Hibs forward Katie Lockwood talks Lionesses, future ambitions and what convinced her to move to Edinburgh

Katie Lockwood has enjoyed spells in Cyprus and Sweden, however Hibs managed to convince the 24-year-old to swap Scandinavia for the Scotland in January.

The 24-year-old English striker has had a brilliant start to her career so far at the Edinburgh club, scoring four goals already. Establishing herself at KIF Örebro in Sweden before joining Hibs, Lockwood says the progression of the SWPL was a big factor in convincing her to hop over the North Sea.

“It's a different kind of game here compared to what I was used to in Sweden,” Lockwood told the Edinburgh Evening News. “We played Rangers the other night and you can see the quality they have. It's the direction the whole league is going in. The fact that it's a growing league did attract me, absolutely. The direction that Hibs are going in is really good.”

An England fan through and through, the striker thoroughly enjoyed last summer as the Lionesses won the Euros. The victory has had a massive impact on the women’s game and on Lockwood personally.

Katie Lockwood has high ambitions for Hibs. Credit: Malcolm Mackenzie

“It definitely helped to inspire me to move closer to home, to find somewhere in the UK,” she said looking back on England’s victory. “With the way the game is growing and the crowds that we're seeing now, it's definitely something I want to be a part of.

“I went to a couple of the Euros games last summer when I was home. It was my first experience watching an England game. I was at the Spain game and the crowd there was unreal.“I watched the final in Sweden. It was good as well that we'd beaten Sweden on our way to the final, so that gave me some bragging rights. I got some stick when I went into the dressing room. I was tempted to go in with my England shirt but I thought I'd give it a day or two off.”

Now looking forward to kicking on with her Hibs career, the striker intends to return to England one day and, in the meantime, aims to take Hibs back to their glory days. “Long term I'd like to play in England, obviously with it being home”, she added. “Other than that I'd like to take Hibs to the top of the league.”