Vicky Jepson believes Bethany England 'absolutely' has to feature in England's World Cup squad this summer in Australia.

The Tottenham Hotspur star striker scored another two goals against Brighton on Saturday evening, to help her side claim a valuable point in a 2-2 draw. 

The Lilywhites were playing at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the first time since their defeat to Manchester United at the stadium. It saw an increased attendance support Spurs, despite just half a stand being open. 

Jepson loved playing in N17, and said it had a big impact on her players.

"When you can hear them signing ‘come on you Spurs’ and Jessica Naz sets off down the wing. It probably injects a little bit more pace into her when she hears those fans cheering her name. I encourage them to come back when we play Reading back here, so hopefully we’ll see more of them to spur us on.

“It’s like a carpet. It’s great to have the fans, so it’s always great to play in a Premier League stadium, especially when it’s your own Premier League stadium. It’s a fantastic stadium and one of the best in the country, so we’re very happy to play here."

Two goals from England helped Spurs claim a vital point in the WSL battle. The striker, who joined from Chelsea in January, has been a vital cog in the system ever since.

Without her goals, Spurs would likely be sitting rock bottom of the table. England has often pushed the Lilywhites to victory, especially in their 1-0 win against Leicester earlier this season.

(Photo by Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images)
(Photo by Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images)

Jepson believes the striker should be on the plane to Australia this summer after recent performances.

She said: "Absolutely [in the England squad]. She’s a top English goal scorer in the WSL, so why would you not take her with you. With her experience, she can pull a goal out of anywhere. We’ve seen that with Spurs. She’s deserved the opportunity to go and put on the Lionesses shirt and represent her country at a World Cup."

  • On the performance

Spurs came from behind twice to secure a 2-2 draw against the Seagulls. They showed fight and spirit in front of their fans, but the result still leaves them firmly in the relegation battle, especially after Leicester City's 4-0 win against Liverpool on Saturday. 

Jepson suggested that the result was 'fair' both sides, but they will come out away slightly disappointed after not winning.

She said: “As a result, probably fair for both teams. Obviously we’re disappointed to go behind. I’m really pleased with how we responded to get ourselves back in it on two occasions. 

"A little bit of both [on if it is a positive or a negative point]. Obviously we want to win, but our objective is to accumulate points, and we’ve come away not empty handed, so I’m really pleased from that point of view. I thought the subs had a great impact on the way they lifted our attacking threat. We created some good chances where we could have come away with three points.

“Goals. That’s what we needed. I never want to be behind in a game. We set our standards. To go behind twice and come away with something is a positive. At this stage, the glass has to be half-full and not empty. I’m an optimistic person and breathe positivity, so I hope that’s infectious around the group.

"We weren’t [quick] out of the races. Maybe that’s nerves, anxiety, or the results this morning have affected them [the team]. I don’t know but we’ll review that as a group. The big thing is that we responded well after going behind, and we’ve come away not empty-handed."

  • On the controversial yellow card

Just after coming on, Lee Geum-Min went into the referee's book for a reckless tackle in the middle of the pitch. The South Korean later scored for Brighton with a fantastic curling effort into the bottom right corner.

Many in the stadium believed the striker deserved a red card for her challenge, however Jepson did not want to comment until watching it back.

 (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)
(Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)

She said: "I don’t know until I watch it back [if the yellow card was too lenient]. I’m not sure. It was a reckless challenge, but I never want to see someone get a red card and leave the pitch. I’ll have to watch it back to judge whether it should have been more than a yellow. 

"Those are the things I try not to dwell on. They’re out of our control. The things we can control is our performance. She [the referee] did a fantastic job today, so I’ve got no complaints from the officials point of view."

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