C.J. Bott is back in the frame - while Ria Percival will make a call on her international future in the coming weeks.
They were two of the main talking points from the Football Ferns squad named on Tuesday for the series against Thailand next month. The two matches will be their first on home soil since the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup.
Bott, regarded as one of the most accomplished Ferns, was a shock omission from last December’s tour to Colombia.
At the time, Ferns coach Jitka Klimkova said the Leicester City defender had things to work on, without going into further details.
It appears that Bott has served her time, with the 28-year-old named for the two-game series in Christchurch.
“She was working on stuff that we were pretty clear with, on and off the field, what we want to see,” said Klimkova. “I’m confident in her improvement and her development and very excited to have her back because we know C.J. Bott belongs in this team.”
C.J. Bott is back for the Football Ferns to face Thailand. Photo / Getty Images
Klimkova didn’t want to expand on exactly what Bott was tasked with improving - “We said to each other that we keep this between us” - but said she had achieved “huge growth”.
Since Bott’s axing last November, Klimkova said there has been a lot of contact, with regular Zoom calls.
“We keep each other informed. There is desire from her and from us to have her back and for her to be back, so this is good timing. We are building our connections, our trust. With everyone it is a never-ending story - that is our job.”
Percival is the Ferns’ record appearance-holder with 166 caps and was co-captain alongside Ali Riley at the World Cup. But she hasn’t worn the silver fern since, missing the trips to Chile last September and Colombia, as well as the recent Olympic qualifying tournament in Samoa.
Klimkova said Percival had been focussed on club duties, especially since her loan move from Spurs to Crystal Palace in January, but a big decision was imminent, given the proximity of the Paris Olympics.
“From the Ferns perspective, she is making a decision on what her next steps are going to be and that is up to her and what her journey is going to look like moving forward.
“I know she wants to keep playing as long as she can. It’s good to have her in women’s football because she is a legend. [With the Ferns], the door is open, she needs to make a decision if she wants to keep pushing.”
Captain Riley, Paige Satchell, Meikayla Moore and Malia Steinmetz are among other players to return after missing the Samoa trip through injury. Betsy Hassett was not considered, after recently announcing her pregnancy, while Annalie Longo and Grace Neville are still working their way back from injury.
Young striker Milly Clegg is still rehabilitating, after successive hamstring injuries, though Klimkova is confident the teenager, now at Racing Louisville in the United States, is making progress.
“She is going really well - good signs.”
Klimkova spent last week in Australia, watching various Ferns contenders. She is optimistic about the player pool available for Paris and is adamant that no fixed decisions have been made.
“I will try to push it as long as possible because we need the competition between the players,” she said. “And for the Olympics, it is only 18 players so it is going to be very difficult.”
