by Our Sports Desk

ELLEN WHITE is taking inspiration from Laura Bassett and Serena Williams as she bids to fire Notts County to Wembley glory tomorrow.

The Women’s FA Cup final is being staged at England’s national stadium for the first time and a record 30,000-strong crowd is expected as White, Bassett and co tackle Chelsea.

As a winner of the competition with Arsenal in 2011 and 2013, striker White is bidding to complete a medal hat-trick.

The resilience of County skipper and England teammate Bassett, who has brushed off her World Cup semi-final own-goal heartbreak, plus the crossover appeal of US tennis star Williams, give the Buckinghamshire-born 26-year-old all the motivation she needs for such major occasions.

“We all rallied around Laura. She’s a fantastic character, mentally very tough, and she was straight back into it with Notts County,” White said.

“I thought she had a fantastic tournament at the World Cup — and we’re so proud she’s part of Notts County and she’s our captain. She’s put all that to one side to focus on Notts County and we’re right here next to her.

“With Serena Williams, I went with the England team to watch her at Wimbledon and I heard an interview after she won the final, when she was talking about how she’d had a lot of setbacks in her life, how she’d gone away from tennis and she’d built herself back up to come back and be one of the best players ever.

“She’s incredibly inspiring and an amazing inspiration to women who would like to play sport — not just tennis players but all different sports. She’s an incredible athlete.”

County, nicknamed the Lady Magpies, have caused controversy by their very existence.

Until 2013, the club competed as Lincoln, latterly playing home games at Lincoln City’s Sincil Bank.

However, owner Ray Trew, who took control of Notts County in 2010, then merged the men’s and women’s clubs in his portfolio to make Nottingham the base for his twin investments.

The switch safeguarded the renamed club’s place in the Women’s Super League top tier, as criteria were tightened in an era of increasing professionalism.

And County are determined to impress a national audience in a game screened by BBC1.

“It’s a great moment for Nottingham,” White, who played for Chelsea as a teenager, said.

“To bring home some silverware to the city would be fantastic. People will hopefully recognise Notts County a bit more.

“For an English player to be going to Wembley for an FA Cup final is an amazing experience and we all can’t wait for it.”