By Tony Leighton

The 27-year-old midfielder has been a mainstay of Hope Powell’s line-up for the last eight years. But after recovering from a knee injury ahead of the tournament in Germany and then playing in the first two group games, she was rested for Tuesday’s 2-0 win against Japan that saw England finish top of Group B.

Now she wants to make up for her disappointment in China four years ago, when England lost 3-0 to the USA at the quarter-final stage, by helping the national team to what would be their first ever appearance in the last four of the World Cup .

As she looked ahead to hopefully collecting her 95th international cap in the meeting with France, Williams said: “It was hard in 2007, having to sit and watch your team mates and not be a part of it.

“It’s always frustrating in that situation, but that would have been the biggest game I’d ever played in and so it was really difficult to be in the stand and not on the pitch.

“It was a game we might have won after our first half performance, but America got three goals in quick succession just after half-time and that killed us.

“We believe we can do better this time than we did in 07 though, and that’s the aim going into the game against France.”

England, two places below the French at 10th in the world rankings, have not beaten them since 1974 but have drawn the last three meetings – including two 2007 World Cup qualifiers that knocked Les Bleues out of contention for the finals in China.

Les Bleues lost their last group game 4-2 to Germany after having goalkeeper Berangere Sapowicz sent off, but they had previously produced one of the group stage’s best displays in a 4-0 victory over a Canada team that had beaten England 2-0 at March’s Cyprus Cup.

France will be marginal favourites this evening, but Powell’s players are looking for a an historic victory and Williams – who scored England’s first goal of the tournament in a 1-1 draw with Mexico – is determined to play her part after watching from the substitutes’’ bench on Tuesday.

“Coming back from injury into a World Cup is difficult,” she said, “and after I’d played the first two games it was maybe a good time to rest me because we were almost through to the quarter-finals before we played Japan.

“I thought the performance against Japan was the best we’ve produced in our three games so far and it certainly showed our strength in depth, because Hope made a number of changes and there were outstanding performances by a couple of players who were brought in. But Hope will have done her homework on France and she’ll know the best team to put out against them.

“They’re a very good side technically and difficult to play against, and after we knocked them out of qualifying for the 2007 World Cup they’ll want revenge. But we know what they’re all about and although they’ll be tough opponents, I believe that we’re more than capable of getting the result we want.”

Vauxhall are the proud sponsors of the England Women’s Football Team and the lead partner of the Football Association. www.vauxhallfootball.co.uk

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