I would love to tell you that the victory over Canada stemmed the hurt I felt after the 2012 Games, but I don't think that will ever happen.Striker Kelly Smith has been a talisman for us over the years, understandably so, because she is one of the best players in the world. Yet the fact we achieved the victory over Canada without her shows that the future is bright for English football. If anything, the win has made it even more frustrating because you think 'what if we had done that back then?' Hindsight is a wonderful thing and tactically and physically we got it right. In the Olympics Canada bullied us, but that didn't happen this time.All of the squad were used over the course of the tournament and I learnt that no matter who comes on the pitch now, I can trust and rely on absolutely anybody.I thought we were quite comfortable in the end and it was great to see some of the young players, like Arsenal midfielder Jordan Nobbs and Everton striker Toni Duggan, come in and show no fear.Winning the Cyprus Cup is not the European Championship, it's not the World Cup and it's not the Olympics and I'm not going to pretend it is, but it has given us a big psychological lift in an important year.We have a great blend of youth and experience in the squad and 33-year-old Rachel Yankey's winner was one of the goals of the tournament. From a personal point of view, it was great to see her prove that more experienced players can still get better with age!
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