Martha Thomas has declared her international allegiance to Scotland and has been named in Shelley Kerr’s squad for the upcoming UEFA Women’s Euro Qualifier with Albania on Friday 8 November.
Thomas has been in fine form since moving to West Ham United women’s team in the summer, scoring in her last two matches in Claret and Blue, and was included in a training camp with the Scotland Women’s National Team during the previous international break.
Having thoroughly enjoyed her last spell with the side, Thomas is excited to begin her international career with Scotland as the nation looks to reach the Women’s 2021 Euro Finals next summer.
“I really enjoyed my time with the Scotland camp at the beginning of October,” Thomas told whufc.com. “Having taken some time to think about it after, I phoned Shelley Kerr and told her I would be honoured to represent Scotland at international level.
“I had such a good time at the training camp and I believe that Scotland is the best fit for me. The level is really high in training and I felt that.
“I’m really excited to get my international career started and I feel like this is the perfect time and the perfect opportunity. I see Scotland as a long-term option, with long-term potential, and the next challenge for me is to break into the team. That would be really exciting.”
Scotland sit second in Group E, having won their only match in qualification so far, and will come up next against an Albania side that have lost all three of the qualifying matches they have played.
Thomas knows the opponents will still prove a tough test but feels reaching the 2021 tournament is within Scotland’s hands.
“Scotland have a great chance of reaching the Euro Finals,” she continued. “This is a team that qualified for the last World Cup and was also at the 2017 Euros as well. There’s continuous progress and I’m excited to be a part of that.
“We just have to focus on the games in front of us, starting with Albania.”
Linking up with Scotland means Thomas will be competing for a place in attack with former West Ham striker Jane Ross.
The current Hammers No9 met her predecessor during the last training camp and was grateful for the time Ross spent with her, helping her becoming integrated into the Scotland set-up.
Thomas is now looking forward to the competition for places in Scotland’s front-line.
Thomas added: “I spoke to Jane quite a bit during this last camp and she is a really nice person. She had a great time here at West Ham, scored a lot of goals, and is now enjoying it at Manchester United.
“There are always things you can learn. Jane is older than me; she’s got more experience and has played in this league for years with Manchester City, West Ham and now Man United. She was very open with me about her experiences and I really appreciate that.
“Whoever plays up front will be playing with a midfield of Erin Cuthbert, Kim Little and Caroline Weir, which is not a bad trio of midfielders to play in front of either. I’m really excited.”
