England defender Steph Houghton has opened up on the emotional toll of trying to break back into Sarina Wiegman ’s Lionesses squad while her husband Stephen Darby continues to battle motor neurone disease.
Months after Houghton and Darby married in 2018, ex-Liverpool defender Darby was diagnosed with motor neurone disease, a rare condition that progressively damages parts of the nervous system.
For Houghton and Darby, the disease has meant cramming in as many memories as possible and cherishing their moments together.
But the Manchester City defender opened up on how the situation made her most recent snub from Wiegman’s Lionesses’ squad ahead of this summer's Women’s World Cup more difficult to take.
In March of this year, the 35-year-old former England skipper was on the bench for City in an FA Cup tie at Aston Villa. Darby remained at home, but as the match ended, Houghton was greeted by a panicked call telling her Darby had suffered a fall and was in hospital.
“I was like, “Right, how do I get to there?”’ Houghton told the Daily Mail. “You feel so guilty because you’re not there. You’re on a bench in Birmingham and you shouldn’t be.”
Darby suffered a cut to the head, but there was no serious damage.
However, Houghton explained how the event represented the challenge presented as she attempted to force herself into Wiegman’s squad ahead of the summer’s Women’s World Cup.
Since the Dutch manager's appointment to the Lionesses, Houghton has struggled to break into the squad.
Ahead of last summer’s European Championships, Wiegman outlined to Houghton the requisites a return would demand following an achilles injury, including meeting with a specialist rehabilitation centre in Crewe, about 40 miles from Manchester.
Houghton consulted Darby first due to the time it would take away from the pair, but Darby insisted Houghton do everything she could to stake her claim in the squad.
However, despite recovering in time for last summer’s Euros, Wiegman did not select Houghton, who was forced to make a sharp exit from St. George’s Park before the press arrived having been given a half hour's notice.
Despite the disappointment, Houghton continued to graft ahead of this summer’s Women’s World Cup. She became a key fixture in Gareth Taylor’s side as they fought for a European place against WSL rivals Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea.
Houghton's return to form coincided with a slew of injuries suffered in the England camp, including to defender and captain Leah Williamson. However, despite the strong case built for Houghton’s inclusion in a squad with little World Cup expertise and defensive nous, Wiegman once again opted against including her.
And Houghton revealed her deep disappointment of the decision.
“At that moment I think I was done with the whole situation,” she said. “I’d been fighting with myself for 18 months to prove I can still play at that level. I think I did that but it was pretty clear from that conversation that I won’t be playing for England again.”
Houghton will continue to support her teammates as they bid to make more history with the Lionesses but she will not travel to Australia, instead going to Ibiza with Darby.
“We’re going in a villa with the whole family,” she said. ‘It’s memories for all of us and it’s the first time I’ve had more than two weeks off. There’ll be challenges, even just getting to the airport. But it won’t stop us doing anything. That’s what we’ve always said. We’ll try to live a normal life for as long as we can.”
