Rewind four months and not many would have expected Jess Carter to play the vast majority of England's World Cup.
That includes the player herself. "I felt fortunate just to get selected to for the World Cup," Carter tells Mirror Football. "Let alone play so many minutes."
You can see why. A year before at the Euros, Carter remained on the bench as a squad player. In the background, but not playing a leading role as football came home.
But Down Under she was thrust straight into the spotlight, starting England's opening game over Haiti. Even after a strong performance that night in Brisbane, a game the Lionesses won 1-0. Few fans would have expected the Brummy stopper to be one of the best defenders at the World Cup.
By the end of her six weeks in Australia, she was in the majority of the selected teams of the tournament.
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“To get to and actually play in a World Cup final was surreal," she admits. "It still hasn’t really sunk in some ways to be honest. It was an incredible tournament to be a part of and for me I think that was a kickstart for my international career.
"I was just really happy every time I stepped out onto the pitch. I'm proud of my performances and what we achieved as a team. At England we want to win every single game we play, so it was still hard to lose (the final).
"I still can't believe it happened, to play so many games was incredible. I now just want to keep competing for a spot in the team. It was a welcome surprise to be such a big part of it. I just wanted to enjoy it, play as well as I could and hopefully that's what I did.
Her performances in Australia could make her un-droppable for Sarina Wiegman's England going forward. And it looks as if a similar situation is now developing at Chelsea.
She was often used as a versatility option last season. In total across her 17 WSL appearances made, Carter was on the pitch, on average, for 54 minutes per game.
But this season looks different already. Long-time defender Magda Eriksson departed for Bayern Munich, leaving a big hole in defence. And Carter has started every game at centre-back, paying every single minute of Chelsea's opening three league fixtures.
And she now feels ready to become a permanent fixture in the side. Her club manager Emma Hayes has always known how talented she is. But does she now see Carter as a key player?
Sarina Wiegman, manager of England, Jess Carter and Lauren James of England look dejected following the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 Final match against Spain (Photo by Naomi Baker - The FA/The FA via Getty Images)"So far this season I’ve predominantly played centre-back and I’ve enjoyed that," said Carter. "Because I’m playing there in training, I’d like to think I’m getting better in terms of putting into practice what I'm doing, during the week. I think there (centre-back) is where Emma sees me as competing for a spot this season.
"She made a comment the other day about me no longer being the apprentice who always gets moved around, so I’ll take that as a good sign!"
From the apprentice to the master. Carter is now showing why, next to her England colleague Millie Bright, she is one of the WSL's best defenders. No longer just the go-to utility option. She is more likely to be one of the first names on the teamsheet.
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Emma Hayes signed Carter for Chelsea back in 2018The season maybe less than a month old but Carter already looks to be playing with more confidence than seen previously. This is no surprise, the experience of getting to a World Cup final can give extra self belief to even the most experienced of players.
England's defensive stability in Australia, without captain Leah Williamson, was built around the three-player wall of Bright, Carter and Alex Greenwood. Asking Carter to pick just one single highlight of a whirlwind summer is perhaps unfair.
But the answer shows what makes her the player she is.
"I think the Colombia game in the quarter-final," says Carter, after a pause for thought. "I don’t know why really. It just stands out.
"Their fans were unbelievable, I’ve never experienced anything like that before. I was getting goosebumps just from listening to their fans and their support. The passion they had for the game was incredible. We all wanted to be there, but I felt it was so, so big for them.
Jess Carter and Linda Caicedo had a memorable showdown at the World Cup"Then we go a goal down as well and the atmosphere kicks up again. It was a test of our mentality and our grit to get back into the game and win it."
England did exactly that, thanks to goals from Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo. But in the cold Sydney night sky Carter's star shone the brightest, coping with the extra task of keeping the shackles on Colombia’s big breakout star of the tournament.
"Coming up against Linda Caicedo was massive," she adds. "Personally I’d never heard of her until the World Cup. Then everyone was talking about her in the first few weeks because she was so good.
“I think in my first interaction with her, she just ran past me. Absolutely breezed me like I wasn’t even there. I had to figure her out as a player quickly after that. After that moment she didn’t get past again, I’d like to think anyway.
"But it was a really exciting challenge as she had a great tournament. Those moments have really stuck with me and helped me believe in myself. I know I should probably say that a World Cup final was the highlight, but there was something about that Colombia game for me."
The game showed exactly what Carter is all about. Doing her job quietly but confidently. Sticking to a tricky task that others would shirk.
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