Kerys Harrop earns first England call-up for Canada friendly

Uncapped Birmingham defender Kerys Harrop has been called up to England's senior squad for the first time.

Blues team-mate Jade Moore is recalled to the squad along with Chelsea's Claire Rafferty and Carly Telford for the friendly with Canada at Rotherham's New York Stadium on Sunday, 7 April.

But Birmingham's Karen Carney is ruled out with an ankle ligament injury.

Coach Hope Powell said: "Kerys has done well with the under-23s and we have been monitoring her for a while."

Harrop, 22, was a part of the Birmingham side that won their first FA Women's Cup last season and was a member of the England squad that won the European Women's U19 Championship in 2009.

Liverpool captain Gemma Bonner also returns to the squad after her first involvement in March last year.

Powell added: "(Kerys) was with the under-23s in La Manga last year and I asked her to take part in a training session with the seniors and she did okay so this is another opportunity for me to have a look at her.

"The team are doing well at the moment so it will give me a chance to see how she and Gemma cope in this environment."

England beat Canada 1-0 to win the Cyprus Cup and Powell believes it is the perfect fixture ahead of Euro 2013 in Sweden this summer.

"We have to find a consistency before the Euros and so playing Canada again so soon makes it the ideal challenge, one we are all looking forward to," she said.