Fran Kirby: England playmaker in tears as Women's World Cup win came on late mother's birthday
Kirby lost her mother Denise to a brain haemorrhage when only 14-years-old
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Your support makes all the difference.Fran Kirby, the England playmaker, was overcome with emotion after Friday night’s Women’s World Cup win over Argentina as it fell on what would have been her late mother’s birthday.
Kirby lost her mother Denise suddenly to a brain haemorrhage 11 years ago while still a teenager and has since admitted there is not a day that goes by without her thinking about her mother’s influence.
Friday’s Group D victory, which secured England’s place in the knock-out stages of the tournament, came on Denise’s birthday, 14 June. At club level with Chelsea, Kirby plays in the No. 14 shirt as a tribute.
Kirby appeared visibly upset after the final whistle at the Stade Oceane in Le Havre and, after she broke down in tears, England head coach Phil Neville was one of several to comfort her.
“We help each other,” Neville later said. “Today’s been really an emotional day for everybody because Fran is a special person who misses her mum.
“So does Carly Telford [the England goalkeeper, who lost her mum to cancer last year]. So today we shared their emotion, we shared their happiness and we shared their sadness.”
Toni Duggan, Karen Bardsley, Beth Mead and Alex Greenwood were only some of the many England players to comfort Kirby while on the pitch. “We are a family,” Neville added.
Emma Hayes, Kirby’s manager at Chelsea, told BBC Radio Five Live: “It would have been difficult for her. She managed it superbly. She grew with confident and I’m glad Phil Neville left her on the pitch.
“She stuck to her task. It was important not to get affected too much by emotion. Her decisions were spot on. When she made mistakes she kept going. She can be very threatening as the tournament progresses.”
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