Kirby hopes England's progress at Euro 2022 can 'give the country something to smile about'
Frank Kirby has admitted that being able to put smiles on fans' faces during their Euro 2020 campaign propels England ahead of Tuesday's semi-final.
A dramatic 2-1 extra-time win over Spain on Wednesday added to the growing momentum, with the last four showdown with Sweden being screened in Trafalgar Square in front of up to 5,000 fans.
>Some of the celebrations after Georgia Stanway's sensational - and still full-time - Amex winner was reminiscent of the scenes produced by the England men's team last summer.
While Gareth Southgate's team has fallen at the last hurdle, the Lionesses are determined to go all the way and Kirby is acutely aware of the pressure the cost of living crisis is putting on people.
She said, "As the tournament has grown, we've come down the river and seen people lean over and say, 'Well done girls, we've got your back!'
>"It's great and it's not something we're used to in terms of the level the Women's Super League creates compared to it, it's amazing. Hopefully we give the country something to smile about and to be proud of the way we play and have played.
“The other thing is that if we are lucky enough to win the semi-finals and make it to the final, I think it will be amazing for the people of this country to have something to celebrate and to enjoy. We want to do that as much as possible.
"Even though we want to win, we want to put a smile on people's faces. They might be going through a tough time in terms of fuel costs and cost of living, so hopefully we can give people an escape for more than 90 minutes when they turn on their TV.
"We want them to have something to celebrate, something to watch and they will see how passionately we play for this country. I hope it gives them a sense of pride and they can disconnect of everything that's going on."
Spain killer Georgia Stanway, Bayern Lioness with a ferocious bite…
England were six minutes away from exiting their home tournament in the quarter-finals before Ella Toone's late volley at the end of regulation time.
While even boss Sarina Wiegman got carried away in the heat of the moment at the final whistle, Kirby insists she remains calm, having now reached the last four of a major tournament with the Lionesses for the fourth consecutive time.< /p>
That means the Chelsea star isn't allowing himself to dream of lifting silverware at Wembley in a week's time yet.
“I'm pretty cool and laid back. At some celebrations, some girls get involved, but I like to keep it subtle,” Kirby said.
"I haven't allowed myself to think about it yet, no. I'm going to keep celebrating until after the final - then I can just go wild!
"Of course, we would like to finish this tournament with the trophy, but it's not that easy.
"Every team that stays in this tournament will give you the same answer; they want to win, so for us it's all about focusing on being in the best position going into the final, winning the semi -final.
"For me, I'd like to win the trophy, 100%. I'm a very competitive football player, so I'd like to win. My goal is to win the tournament, but I know that for that, we have to put in a good performance in the semi-finals."
To triumph in the last four of a major tournament is an obstacle the Lionesses have yet to overcome, having lost at this stage in the 2015 and 2019 World Cups and the last European Championships ago five years.
Kirby added: "I don't want to be another player who loses in the semi-finals and doesn't reach the final of a major tournament with England.
"It's on the minds of some of the girls who went there. We've made all four semi-finals now, but for us it's about the present and making sure we don't not end up in this position.
"Nobody really talked about it in the camp, as far as those who have been in this situation, so it's about winning the game and going to the final."
Frank Kirby has admitted that being able to put smiles on fans' faces during their Euro 2020 campaign propels England ahead of Tuesday's semi-final.
A dramatic 2-1 extra-time win over Spain on Wednesday added to the growing momentum, with the last four showdown with Sweden being screened in Trafalgar Square in front of up to 5,000 fans.
>Some of the celebrations after Georgia Stanway's sensational - and still full-time - Amex winner was reminiscent of the scenes produced by the England men's team last summer.
While Gareth Southgate's team has fallen at the last hurdle, the Lionesses are determined to go all the way and Kirby is acutely aware of the pressure the cost of living crisis is putting on people.
She said, "As the tournament has grown, we've come down the river and seen people lean over and say, 'Well done girls, we've got your back!'
>"It's great and it's not something we're used to in terms of the level the Women's Super League creates compared to it, it's amazing. Hopefully we give the country something to smile about and to be proud of the way we play and have played.
“The other thing is that if we are lucky enough to win the semi-finals and make it to the final, I think it will be amazing for the people of this country to have something to celebrate and to enjoy. We want to do that as much as possible.
"Even though we want to win, we want to put a smile on people's faces. They might be going through a tough time in terms of fuel costs and cost of living, so hopefully we can give people an escape for more than 90 minutes when they turn on their TV.
"We want them to have something to celebrate, something to watch and they will see how passionately we play for this country. I hope it gives them a sense of pride and they can disconnect of everything that's going on."
Spain killer Georgia Stanway, Bayern Lioness with a ferocious bite…
England were six minutes away from exiting their home tournament in the quarter-finals before Ella Toone's late volley at the end of regulation time.
While even boss Sarina Wiegman got carried away in the heat of the moment at the final whistle, Kirby insists she remains calm, having now reached the last four of a major tournament with the Lionesses for the fourth consecutive time.< /p>
That means the Chelsea star isn't allowing himself to dream of lifting silverware at Wembley in a week's time yet.
“I'm pretty cool and laid back. At some celebrations, some girls get involved, but I like to keep it subtle,” Kirby said.
"I haven't allowed myself to think about it yet, no. I'm going to keep celebrating until after the final - then I can just go wild!
"Of course, we would like to finish this tournament with the trophy, but it's not that easy.
"Every team that stays in this tournament will give you the same answer; they want to win, so for us it's all about focusing on being in the best position going into the final, winning the semi -final.
"For me, I'd like to win the trophy, 100%. I'm a very competitive football player, so I'd like to win. My goal is to win the tournament, but I know that for that, we have to put in a good performance in the semi-finals."
To triumph in the last four of a major tournament is an obstacle the Lionesses have yet to overcome, having lost at this stage in the 2015 and 2019 World Cups and the last European Championships ago five years.
Kirby added: "I don't want to be another player who loses in the semi-finals and doesn't reach the final of a major tournament with England.
"It's on the minds of some of the girls who went there. We've made all four semi-finals now, but for us it's about the present and making sure we don't not end up in this position.
"Nobody really talked about it in the camp, as far as those who have been in this situation, so it's about winning the game and going to the final."
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