ALEX Cottier believes the day will come when Southampton Saints can stand proudly alongside her old club Arsenal as a major power in the women's game.

The Army midfielder, who has five senior England caps to her credit, is confident Saints will start bridging the class divide now that they have officially been taken under Southampton Football Club's wing.

It is entirely appropriate that Arsenal should be the visitors this Sunday when Saints make history with the first ever women's match to be staged at the Friends Provident St Mary's Stadium.

The North London treble winners are tailor-made for such a landmark occasion having set standards of excellence in the women's game which other clubs - Saints amongst them - are striving to follow.

Support from the men, particularly Highbury vice-chairman David Dein, has been a key ingredient of Arsenal's success and Cottier is encouraged to see Southampton chairman Rupert Lowe standing full square behind the women.

She said: "There's a long way to go yet, but we're making the right tracks. We now have the backing from the club directors just the same as Arsenal do.

"The fact that they're letting us play on the pitch at St Mary's just goes to show how seriously Southampton are taking us."

Cottier, an Army lance-corporal, first joined Saints at the start of last season when she was posted at Marchwood.

Captain of the Army and the Combined Services women's side, she is so highly prized as an advert for forces' football that she was allowed to switch bases to Aldershot during the summer to accommodate her move to Arsenal.

"I'm the best player the Army have got and they use me as PR to encourage other females to get involved," she said. "When the chance came to join Arsenal, they did everything they could to help me because they're such a high-profile club."

Sadly her hopes of a Gunners breakthrough were sabotaged by a stress fracture and Cottier has recently rejoined the Saints to heighten her prospects of Premier League football.

The 27-year-old is no stranger to the big stage having picked up league and WFA Cup winners' medals with Croydon (now Charlton), but Sunday promises to be an extra special occasion.

The attraction of free admission should draw a sizeable crowd to St Mary's and Cottier said: "It's what women's football needs if it's going to progress.

"Nine out of ten people there may never have seen a women's match before but, hopefully, they'll go away saying how good it was.

"It's slower than the men's game but the skill factor is extremely high.

"Players have got to be athletic, too. There's not one person playing in the women's Premier League these days who should be sitting at home doing their knitting instead!"