A strong season. That’s what most people would consider vital before an international tournament. For the England defender Laura Bassett, a season, let alone a good one, was suddenly off the cards. On the eve of Notts County’s Spring Series opener against Arsenal, the players were called together and told the club was folding. Disgracefully, they were given the news only 15 minutes before it was made public.

“All the debt had been well documented and we were aware of it,” says Bassett says, suited up ready for a morning training session at St George’s Park.“We had already played pre-season friendlies and two FA Cup games. We thought we didn’t know our future long-term but in the short term we thought we were safe, so the news was a massive shock.”

Thrown into disarray, which the midfielder Danielle Buet said had left her “jobless and homeless”, all the players had to make decisions about their future. Those selected for Mark Sampson’s Euro 2017 squad – Jo Potter, Carly Telford, Jade Moore and Bassett – had to make those choices fast.

Although not a normal season, the Spring Series, which filled the gap as the Women’s Super League shifted to a winter season, was a chance for players to get crucial competitive game time before the summer’s tournament.

The goalkeeper Telford quickly rejoined Chelsea and midfielders Potter and Moore were snapped up by Reading, but Bassett paused for thought. This was the third time a club she has played for has collapsed, following Leeds and Birmingham. At 33, her career spanning two decades speaks for itself. Yet with Euro 2017 approaching, she took the bold step to go it alone.

It was only natural that Bassett feared the choice would jeopardise her place in the squad. But within 24 hours the England staff were in touch, and within a week Sampson had met with each player individually to discuss options and see how they were coping.

“I didn’t want to rush into another club, up sticks, and play just five or six games before possibly having to find a new side come September,” says Bassett. “It didn’t seem fair and I didn’t feel comfortable with it.” Her decision to train full-time with her former club Birmingham was complemented with a programme of top-up support from the England staff.

Bassett is clear her experience at Notts County shows how fragile any growth in the women’s game is. “Women’s football has come so far and everyone invested in it works so tirelessly on and off the pitch. It’s just a tidy reminder for everyone in the game to maybe take a closer look at what’s happening at clubs to help make sure it doesn’t happen again. It’s also a reminder for everyone to up their game.”

Instead of the collapse casting a cloud over her Euro 2017 preparation, she talks of making a “positive situation out of something that was out of our control”.

A veteran within the squad – she will be 34 in August – this could well be her final international tournament. It is a competition that perhaps means more to Bassett than most. It was her own goal, when the ball bounced off the underside of the crossbar and over the line from an attempted clearance in the 92nd minute, that sealed England’s semi-final defeat by Japan at the 2015 World Cup.

It was impossible to not absorb some of the inconsolable defender’s heartbreak as she sobbed into her shirt at the final whistle. England’s heroic performance and third-place finish at least helped to heal the wound.

“Looking back I think the bronze medal game [in which England beat Germany 1-0] was the best thing that could have happened for me personally and for the team,” she says. “Yes, it’s a motivation, but no one steps on the football field wanting that to happen. I’m a positive person and we want to show that we’re really resilient.”

Laura Bassett, right, leaves the field distraught after her late own goal sealed England’s World Cup semi-final defeat by Japan in 2015. Photograph: Jason Franson/AP

This time things are different; England are no longer the surprise package. They are one of the favourites and the devastation they felt in 2015 is driving their quest to lift the trophy. The fact that so many of that side have been kept together is no accident.

“There are 19 players out of the 23 that have been through a tournament together and there is no substitution for experience like that. Tournament football is unique. You can only get that experience by playing it,” says Bassett. The interim has been all about building on that experience.

“We’re two years on down the road, we’re different people. We’ve been through a two-year journey all together and have certainly improved. We’re fitter and faster than we’ve ever been, we’re more prepared. We’ve spent so much time learning about ourselves as people, how to connect as a team, and we’re also tactically more astute.”

The tight group have also bought into Sampson’s tinkering. The manager isn’t afraid to test formations, rotate and adapt mid-game. It’s a strategy that has led to many coaches falling out of favour with players, but there is a trust between the Lionesses and their manager that sees them thrive.

“It’s certainly shown that it’s worked for us,” Bassett says. “We all believe in each other and believe that we can all bring something different. We’re fiercely competitive but we are also a very close-knit group. We believe that the player Mark picks is the best person to do the job, and they will leave the England shirt in a better place than it was before.”

England beat a decent Denmark side 2-1 in their final pre-tournament friendly on Saturday, with Ellen White scoring both goals. Whether they can compete against the top teams such as Germany and France is another question. Although England defeated the USA, the World Cup winners, in the She Believes Cup in March, they fell short against those European sides. This was another vital part of the team’s long-term development, says Bassett.

“Having played those games we know exactly what we need to do if we face them in the Euros. If we hadn’t played those sides in over a year we’d have questions, whereas now we know what stifled them and we also know what we need to do to get results against them.”

With the tournament being broadcast on Channel 4, the players are hopeful the country will take to their campaign as it did the World Cup. “I think the nation fell in love with us as a team, as Lionesses, and our personalities,” Bassett says. “I just hope now we get that momentum, right from the opening game against Scotland and not halfway through like in 2015. It meant so much to us all and really did drive us and give an extra edge to our performances.”

Bassett’s story is a powerful one. While a timely reminder that women’s football has its flaws, is fragile, and often reliant on the philanthropy of the men’s game, it is just another example of why it will grow – because those involved are willing to fight for it.

Talking points

• Everton, in a statement of intent following their promotion to WSL 1, have handed out their first full-time contracts. First up was the defender Gabrielle George. Then came the defender Georgia Brougham, the forwards Claudia Walker and Simone Magill and the goalkeeper Kirstie Levell.

Gabrielle George has signed a full-time contract with WSL 1 newcomers Everton. Photograph: Everton FC/Getty Images

• A number of international teams have announced their squads for the Euros. Notably, Germany’s Alexandra Popp was left out after a late knee injury while Lyon’s Pauline Bremer also misses out. Bristol City’s Chloe Arthur was a late addition to Anna Signeul’s Scotland squad which confirmed the absence of Kim Little, Jen Beattie and Emma Mitchell. Elise Thorsnes, Ada Hegerberg and Lisa-Marie Utland provide a very strong attacking threat for Norway.

• Channel 4 have revealed who it has picked to guide us through Euro 2017, which starts on 16 July. The strong team led by Clare Balding also includes the commentator Robyn Cowen, Scotland’s Lee McKenzie, and the Olympic hockey gold medallist and former Tranmere player Sam Quek. Arsenal and USA player Heather O’Reilly, injured Scotland forward Little will also feature, along with the former Arsenal and England striker Kelly Smith, Chelsea’s Eni Aluko, and Jermaine Jenas, Michael Owen and Ian Wright.