In the same week, Kirsty Smith achieved two significant goals for her country and club! The defender played in her 50th game for West Ham United in Sunday’s 0-0 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion. She then earned her 50th cap for Scotland in Friday’s draw with Serbi

For the first time in more than a year, Smith was playing for her country. She began the opening match of Scotland’s UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 qualifications in the Gradski Stadion Dubočica, where Serbia proved to be a difficult opponent as the match ended goalless. Reaching 50 appearances for her nation and being back in the national team lineup was an extremely satisfying and proud event for the 30-year-old defender.

After the final siren, Smith told the official Scotland National Team media, “I’m thrilled to have reached this milestone and it’s a really proud moment for me.” It’s something I’ve always wanted, and now that it’s happened, my dreams have come true.

Being back here with everyone and being a part of the group feels good, so that’s definitely a plus for me. “So far, our training week has been fantastic, and I’ve loved spending time with the girls and the team again.” We still have a lot more in store for you in the future.” Scotland’s best chance in the match came from former West Ham United forward Jane Ross, who scored a goal off the woodwork not long after substituting in.

While Pedro Martínez Losa’s side looked largely composed at the back, they would have hoped to have made more of a dent in the Serbian defence.

Smith says the game has given them a lot to build on as they prepare to face Slovakia at Hampden Park on Tuesday evening, in their final match of the international break.

She added: “There were a lot of positives in the game. We had chances, and we’ve been able to keep a clean sheet, which is a positive. We had a really good defence tonight.

“Obviously, we’ll put a few things into practice; we’ve put a lot of effort into our training, and we’ll keep doing that. “We want to be picking up these points and hopefully we’ll continue to do so and improve with every game.”