Congratulations to former Chelsea Women captain Karen Carney for an impressive debut performance as a pundit on the BBC’s Match of the Day on FA Cup 4th round weekend

The 32-year-old Surbitonian, who retired last summer, made her first appearance alongside Danny Murphy and host Gabby Logan, and seemed relaxed and assured in her new studio role, hopefully heralding the start of a bright new follow-on career.

However, topping her agenda at present is the task of converting a player who excelled at short bursts of speed into one capable of the longer haul.

Karney is attempting her first marathon at the end of April, and is having to adjust to the demands of distance running.

She’s currently reaching daily practice distances of 19 miles, setting off like a grey blur down Surbiton’s river roads and doing long circuits using the Thames towpaths.

“It’s very different to football; I actually have to slow down,” she laughed when we chatted as she watched the recent Chelsea v Arsenal men’s league game at Stamford Bridge.

The London Marathon on Sunday April 26 will be the first time she’ll have run 26.2 miles, and she’ll be supported by many of the current Chelsea Women squad, who still rate her as one of the best, and most dependable, Blues players of recent years.

She’s one of Blues manager Emma Hayes’ best mates – in fact, the pair of them had dinner together last week, ahead of her Match of the Day debut.

Kaz Carney played for Hayes in three separate teams, becoming one of her most trusted lieutenants. They both joined Arsenal Ladies (as the team was then known) in 2006 – Hayes as assistant manager, then paired up again in Chicago, respectively playing for and managing the Red Stars.

They reunited at Chelsea in December 2015, when Hayes approached Birmingham City and nabbed her for the Blues team, paving the way to one of the most dazzling runs of form and success in Chelsea’s club history.