DANIELLA Bird had a dream debut for England under-17 as she scored their only goal in a 2-1 defeat by France under-17.

The game on Friday afternoon was played at Clairefontaine - the first time the under-17 side had played on foreign soil.

The 15-year-old from Bramley, who plays for Southampton Saints, was not surprised to be in the starting line-up and did her chances of continuing in the England set-up no harm at all, thanks to a 20th-minute strike.

Many top players often freeze when performing on the international stage - but not Bird.

She said: "I didn't really have time to think about my goal. The ball just came in from the right, I controlled it, and saw the 'keeper was off her line and lobbed it over her head.

The midfielder added: "When the ball went into the net, it felt brilliant - the best moment in my career so far." Bird was the free-kick and corner-taker for the team, but was unable to get the chance to show whether she could emulate her hero David Beckham, as England failed to get even one free-kick in the danger zone of just outside the area.

Deep in first-half stoppage-time, France grabbed an equaliser to make it 1-1 at the break.

During the interval, England made a raft of substitutes to give the other members of the 18-strong squad a run out, so Bird (right) watched the rest of the game from the bench.

With her out of the action, the host nation scored the winner after 75 minutes.

This is the only planned game for England this season, with a training camp pencilled-in for next February - when Bird will be hoping for another starring role.