Walker: Goal Wizard (Claudia Walker interview)

Claudia Walker did not score a league goal all last season; this one she has been scoring reels of them, and Birmingham City, widely tipped for relegation, are thriving as underdogs. She credits Carla Ward with instilling belief and encouraging the squad to express themselves, and admits she plays better on instinct than on thought. Her favourite goal is the winner in the first WSL Midlands derby, in a game she says they played awfully. She is not on Twitter, having deleted the account after somebody messaged her daily to say she was the worst striker they had ever seen – positive vibes only, she says. She has a Liverpool title medal from 2014 that her mother keeps at home, a Deathly Hallows tattoo, and an annual Harry Potter marathon with her housemates.