A TALENTED teen with dreams of playing professional football has skippered England’s U15s to victory in Switzerland.

Forest starlet Ellie Brindley captained the national girls’ team to a 2-0 win in Schaff­hausen in her first overseas game. 

The 14-year-old central-defender from Hewelsfield near Lydney also played in the second half of the young Lionesses’ second game of the trip, a 3-1 win against the host nation.

 “It was a fantastic experience to captain England in our first game against Switzerland,” said Monmouth School for Girls pupil Ellie.

“I was a bit nervous when I was named captain at the team announcement the day before the match but I became a lot more excited.

“It was a great honour to be chosen as captain. It was the first time I have played football overseas and in a professional stadium.

“And I was delighted that my parents, Dave and Mima, were able to come and watch.”

The teenager cut her footballing teeth at Chepstow Garden City Girls and has attended national performance camps with the English FA over the last two years.

The Arsenal fan’s ambition is to secure a sports scholarship to the USA, where she visited a university in Florida last year, and go on and play for the senior England Women’s team.

“I’ve been with Bristol City’s Academy for six years and this is the first year I have been chosen to play for England,” she said. 

“I was very happy with the way I played out in Switzerland. The pitch was excellent and the Swiss were a very good side. The speed of the games was a lot faster than I had experienced before. The camp was amazing and I loved everything about it.”

The five-day camp with England involved two matches and a boat trip to the Rhine Falls, the biggest waterfall in Europe.

The Year 10 pupil made her debut for the England’s U15s in a 1-1 draw with Scotland at St George’s Park last autumn.

She has also been picked for the Independent Schools Football Association Girls (ISFA) U16s National Representative Squad to face Kent Schools this Sunday, March 11.

She plays in central midfield for the ISFA team and was on the scoresheet in an emphatic 5-1 victory against Scotland in December. 

Mrs Alison Hutchings, Head of Year 10, said: “Ellie always receives glowing reports and Monmouth School for Girls is very proud of her and keen to support her sporting ambitions.

“The FA takes the educational success of its players very seriously and Ellie has to complete dedicated study sessions during her trips.”