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Beth Mead (right) clicks her fingers alongside fellow substitute Chloe Kelly after scoring in England’s final group game - Getty Images/Alex Caparros
When Beth Mead scored the Lionesses’ fifth goal against Wales, she ran over to the bench and clicked her fingers in the air alongside the substitutes.
It was a celebration that caused confusion in the stands, at home and even among some of the England players.
Keira Walsh admitted she had no idea what the celebration was about while Georgia Stanway was equally puzzled.
England manager Sarina Wiegman gives her players clearly identified roles before each tournament. Those who do not start but are the first to come off the bench are called “finishers” – and it is a title that has been embraced.
Chloe Kelly, who was one of the “super subs” of Euro 2022 and the 2023 World Cup and has fulfilled a similar role this tournament, was able to shed light on how players have turned the disappointment of not starting into a positive.
“We have a little group of us, a group chat called ‘the finishers’ as you call it, and the ‘positive clicks’ we call it,” Kelly said.
“On the bench before the game, you probably saw we were all clicking, like ‘what are they doing?!’
“It was just a positive click and we said, if one of us comes on and scores, let’s do that as our celebration, the one that we came up with it on the bench, it’s great.
“We work really hard on the training pitch and the gym, probably sometimes it goes unnoticed.
“It’s just about sticking together and being at our best when called upon, training hard to get the best out of each other and making sure the girls that are starting the game are fully prepared, but also making sure we’re prepared to go on the pitch and do a great job.”
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Mead scored her first goal of the tournament against Wales after being brought on from the bench at half-time - Getty Images /Chris Ricco
The impact of players from the bench has been key in past tournaments under Wiegman and it has been no different in Switzerland. Aggie Beever-Jones also scored after coming off the bench against Wales and England boast a wealth of talent among their substitutes.
There are of course some players who may not get any game time in this tournament and it has been important for those in that position to stay positive, which is where the idea of the “click” came from. Wiegman has also made a point of ensuring all 23 of her players feel involved, even if they are not playing.
“I think it might have been Maya [Le Tissier], she made the group chat,” Kelly says when asked who was the driving force behind the group.
“We get our pictures on an app and some of us didn’t have the pictures of the click celebration and that’s where the group chat came from, to send each other the pictures of the celebration.
“I was saying to Lotte [Wubben-Moy] throughout the tournaments that we’ve been playing in, whether that was the home Euros, Australia [2023 World Cup] or here, the group of finishers have been incredible, supporting the team that are playing and being ready for your moment.
“It’s been really nice to see that as a consistent thing with England – the finishers being ready for their moment and taking it when it comes but also absolutely grafting.
“Whether you’re a starter or a finisher, coming onto the pitch you know your role and you try to execute it as best as possible and everyone is ready to step onto the pitch and try to give their all for their country and hopefully fans at home can see that. The girls that start the game do that as well so it’s the whole group of 23 players being ready to do their job and get things over the line for the team.”
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