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Manager Rehanne Skinner insists her West Ham United women’s team are ‘chomping at the bit’ to resume their Barclays Women’s Super League campaign, with Sunday’s clash against local rivals Chelsea first up on the fixture list.
After five weeks away from competitive match action, the Hammers are back with the visit of Sonia Bompastor’s side, who will make the short trip to Chigwell Construction Stadium for what has the hallmarks of an enthralling London derby.
The visitors sit top of the WSL table with just one defeat from their opening ten matches of the campaign. But West Ham will be full of confidence ahead of the clash, looking to carry over the momentum from their superb end to 2024 in Dagenham, which saw the Hammers, who have lost just once at Chigwell Construction Stadium all season, win their last three home matches of the calendar year in all competitions.
While there has been some time without a game, spirits at Chadwell Heath have remained high with the players returning to training last two weeks ago.
The squad have also welcomed Shekiera Martinez with open arms, who returned to West Ham after accumulating the necessary points to meet the Governing Body Endorsement (GBE) criteria for international player visas while on loan at SC Freiburg in the first half of the season. The 24-year-old has settled into the squad seamlessly, and the Germany U23 international could make her Hammers debut against the Blues on Sunday.
The Irons have gone toe-to-toe with teams at the higher end of the WSL standings so far this term, and Skinner will hope Sunday will be no different, as her side look to hit the ground running in 2025.
The Manager addressed the media for the first time this year ahead of the derby, discussing her side’s enthusiasm for Sunday’s encounter and how eager they are to return to Dagenham.