'I am gutted but there’s a generation inspired' - England fans proud of 'brave and phenomenal' Lionesses

At 1:16pm today, the Piccadilly Gardens fan zone DJ lowered the audio from the BBC’s coverage and played a song — ‘The Only Way Is Up’.

It was the only thing which could break the stony stares of England fans who’d gathered to see the Lionesses in their maiden World Cup final.

Some smiled wryly to one another. Others started belting out the chorus, as an act of defiance against the misery of watching their team fall at the final hurdle. One even danced on the table.

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Throughout the morning, supporters — some families who had come from far and wide — converged on Manchester city centre to watch the game on the-not-long-established fan park, capable of hosting 6,000 football fans. The choice of song reflected the mood of England’s most dedicated supporters, who had suffered through more than 100 minutes of a disjointed Lionesses performance which belied the success Sarina Wiegman has brought to this squad.

“The song says it all,” Hollie Southward said as the music blared. “They have done us proud from start to finish.

“I am just gutted, but there’s a generation inspired.” Hollie, 28, is well-placed to assess that. She is a high school PE teacher, working in Blackburn.

She explained: “I know my girls will be buzzing. We’ll have fixtures next term and they’ll be excited.”

Annie Spicer, also 28, put a similar face on. “I am so proud of them, Spain were too good for us today,” she told the M.E.N. “I am gutted but I am so proud.

“I used to play when I was younger and I’ve watched them forever. What they have done is phenomenal.”

And Sarah Crook, 30, also summed up the mood of the generation of women who are the first to see the