New West Ham Ladies captain Stacey Little targets Essex Cup to salvage season

Midfielder Stacey Little has spoken of her delight at being made the new West Ham Ladies captain and her desire to life silverware this season.

The 26-year-old was given the armband following Becky Merritt’s departure earlier this month and was the star player as the Hammers beat C&K Basildon on penalties in the FA Cup second round.

Speaking exclusively to Blowing Bubbles, she said: “I was so delighted to get the armband because it shows that the manager [Mark Saunderson] trusts me and thinks that I can do a job as captain. Everyone at the club knows how passionate and dedicated I am so it’s a massive honour for me to not only be able to wear the badge every week but to also now lead the team out.”

Mikey Cartwright/Ponderosa Pix

Following her stand-out performance against Basildon in the FA Cup, the Ladies are gearing up to take on Watford in the next round. “At the moment we are taking things week by week but I hope we can start pushing ourselves up the league to where we should be,” Stacey continued.

“I hope I will be able to lift some silverware this season and the Essex Cup is one that I have my sights set firmly on. We missed out on the final last year and lost in the final the year before so it's time for us to be reunited with that trophy.

“It has been a tough season with quite a few players coming and going and us not doing as well in the league as what we would have wanted to so to win silverware would give something back to the club and the girls who have stuck with it and worked hard this season.

“I'm feeling positive about the upcoming games and the second half of the season. There has been a good vibe around training with all the girls and without having had many games for so long, the girls were buzzing to get that first game under their belts after so long.”

Asked about goalkeeper Toni Anne Wayne and forward Becky Merritt quitting the Hammers to join Brighton, Stacey added: “I was a little disappointed that they had decided to leave when we really needed stability in the team but I understand their reasons behind leaving and I wish them all the best at Brighton.”

Apart from the Hammers game against Basildon on February 9, the Ladies hadn’t played since losing 4-2 to KIKK United in the London Capital Cup on December 15 and might not return to FA Women’s Premier League Southern action until mid-March.

“It has been massively frustrating for everyone not to have been able to play more games so far this year,” Stacey concluded. “Even more so for me because I had just come back from injury before Christmas and I played a game and a half before the Christmas break.

“I am a bit worried about the back log of games. Mid-week games will have to be scheduled and that, along with training and an eight hour working day before playing a game, will be tiring.”

The Ladies play their home games at Thurrock FC, Ship Lane, Grays, Essex, RM19 1YN. For more information about the Ladies and their upcoming games click here

Midfielder Lindsey Morgan hoping West Ham Ladies' hard work on training ground will be rewarded on the pitch

Midfielder Lindsey Morgan hopes the West Ham Ladies’ hard work on the training pitch will see them climb up the table once they return to FA Women’s Premier League South.

The Hammers haven’t played a league game since they beat Chesham United 3-1 on December 8 because of the wet weather conditions so far this winter and might not play another league game until March.

The Ladies currently sit fourth from bottom having picked up 12 points from their opening 12 games and Lindsey believes the prolonged winter break has been a positive.

Mikey Cartwright/Ponderosa Pix

"I think to a certain extent having a break from games has worked in our favour," the 33 year old said. "It has enabled us to regroup and given us the opportunity to work together as a squad to improve in some areas.

"I can't really see any issues arising as a result of the backlog of games. It will obviously prolong our season but for me this will only become an issue if we suffer any injuries because we don't have the biggest squad this season in comparison to previous years."

Lindsey rejoined West Ham United in 2011 from Millwall Lionesses and has impressed so far this season with one player of the match award and a goal in 12 appearances.

"My hope moving forward is that we put in some good solid team performances and pick up some momentum,’ she continued. "It is important that we pull together and work for each other and hopefully the results will start to reflect the hard work we are putting in on the training pitch.

"As a senior player I look forward to continuing to nurture the young talent at the club and will pass on my experience to the other players in the squad whenever possible."

The midfielder had planned to hang up her boots at the end of the 2011/12 campaign but admits she now has no plans to retire. "I have spoken previously about retirement but while I'm fit and injury free hanging up my boots couldn't be further from my mind," she said.

As for the departures of fellow senior players, forward Becky Merritt and goalkeeper Toni Anne Wayne, she added: "It is the nature of football that there will be a natural turnover of players at the club. However, that being said it is always disappointing to lose experienced players. On a positive note we have a lot of good young talent at the club and perhaps this will give them the opportunity that they need to break through into the first team."

The Ladies play their home games at Thurrock FC, Ship Lane, Grays, Essex, RM19 1YN.