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Scottish attacker, Sarah Ewens may have just joined the Lionesses a few months ago, but her influence on London City has been evident both on and off the pitch.
Growing up in Scotland, Ewens had football running through her family, so it was only a matter of time before she felt a connection to the game.
In her early years, Ewens always remembers her father taking her down to a park in Edinburgh to play primary school football on a Saturday morning.
Ewens spoke on how her family brought her closer to the game growing up, stating, "My dad has played a big part in me playing, he was always into football, and always had that passion for the game."
She continued, "Even my older brother played at a young level, so it has always been in my family to kick a ball about, and that is where my passion comes from."
As she grew up, Ewens attended Hearts' games with her father, but was a consistent supporter of Manchester United, looking up to the likes of David Beckham.
Ewens was always appreciative of her family willing to go out of their way to give her the best opportunities down the road to succeed in the game she loved.
Whether it was taking her to training sessions or to matches, her family was always front and center in her motivation to work as hard as she could in everything she did.
At the age of 17, a young Ewens joined Spartans, featuring for seven years for the club from North Edinburgh. She made 142 first-team appearances for the Scottish Women's Premier League side.
Over those seven years, Ewens netted 120 goals, including five seasons where she found the back of the net 18 or more times. Ewens’ 120 goals still stand as the second-highest goal total by a single player in club history.
Ewens spoke fondly about her time with Spartans, stating, "When I was at Spartans, I was a young player. I look back at my time there and think of some of the best games I have played, I was just free."
Overall, Ewens spent 12 seasons of her career in senior football in Scotland, moving from Spartans to Hibernian and then finishing with four and a half seasons at Celtic.
She netted 64 goals in 98 outings with Celtic under four different managers, including a season where she found the back of the net 22 times, becoming the only player to score against every team in the Scottish top-flight in 2019.
Ewens helped guide the Glasgow side to its first-ever Champions League qualification in her final season before departing the club, scoring a goal every 1.53 contests throughout her career.
In the early stages of her senior career, Ewens had no idea she would be able to make a career in football, but during her last few seasons at Celtic, the belief of succeeding in England suddenly became clear.
Ewens reflected on if she thought growing up she could make a career in professional football, stating, "It was never at a young age in my mind that I could make a career of this, let alone move down south. It was only when I got older, I thought there were maybe more opportunities."
She continued, "In my last few years at Celtic, I thought, I would love to push myself, and see if I could play down in England."
In 2021, Ewens made the jump from her home country right into the Women's Super League with Birmingham City. The Scottish attacker battled obstacle after obstacle off the pitch with the Blues during her lone season in the west midlands.
At the beginning of July 2022, Ewens made the move to London City, becoming the sixth addition to the Lionesses following a successful 2021/22 campaign.
Ewens expressed her joy of scoring her first London City goal against Durham, "Since I came down here, I really enjoyed it. Once I got that goal, I felt a lot of relief, and having all my teammates around me was a really good feeling."
As a significant contributor to the depth, and versatility of this attacking unit for the Lionesses, Ewens has netted seven goals in all competitions this season, including a hat-trick on the road against Coventry United.
"Everyone brings their own qualities, and something different to the squad. It is not just the front three, it comes from the midfield, and the wing-backs creating goal-scoring opportunities. We are not reliant on one or two players to get goals, there are goals all throughout the team", Ewens stated on the quality that this year's team has all over the pitch.
Although her time with the Lionesses so far has been filled with triumphs, Ewens understands the importance of patience, and through her hard work during the week, she knows success is bound to follow.
From rising in the ranks of Scottish football to now becoming one of the mainstays in the London City attack, Ewens kept working at her dream.
She is a true example of what happens when you combine ambition with persistence.
With the support from her family, and the willingness to keep at the objective in front of her, Ewens turned a seemingly unimaginable dream when she was younger into a reality.
Don't miss out on a chance to see Sarah in action! Click the link to purchase your tickets for the next Lionesses home match against Portsmouth in the FA Cup!