Steph Houghton wants Mark Sampson stay

By Barney Corkhill, Editor | 05 July 2015

England Women's captain Steph Houghton is keen to see manager Mark Sampson continue his role following the Lionesses' third-place finish at the 2015 World Cup.

England Women's captain Steph Houghton has urged manager Mark Sampson to stay in charge of the national side following their third-place finish at the 2015 Women's World Cup in Canada.

The Lionesses bounced back from semi-final heartbreak to beat Germany 1-0 after extra time in the third-place playoff last night, ensuring that they would finish the tournament as the highest ranked European team.

Sampson has drawn plenty of praise for his role in the success having picked the team up from European Championship disappointment 18 months ago, and Houghton is keen to see the 32-year-old stay on.

"We all want Mark to stay," she told Press Association Sport.

"It's shown in this tournament what a great manager and coach he is, to be able to change our tactics from game to game and adjust our game plan depending on who we've been playing and give that element of surprise to the opposition.

"On a personal note he's believed in me as a player and as a captain, as well as the rest of the girls, and we want him to stay and hopefully he will."

The Women's World Cup final takes place at midnight tonight as USA face England's conquerors Japan.