IT was a thrill to cross The Bridge when travelling from Copenhagen to Vaxjo for Scotland's friendly against Sweden last year. The still-running crime television series of that name, originally starring Sofia Helin and Martin Rohde, is terrific. So well done Fiona Brown, whose move from Eskilstuna United to FC Rosengard is not only a footballing promotion but gives her an enviable view of the span which links Denmark and Sweden.
“I live right on the water next to the bridge,” she says. “Everybody asks me if I've seen the series.”
It has a huge practical advantage also. “My mum has worked out that she can leave work on a Friday afternoon, fly over to come to our games, and then fly back on a Sunday night," the Scotland forward says. “It's something like £40 return and only 10 minutes from the airport at Copenhagen to me.”
Brown is understandably pleased by her move to the Malmo club which has won 10 Swedish titles.
“It's a real privilege to play for one of the best clubs in the world,” the 22-year-old from Dunblane says. “They said really nice things about my performances with Eskilstuna. They like my directness and the fact I can go inside or outside. They see me as being unpredictable, in a good sense, and like my attitude and work ethic.”
The club lost two of the best attacking players in the world in 2017, with Marta moving to Orlando Pride and Lieke Martens joining Barcelona. Their recruitment of Brown, who played for 88 minutes in last Sunday's 3-0 Swedish Cup win over Vittsjo, is a fitting reward for a player who has courageously recovered from two ACL injuries.
MADDIE Hill will finally make her Glasgow City debut today. The champions signed her from Serie A club Verona four weeks ago, but the Italians wouldn't co-operate with the required international clearance.
Hill's decision to trigger a release clause in her contract clearly didn't please Verona. Their intransigence prevented her from playing against Stirling University last weekend - but all was resolved on Tuesday thanks to the Scottish FA's intervention.
Hill, who is Scottish qualified, can play in central defence or midfield. The 26-year-old is expected to line up alongside Donna Paterson in the back four against Hamilton Accies at Petershill Park this afternoon.
ANOTHER Glasgow City player who has cause for celebration is Abbi Grant. The 22-year-old forward has been a much-improved player over the last 12 months and on Monday was named in Shelley Kerr's squad for the two friendlies against New Zealand.
“She's deserved it for a long time,” her club head coach Scott Booth says. “She was a stand-out in the league last season.
“Abbi is delighted and it shows the players around her what hard work can achieve. Her weight has come down, her testing scores have gone sky high, and she's constantly sharp in training and games.
“Scotland has got good attacking wide players but Abbi gives us something else centrally. You can't have enough players who have that pace and sharpness in your side.”
New Zealand, like Scotland, decided not to participate in the Cyprus Cup this year. The sides met in the competition in 2017, with goals from Jane Ross, Erin Cuthbert and Kim Little delivering a 3-2 win.
Former captain Abby Erceg is one of two players to have come out of international retirement to play for new head coach Andreas Heraf. The Austrian is also technical director of New Zealand Football.
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