CHELSEA and England striker Fran Kirby won the inaugural Women’s Footballer of the Year award from the Football Writers’ Association today.

The 24-year-old former Reading player has scored 22 goals for the Women’s Super League leaders across all competitions this season.

She secured more than 50 per cent of the vote after a shortlist was drawn up, the FWA said, with Euro 2017 Golden Boot winner Jodie Taylor finishing second.

Lucy Bronze [Lyon], Izzy Christiansen [Manchester City] and Jordan Nobbs [Arsenal] made up the rest of the shortlist.

Kirby said: “I was really proud to be nominated in the first place but to actually win is a real honour. To be the first recipient of this honour and award is so special.”

The accolade follows two days after Kirby won the Professional Footballers’ Association’s Women’s Player of the Year award.

As well as their WSL title pursuit, Chelsea are chasing silverware in the Women’s FA Cup and face Arsenal in the final of that competition on May 5.

They will also be hoping to turn around a 3-1 deficit when they play Wolfsburg in Germany on Sunday in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final.

Kirby, who was nicknamed “Mini Messi” by former England Women manager Mark Sampson during the 2015 World Cup, has already established herself as a key figure in new Lionesses boss Phil Neville’s team.

The striker was named PFA Players’ Player of the Year on Sunday.