Arsenal forward Beth Mead on England duty with goalkeeper Mary Earps at Hampden Park in Glasgow [Catherine Etoe]

STRAINS of “Meado, Meado” echoed around Hampden Park on Tuesday as Arsenal star Beth Mead made her first international start in over a year after recovering from a serious knee injury.

Five days earlier, the 28-year-old had put in a barnstorming substitute performance on her return to the England fold, helping to inspire a 3-2 comeback victory over the Netherlands at Wembley.

And in this final Nations League group match, England’s irrepressible No.7 played her part against a Scotland side overseen by former Gunners boss Pedro Martinez Losa.

The Spaniard brought Mead to Arsenal from Sunderland in January 2017, but the goal-hungry attacker did him no favours in Glasgow, weighing in with a goal and an assist in a 6-0 drubbing.

It was enough to warm the cockles of those England fans among the record 15,320 hardy souls who had braved freezing temperatures to cheer their teams on in Scotland’s national stadium.

But despite goals from Alex Greenwood, Lauren James (2), Mead, Fran Kirby and Lucy Bronze, that emphatic win could not keep England’s Olympic qualifying dreams alive.

Moments after the final whistle, news filtered through that a Netherlands team featuring Arsenal forward and Mead’s partner, Vivianne Miedema, as well as midfielder Victoria Pelova, had beaten Belgium 4-0 in Tilburg.

That result meant the Oranje Leeuwinnen remain in the chase for an Olympic spot, seeing off England, who were the nominated nation in qualifying for Team GB, by a goal-difference of one.

Afterwards, Mead told the BBC of her “devastation” at the outcome, but both she and England’s other Women’s Super League stars will need to refocus quickly.

On Sunday, Arsenal face Emma Hayes’ defending champions Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium, with a bumper crowd expected after more than 55,000 tickets were snapped up.

Kick-off between the WSL’s top two is at 12.30pm, and fans can visit arsenal.com for ticket details.