The Reading-born midfielder thought she would never again play at the heart of English football, but on Sunday, Fran Kirby will walk out onto the Wembley pitch for the FA Cup Final.
Tagged with the nickname ‘mini Messi’ by the Chelsea fans for, well, her small stature, but also her driving runs and delightful through balls, the 32-year-old orchestrated so much of the Blues’ play during her nine-year stay.
Since leaving Chelsea as their joint-top record goalscorer in 2023, Kirby has swiftly become an equally vital playmaker for the Albion, assisting both goals against Arsenal to eliminate the 14-time winners in the FA Cup quarter-finals.
While her teammates will be hoping for Kirby to pull the strings once more at Wembley, the midfielder is aware of the ‘really difficult’ battle she faces against Manchester City midfielders Yui Hasegawa and Laura Blindkilde Brown.
The former played a pivotal role in the Cityzens’ Women’s Super League title triumph this season, dictating the tempo of matches with short and long passes, and Kirby was in high praise for the Japan international when speaking exclusively to The Brighton Base.
“I think Hasegawa is one that probably doesn’t get the credit she deserves for what she brings. I think she does more now, but still, she should be put on that pedestal as one of the best in the world.
“I remember in the last game we played against Manchester City, I said to Hasegawa, ‘can you just stop?’ I think she’d wiggled out of my challenges a couple of times, and I was just like ‘look please, just give me a minute.’
“I know the challenges are going to be really tough, but it’s a one-off game and we’ve shown we’re able to put in some good performances and get some results which maybe people don’t expect.”
Brighton have recently undertaken a giant-killing voyage, toppling Arsenal in the FA Cup quarter-finals, before defeating Manchester City 3-2 in late April to cause a slight wobble to their ultimately victorious WSL title bid.
Kirby was instrumental in that comeback victory, cutely backheeling the ball for Madison Haley’s equaliser, and later threading a pass through to Kiko Seike to fire the Albion 2-1 ahead at the Broadfield Stadium.
Credit: Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club
While the Albion’s second-half display will provide confidence, an uncertain start to the game saw the Seagulls continuously surrender possession in dangerous areas to the Cityzens.
“We probably should have been 4-0 down at one point, so we’re not naive to think that everything was roses in that game,” recalled Kirby.
“It’s a lot of conversations of ‘we cannot start like that again in an FA Cup Final’, and I think that’s more of the stern warning. We know what they’re capable of and if they were more clinical.
“I think it’s just a case of staying in the game for as long as we can at the beginning, and growing into our flow and growing into our rhythm.
“But we also know there’s going to be moments in the game where we’re going to have to suffer, because they are a quality side in and out of possession.”
Kirby is certainly no stranger to playing on the Wembley pitch, having won five FA Cups with Chelsea. For many of her Albion teammates, however, walking out under the Wembley arch will be their first.
But the playmaker is yet to offer any advice on handling nerves, explaining that she will speak to her teammates ‘a little bit more about the build-up on the day.’
“Everyone handles it differently and I also think some nerves are good: it shows how much you care and how much you want to put into the game,” she said.
“I don’t want to tell someone you should be nervous when they don’t feel nervous. Or say ‘great, you don’t feel nervous’, and then when it comes to the game they don’t know what they’re doing.
“I think for me it’s going to be a case of if you need some advice, I’m here. If you don’t, go and experience it.”
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