Lionesses pay tribute to legends' England legacy 

England stars past and present came together at St. George's Park, as we celebrate 50 years of the women's international game.

The first-ever women's international game took place on 18 November 1972, when England travelled to Greenock to face Scotland and came away with a 3-2 win.

And as we look back over a half-century and 448 games for the Lionesses, current squad members Millie Bright, Mary Earps and Lauren James took a chance to speak to some of their predecessors.

As one of the goalkeepers who travelled north as part of that first squad, Sue Whyatt met with current number one Earps to compare notes on how it was in '72 and where the women's game stands now.

"All those stories from way back when has allowed us to do what we've done and we're so glad that you guys have got a voice now to tell these great stories, because we find them fascinating and love hearing them," Earps told Whyatt.

"We wouldn't have the platform to do what we did this summer without everything that came before us."

And Bright was equally gracious during her conversation with Thomas, who captained the Lionesses for a remarkable 26 years.

"We have huge amounts of respect for legends like yourself and the rest of the team, so we're really happy you can now be here to celebrate with us," said the Chelsea defender.

"It's really humbling for me, to understand where the game has come to now from where it was. You all set the tone for the game and set the women's game off."

With 42 international goals to her name, Davis was England's top goalscorer for many years before both Kelly Smith and Ellen White took her title in more recent years.

And she met with one of the current squad's young forwards in James, who revealed she's hoping to keep progressing under the current regime to get herself up the England scoring charts.

"I think they've put us on the right path and put us forward for great opportunities to be where we are today," she added.

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the England Women's team, all players past and present have received their own legacy number and a place in history. You can see the full list, as well as a complete archive of international games played by England on our new 'Legacy' page.