Helen Housby reckons she needs “to be comfortable with the uncomfortable” as a shooter, ahead of England’s home World Cup.

Cumbrian netball ace Housby is expected to be one of the key players for England at the World Cup in Liverpool. The Roses begin their competition campaign today against Uganda (7pm start).

Still only 24, Housby is heading into her second World Cup after she burst on the scene in 2014 for Manchester Thunder.

Housby, from Drumleaning, near Wigton, has since earned 58 caps and sunk the winning shot which earned the Vitality Roses Commonwealth Games gold last year.

But she says she could not have scored her historic buzzer-beater without the help of sports psychologists to help her deal with anxieties.

“I had to learn to be comfortable with the uncomfortable,” she told BBC Sport. “I always felt confident and there wasn’t the same huge crowds to play in front of back then.

"There’s more pressure now.”

Although known for her relaxed persona, Housby admits scoreboard-pressure has slowly crept into her game.

She said: “Shooters have an interesting kind of pressure.

"There’s only two of us in the team who can score and I’m a real clock-watcher.”

Most recently, Housby has played for NSW Swifts in Australia, having joined in 2016 and signed a three-year contract with NSW Swifts last August.

When asked what her magic shooting formula is, she added: “I’ve learnt if I put the work in in training, if I practice thousands of shots then, when I get on court for a match, shooting is second nature.”

Housby has also announced she is now sponsored by Red Bull.