Keely Hodgkinson looks to emulate school-mate Ella Toone’s Euro 2022 exploits at Commonwealth Games

Keely Hodgkinson had the nickname ‘Mini Ella’ at school after Lionesses star Ella Toone – now she wants to match the exploits of the Euro 2022 champion.

Manchester United forward Toone scored England’s opener at Wembley on Sunday as they were crowned European champions for the first time after years of heartache.

She and Hodgkinson go back all the way to their time at Fred Longworth High School in Tyldesley near Wigan, close friends despite being two years apart.

Since then, both have gone on to excel at the highest level of elite sport, with Hodgkinson always convinced that Toone would make it to the top.

Now the middle-distance star is hoping to use the Lionesses’ glory as inspiration in her own quest for to break her silver hoodoo at the Commonwealth Games, having finished second at the World Championships last month after doing the same at the Olympics in Tokyo.

She said: “I thought it was absolutely amazing. I really enjoyed watching it. I think about what that’s going to do for women’s football, women’s sport. Seeing all those little girls watching away, it’s really nice to see that because when we were younger, we wouldn’t have had that. Ella did so well to score as well. I know she’s on cloud nine so big congrats to her.

“We went to school together, she was two years older than me but somehow we ended up getting on really well. I was always known as a ‘Mini Ella’ growing up at school so we’ve kept in touch since then. Obviously she was in Tokyo last year with the football so we’re just two young girls living their dreams.

Just Olympic and world 800m silver medallist Keely Hodgkinson hanging out with Ella Toone, who just won the Euros with England