Wales: Jess Fishlock fit but Natasha Harding left out of World Cup play-off squad
- Published
Midfielder Jess Fishlock has scored 34 goals in 134 games for Wales
Jess Fishlock has been named in Wales' World Cup play-off squad having missed the last two group games with injury.
However, Natasha Harding has been left out for personal reasons and is replaced by Bristol City's Chloe Bull.
Gemma Grainger is confident Fishlock will be fit after she was injured during Wales' last camp.
"I spoke to her yesterday and she's right on track for coming home and making sure she's available," said Wales manager Grainger.
Wales face Bosnia-Herzegovina in a World Cup play-off semi-final on Thursday, 6 October at Cardiff City Stadium.
The winners of that game will travel to Switzerland for a play-off final on Tuesday, 11 October.
Fishlock, Wales' most-capped player with 119, missed both the 1-0 victory in Greece on 2 September and the goalless home draw with Slovenia four days later which secured second place in their group.
Grainger said the OL Reign midfielder picked up an injury while training with Wales, though she was named among the substitutes in both matches.
"We dealt with the injury during the camp," Grainger added.
"Some of it was a bit unexpected but since she's gone back to her club we've had meetings and put a plan in place for her. She's played minutes at her club.
"As you can imagine she's dedicated to being ready for this Bosnia game."
Aston Villa forward Harding, 33, is a key performer for Wales and has won 103 caps, scoring 26 goals.
In April, Harding became only the eighth player to reach a century of games for Wales.
Harding captained Reading last season, but left in June after five years with the Royals, joining Women's Super League side Villa in July.
The ex-Manchester City and Liverpool forward played in every WSL game for Reading last season, but has yet to feature for her new club.
Harding was Wales' joint-top goalscorer in qualifying, scoring five goals in Group I.
Uncapped Morgan Rogers and Safia Middleton-Patel are also included in Grainger's squad.
Watford defender Rogers, 20, has been included in the squad previously but is yet to make her senior international debut, as is 17-year-old Manchester United academy goalkeeper Middleton-Patel.
Wales are bidding to qualify for a major tournament for the first time after finishing second in their World Cup qualification group.
The two best-ranked winners of three European play-off finals will secure places at the 2023 World Cup, with the other victorious side going into inter-continental play-offs, which take place next February.
Wales are likely to be the side entering the inter-continental play-offs, should they beat Bosnia-Herzegovina and Switzerland.
Grainger believes Wales will be in better shape ahead of Bosnia-Herzegovina than they were for the Greece and Slovenia games, which were played when her players were in the midst of pre-season with their clubs.
"We didn't speak about it in the last camp because it wasn't something we wanted to focus on but the Greece game was their first competitive game of the season followed by Slovenia and the intensity of that game," Grainger added.
"To get the girls to play at that level was a real credit to their dedication and commitment. Without a doubt, the minutes they've had since the last camp will play a huge part for us really being able to step into that Bosnia game in a better place than we were in the last camp."
Wales hope the Bosnia-Herzegovina game may attract another record crowd, after 12,741 fans - more than double the previous highest attendance for a home Wales women's international - turned out for the Slovenia draw.
More than 9,000 tickets have been sold so far for Bosnia-Herzegovina's visit.
Wales squad: Laura O'Sullivan, Olivia Clark, Safia Middleton-Patel, Rhiannon Roberts, Josie Green, Hayley Ladd, Gemma Evans, Rachel Rowe, Lily Woodham, Sophie Ingle, Anna Filbey, Angharad James, Georgia Walters, Charlie Estcourt, Jess Fishlock OL Reign, Carrie Jones, Ffion Morgan, Megan Wynne, Elise Hughes, Kayleigh Green, Helen Ward, Ceri Holland, Maria Francis-Jones, Chloe Williams, Morgan Rogers, Chloe Bull.
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