Liverpool midfielder Missy Bo Kearns would love to emulate her Scouse footballing hero Steven Gerrard and score in a Merseyside derby at Goodison Park.
The local 21-year-old is a rising star, already the youngest player to captain the side, and has set her sights on winning trophies with the club she joined as an eight-year-old.
Growing up there were few visible female footballer role models – Kearns cites former Everton and Liverpool midfielder Fara Williams as her other inspiration – so naturally she was drawn to Gerrard, who scored two of his 10 goals against Everton at Goodison.
Kearns has put hours of YouTube footage of the former England international to good use and likes to think she has taken on aspects of his game.
But in front of a record crowd at Goodison on Friday the home-grown midfielder can give the next generation a new role model to follow.
“Growing up it was Steven Gerrard. I used to watch video clips of him and I think the runs that I am making are similar to what he made, arriving in the box late,” she told the PA news agency.
“I’m fortunate enough to be ambassador of his college and it is a massive thing for me that I get to go down and have an impact on the girls’ side.
“I was fortunate Fara played for Liverpool when I was in the under-nines so I had her to watch but there wasn’t as many [role models] as there is now.
“There are girls and boys now who look up to WSL players and I think that’s the way the game is going, which is great to see.
“Every Liverpool girl and boy dreams big and I want to captain Liverpool [permanently] one day but I’m just enjoying every single minute.
“But Liverpool should be winning things and hopefully if we keep improving then Liverpool in the next few years will be challenging for silverware.”
After leading the club into the Women’s Super League following his return to the club manager Matt Beard has guided them to safety as no team has been relegated with Liverpool’s current tally of 14 points.
“We are not going to take that for granted until it is mathematically confirmed but I think we can start looking at West Ham (a place above in seventh) now rather than the teams below us,” he said.
“The main thing is to consolidate and if you look at the journey of the top teams in the WSL: Chelsea – when Emma [Hayes] came in it took three years for them to get into the top spots – the same with Manchester City and Man United have taken four years to get where they are so we know it’s going to take a little bit of time.
“The plan in the next three to five years is to be competing in the top four.”
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