West Ham Ladies gathering momentum in FA Women's Premier League South

West Ham Ladies have had a mixed start to their Premier League Southern Division campaign but striker Becky Merritt hopes their season can now kick on as they push for promotion.

The Ladies lost their opening game of the season away at Millwall Lionesses but bounced back against Brighton last weekend with a 2-0 win with one of the goals coming from the 26-year-old.

Now the Ladies are gearing up to start League cup campaign with a group game at home against Tottenham on Monday, kicking off at 7:45pm.

Mikey Cartwright/Ponderosa Pix

“We had a couple of players out for the Millwall game and they are the type of team who away from home will always give you a battle and we didn’t really turn up,” she said.

“We played ok but compared to our usual standard, it wasn’t good enough. We conceded a sloppy goal and it was just one of those days where no matter what we threw at them, we just couldn’t score.

“No-one likes to lose especially to Millwall so we got back into training and worked hard and discussed what we had to do to put it right.”

She continued: “I was quite nervous approaching the Brighton game because they have been a bit of a bogey side for us recently but right from the off we went at them.

“The manager outlined what she wanted from us early doors and we went for it full throttle. We pressed them all over the pitch and we looked comfortable knowing we had the upper hand and it was a good win for us.

“I have been playing centre midfield over the last two games so it felt really good to score and get my first goal of our league campaign.

“Looking ahead to Monday night and our league cup game against Spurs, we are going for the win but they are a decent side and it will be an interesting game.”

She added: “Carly Roache, one of our fantastic centre midfielders, is back in training which is great news for us.

“She was out for most of pre-season through injury but doesn’t look out of shape or off the mark which is very positive.

“Emma Thomas is also back from holiday and it’s all starting to come together nicely.

“We are also still getting a lot of calls from potential new players which is exciting and it’s good people are noticing what we are about and what we want to achieve.”

High hopes ahead new West Ham Ladies campaign

West Ham Ladies kick off their Premier League Southern Division campaign against Millwall Lionesses on Sunday and forward Becky Merritt cannot wait for the season to start.

The 26-year-old has already bagged two goals in three pre-season friendlies and after scoring 11 goals last season, hopes to net 20 times this season to help the Ladies secure promotion to the National Division.

“We hit the ground pretty hard in pre-season,” she told Blowing Bubbles. “Training has been stepped up a gear and it’s been intense but a good intense if that makes sense?

Mikey Cartwright/Ponderosa Pix

“We’ve also been playing pre-season friendlies against teams from the league above because that’s where we want to be next season and we wanted to match ourselves against them to see how we got on.

“It’s fair to say the games were tough but I don’t think we would be too far off the standard required if we stepped up next season.

“We had quite a few people away on holiday so we didn’t have a consistent squad the whole way through  and I think our biggest issue would be adjusting to the pace because it’s slightly quicker in the league above.”

Moving onto the Ladies’ opening fixtures, she continued: “We start with a trip to Millwall which is a great game for any West Ham fan. We can’t wait for it and we won’t need psyching up for this game that’s for sure!

“We played them twice last season and beat them both times but that is not to say we will walk over them this time. It will be a tough game but we will be going into it wanting a win.

“The following week we have Brighton which will be an even tougher game because we are very evenly matched and they appear to be our bogey team going by recent results.

“However the girls are looking forward to it because we feel like we owe them one.”

Following these tricky games, the Ladies will turn their attention to the league cup and a visit of
rivals Tottenham Hotspur on September 2.

The Ladies have also welcomed goalkeeper Toni Anne Wayne and midfielder Emma Thomas back to the club.

Becky continued: “Toni is a fantastic talent. She is very experienced and we are lucky to have her back.

“As for Emma, she is also an exceptional player. I love playing with her because I know she can read me quite well. I think both girls are very passionate and the supporters will love them.

“We’ve also got a few youngsters stepping up this year which is really pleasing to see. To have them come through the ranks and pushing for places at such a young age is fantastic for this club.

“We know they will give 110% and they will learn from the older members of the squad as we push for promotion this season.”

Millwall Lionesses V West Ham Ladies will be played at Beckenham Town FC and will kick off at 2pm on Sunday.