LANA Clelland wasn’t born when Rose Reilly won an unofficial World Cup winner’s medal with Italy in 1984. Nevertheless, the 24-year-old from Perth is making her mark in Serie A.
When the Italian women’s season ended last month, former Spartans striker Clelland was top scorer with 23 goals. She signed off with three hat-tricks in her last four games for middle-of-the-table UPC Tavagnacco.
Quite an achievement, yet Clelland has never been more than a peripheral figure in the Scotland set-up. She came off the bench after 64 minutes to make her debut against Cameroon in Aberdeen in 2012; some five years later she has just 14 caps with only one of them – against South Korea – from the start.
Her only goal, amidst a flurry of late appearances, was a last-minute equaliser against Serbia in 2013.
After playing with girls’ clubs in the Perth area, Clelland joined Rangers Ladies – a move which involved her father, who she describes as her biggest influence and supporter, driving her four times a week to Murray Park. Then it was to Spartans in 2011 before joining ASD Pink Bari three years later.
That move, on a professional contract, was a big one for Clelland, but she really started to thrive when she joined Tavagnacco in 2015.
“I’m surrounded by more professional people,” she says.
“A few recent Italian national team players are in our squad, which I didn’t have at Bari. So I have people to look up to and that has been very good for me.
“At school I did French and was absolutely useless. If you told my teacher now I was fluent in a different language she wouldn’t believe you. Italians are quite stubborn – they’re not going to compromise about the language and I’m the only foreigner in the team. The Italians like everything to look beautiful. They’re very tactically minded and in the women’s game the emphasis is on attacking and how to get round teams rather than going through them.”
Clelland’s substitute role is likely to continue at the Euros, particularly as injury denied her any chance to make an impression during this year’s four-game Cyprus Cup tournament. Scotland’s first choice striker is the prolific Jane Ross, and arguably the national team has become dangerously reliant on her being fit.
“Jane and I work well as a two,” Clelland says. “I came on against Macedonia in the qualifiers and provided two assists for her.
“I would love to have a chance to play and show what I can do. I know where the back of the net is.”
She won’t be retiring from football any time soon, but when she does Clelland is in no doubt about what her future job will be.
“Fire fighter,” she states.
“When I saw that Rhonda [Jones, the former Scotland defender)]got accepted for the training I was a bit jealous.”
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