By Vince Rugari
Two minutes.
After 12 months deputising at right-back for an injured Ellie Carpenter (and to rave reviews), that was all Charlotte Grant was given at the Women’s World Cup: two token minutes off the bench, right at the end of their 4-0 victory over Canada in the group stage. She wasn’t sighted again.
Tony Gustavsson’s stubborn reluctance to use his substitutes bench became one of the biggest talking points of the tournament, with his overlooking of Grant among the most controversial.
The 22-year-old did such a brilliant job covering for Carpenter during her recovery from a torn ACL that, had you squinted as her blonde ponytail darted down Australia’s right flank, you wouldn’t have known she was missing at all. She even scored against England. But as good as she was, once the incumbent returned, she had to stand down.
“It’s a hard one to express,” Grant told this masthead. “It was amazing to be part of that World Cup, and I was so proud of all the girls of how well we did, how far we got. Of course, I was pushing to try and have a starting spot, but I knew it was going to be challenging having Ellie and Steph [Catley] there.
“I used the opportunity to just watch them and try and learn off them. They had incredible tournaments and showed so much resilience, which I thought was really inspiring.
Charlotte Grant has made a terrific start to life at Tottenham Hotspur.
“I just had to play my role and be ready whenever I was called upon, which was only two minutes – but I was grateful to just get those two minutes on the pitch.”
Grant would like to spend more time on the grass at her next major tournament, which is why she cannot waste a second between now and the Paris Olympics. The new Tottenham Hotspur recruit finds herself almost in Stuart MacGill territory – stuck behind two generational fullbacks, in Carpenter on the right and vice-captain Steph Catley on the left, and knowing she’ll probably only get a look-in if one is hurt.
Her arrival in north London could help break the cycle. Spurs are not known as a women’s football powerhouse, but the signing last year of Bethany England from Chelsea for what was then a Women’s Super League record fee has been interpreted as a signal of intent from the club in their ambition to become a title challenger. Grant arrived in the January transfer window just gone from Swedish club Vittsjö and has immediately settled into a starting spot at right-back.
“It’s definitely a step up from Sweden – not just in football, but outside of life as well,” she said.
Charli Grant celebrates after scoring in a 2-0 friendly victory over the Lionesses last April.Credit: Getty
“I’ve noticed from the first training, it’s just a lot more consistency at a higher level, and we do a lot of work on the technical side. That’s been really beneficial for me, I already feel like I’m improving every time we do those drills. And then playing … I think we’ve played Man City twice in the space of a couple of weeks. To play against the best players in the world like that so regularly, I feel very lucky.
“And then, you know, in London, everything’s a little bit more expensive as well, so I’m definitely learning on that side of things with budgeting sort of stuff. But it’s nice. I’m loving it here. I feel like I’m growing as a person, as a player, so quickly.”
At least in that department she can lean on the local knowledge of Catley, Caitlin Foord and Kyra Cooney-Cross, the Arsenal trio who all live in St Albans, just outside London’s northern outskirts, where Grant has also set up sticks.
As for Ange Postecoglou? They haven’t met yet, but she can feel his towering presence over Tottenham as a club. “It’s amazing, what he’s doing,” she said. “It shows that anything’s possible.”
If Grant can’t mount a case to immediately start for the Matildas, her ambition is to add a few more strings to her bow and prove to Gustavsson her value as a bench weapon.
She has played often as a pinch-hitting winger and even has a bit of experience as a striker; in her Adelaide United days, she used to shadow Michelle Heyman at training, and is looking forward to seeing her in camp this week ahead of their Olympic qualifiers against Uzbekistan, after the veteran forward earned her first call-up in almost six years as a replacement for injured skipper Sam Kerr.
Those extra skills could come in handy at the Olympics, where Gustavsson will be restricted to a squad of just 18 players and will be looking for greater utility from those within it.
Presuming they get there, of course.
“A lot of my career has been a bit like that. I’m always trying to knock on doors,” Grant said. “I’ve always had it challenging, throughout every team I’ve been in, so it’s nothing new for me. Being at Tottenham will be really helpful for my development. I know just being in that environment will really develop me, and then hopefully I can just keep pushing for that starting spot.”
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