing room ahead of Jill Scott’s dad jokes, and recovers with stretching, ice baths and dog walks.