Kelly Smith: England team can go all the way... if they play like women

England footballer Kelly Smith today said the men’s national team should learn from the women’s success to find the winning formula for Euro 2016.

Smith, who retired last year as the England women’s team’s record scorer with 46 goals, backed the English men to reach the final of the tournament as long as they “stick together and don’t let the pressure get to them”.

The English women’s side have a better recent record in tournaments than their male counterparts, finishing third in last year’s World Cup.

Smith, 37, said: “The reason the women’s side did so well was there was no expectation on them. I think it’s the pressure from the media and from the nation for them to do really well that has made the men’s team underperform in recent years.

"They just need to forget the pressure, go out and enjoy the game and the results will follow.”

The Arsenal Ladies player, who earned 117 caps for England before retirement last February, said: “If they can stay together and believe in themselves and what their manager is telling the players then I don’t see why they can’t make it to the final.”

Smith was launching energy company SSE’s Dads and Daughters campaign, aiming to inspire more fathers to encourage their girls to play football. New research has shown half of Britain’s dads would not want their daughters to pursue footballing ambitions.