Millie Bright is, by her own admission, no historian. Like many footballers, she is more focused on the future than what has gone before. As a case in point, she says she had no idea the defender was approaching the milestone of 300 games - which she reached in our 1-0 win over Tottenham earlier this month - until notified by the club.

It has been over ten-and-a-half years since Bright marked her Chelsea debut by scoring in a 6-0 win over Watford in the FA Cup - a day probably best remembered for fellow new signing Marija Banusic’s hat-trick. And with so much time having passed since then, so much water under the bridge, it is no easy task for Bright to pick out games that, for different reasons, have lingered longer in the memory. But she doesn’t hesitate when asked what her best personal performance of the first 300 was.

‘Scoring in the Community Shield,’ Bright says, casting her mind back to Wembley Stadium in August 2020.

‘I love Ji So-Yun so much, I miss her every single day. We always had a little handshake that we used to do, and we'd always be in the Rondo together, and she'd be like, “Millie, shoot, shoot, shoot!” every day. I'd be like, “no, you're gonna get me in trouble. Stop telling me to shoot!”

‘Before she even passed the ball to me, she was like, “shoot!”. So I hit it, and it was the best goal I've ever scored, and probably will be for the rest of my career.'

‘It felt really good knowing that I had someone of Ji’s calibre encouraging me to shoot,’ Bright adds.

‘She always believed in me as a player, and she always made me feel good, and that I was capable of doing things. And I'm a defender. I have no right to shoot from there and score. But she was telling me to!’

The most rewarding result of Bright’s Chelsea career stemmed from a goal she was involved in that. It was March 2022 and the Blues were toiling to a goalless draw against an Aston Villa side content to put 11 players behind the ball. Anything other than three points would mean the destination of the WSL title was no longer in our own hands.

With time running out, Emma Hayes sent Bright up front to add a different dimension to our attack. It worked. In the second minute of stoppage time, Zecira Musovic lumped the ball forward and Bright flicked it on, into the penalty area. There was Sam Kerr, ever the predator, to take a touch and finish.

‘It always comes to mind because this is why we won the league that year,’ says Bright. ‘Us winning that game was what won us that league. I'm sure of it. I'll take that to my grave 100 per cent.’

We did not drop another point after that Villa game, and nor did Arsenal, who finished a point behind us. Bright and Kerr’s contribution was indeed decisive.

Part of what made the moment so special was the jeopardy involved - that fine line between agony and ecstasy that only sport can offer. It goes without saying Bright has suffered her fair share of low moments over the years, even in the context of playing for a team as successful as ours. The setbacks against Barcelona in recent times stick out.

But when it comes to the toughest opponents she can remember, Bright rewinds to early on in her Blues career.

‘Wolfsburg were the hardest games,’ she says, matter-of-factly.

‘They were the hardest by a country mile. They used to tonk us every single time. You’d come off absolutely dead and think, “I never want to play that team again”.

‘That was the hardest because we weren't really quite there yet. They were showing us the level that we needed to be at, and we didn't really get to face that level in the league. They were the ones to beat.’

It is understandably difficult for Bright to separate individual games from the bigger picture, especially after all these years. So, when we finish this section of the interview by asking her what the most enjoyable match she has played in is, her answer is poignant. It speaks to Bright’s generosity of spirit.

‘I’d have to say the last two games under Emma [in 2024] when we had to win and make up the goal difference. The 8-0 against Bristol. Goal, goal, goal. We've done it!

‘And there was one more game to go. We played United and then we were just like, goal, goal, goal. We didn't even celebrate the goals. We just kept getting the ball and coming back, getting the ball, coming back. They were my favourite two wins ever.

‘We really had no right to win the league that year. What we did was incredible. Putting the ball in the back of the net is not an easy thing. And because everyone wrote us off. We kept handing it back to other teams to win. Then they'd fumble, and then we were bad. But we never wrote ourselves off. I know Emma said what she said in the media, but we never wrote ourselves off.

‘What a way to send people off (Hayes, her staff and some of the squad). They had been a massive part of my life and the club. They left as legends of this club and always will be. But they were more than that to me. They were family and people that I would call in a heartbeat if I needed something or if I've achieved something. They're the first people that I want to tell. So to send them on their way with a thank you for everything that they've done for us as players and the club was magical.’

- In the first part of our exclusive interview with Millie, she reflected on her and the team's growth over the past decade...

Chelsea host WSL newcomers London City Lionesses at the Bridge on Saturday 1 November, with tickets on sale now.