Women's Hockey World Cup: England star Sarah Haycroft ready for 'play-off pressure-cooker'

Sarah Haycroft’s mother is Delia Smith’s cousin so you’ve got to believe here when she says England can deliver in the pressure-cooker environment of knock-out hockey.

England meet South Korea in a play-off at Lee Valley on Tuesday, with the winners facing holders Holland in the last eight on Thursday.

Midfielder Haycroft said: “We fine tune such small things. We take so much time to go through the ‘what ifs’ and making things count.

“We do scenario-based drills or match-play situations and it massively helps us in those pressurised moments in games where everything matters.”

The Olympic Park sell-out can expect a cagey affair, with the Koreans likely to sit deep, use the aerial ball and pounce on the counter-attack.

“They will want to make it tight as they can see how much pace we have and won’t want to make it open,” added Haycroft, 27.

Before their first win of the campaign against Ireland on Sunday, the players were allowed home for 24 hours, a decision which paid dividends as England showed glimpses of their world No2 status.

Haycroft said: “It felt odd being at home as we never get to do it at tournaments, but it made us reset and focus.

“My fiancee cooked me a lovely meal. I do like to cook and have all her (Delia Smith) cookbooks which she sends to us. I’ve learned from the best but I’m not up to her standards.”