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.

Captain Becky Merritt quits West Ham Ladies for Women’s Super League hopefuls Brighton and Hove Albion

West Ham Ladies captain Becky Merritt has followed goalkeeper Toni-Anne Wayne in quitting the club to join Women’s Super League hopefuls Brighton and Hove Albion.

 The 27-year-old, who joined the Hammers in 2009, had been made captain following the arrival of Mark Saunderson as Ladies manager in the summer. But in an exclusive interview with Blowing Bubbles, the forward admitted the move to the south coast side – on standby to join the Women’s Super League (WSL) – was one she couldn’t turn down.

“I am extremely sad to be leaving the club because ultimately I am a West Ham fan and it was such great feeling pulling on that shirt every week,” she said. “Being captain ensured the decision was even more difficult because I would never want to let down the players, management or the club. I have invested so much time and effort behind the scenes in recent years to try and help take the club forward and this just reinforced my love for the Hammers.”

Mikey Cartwright/Ponderosa Pix

Becky, whose only goal of the season came at home against Chesham United in the league in December, said the decision to quit wasn’t one she took lightly.

 “I can honestly say this has been the hardest decision in my football career,” she continued. “Ultimately I had two choices; stay where I was or move to face a new challenge. The offer from Brighton was too good to turn down.

"The club has an amazing vision so it is exciting to be a part of this ambition. Due to the nature of the approach, coupled with the fact that Brighton are keen to strengthen ready for potential WSL status, my decision had to be made within a certain time frame.

"I utilised every possible day to make the decision because I was so torn. But having experienced my first few training sessions as a Brighton player, I do feel as though I have the buzz back again, and therefore from a personal perspective, have made the right decision.”

The former Crystal Palace and Gravesend & Northfleet player announced her decision to the squad at the end of last month.

“Everyone has been supportive of the move, from the players right through to the management and even the fans,” Becky explained. “Everyone seems to understand the opportunity is a good one, especially with the WSL expansion, and have wished me lots of luck in my new challenge.

"I have made some great friends throughout my West Ham journey and hope to remain in contact with them. I personally contacted players, staff and supporters individually to explain my decision because as captain I felt I owed them all an explanation and I wanted to wish each and every one of them luck for the remaining season.”

The West Ham Ladies have endured a difficult season so far and currently sit fourth from bottom in the FA Womens Premier League South.

Becky continued: “The season has been a tough one as West Ham Ladies are a team very much in transition. There have been moments of frustration but also moments of sheer joy. The club has massive potential with a mix of experience and youth within the ranks.

“The club was obviously disappointed in not gaining WSL status and this makes for a nervous time for most managers within the league, as the bigger clubs look to take their pick of players. With this in mind I have no doubt that the Ladies will survive the hardships and continue to be a success in the women's game.

“The weather is proving to be disruptive but I know that once the girls have a run of games they will surprise a few teams. You cannot underestimate the passion and belief of some of these players, combined with the experience of others and therefore may become the dark horse.

“I sincerely hope that the club continues to grow into a sustainable and successful club. Hopefully they will be considered in the next WSL applications and can really kick on. The club has some amazing people working behind the scenes, and in women's football, these people are gold dust”

Reflecting on her time at the club, she added: “There have been so many highlights during my four years here. Being a fan, pulling the shirt on every week was an immense feeling and that passion was transferred into my game. Scoring a hat-trick on my full debut against Fulham was pretty special, as was my goal in the County Cup final.

"But the overwhelming highlight has to be the captaincy. There aren't enough words to explain my pride at that appointment. My only disappointment is not winning any silverware in claret and blue.”

Becky is, however, “extremely excited” by Brighton’s ambitions as a club. She concluded: “In my first conversation with the club's officials it was clear to see they were going somewhere. There is a real intent in their actions and beliefs, and this inevitably transfers to the players who demand such high standards themselves.

"The opportunity to play in the WSL was an obvious attraction but the real swaying point was the knowledge and expertise of the staff, I realised immediately that I will only improve as a player and the staff can help add longevity to my career.”

Blowing Bubbles would like to thank Becky for her amazing efforts in helping us build our excellent relationship with the Ladies.

West Ham Ladies awards 2012/2013 - as nominated by the girls

The West Ham Ladies finished their season last weekend with a defeat away at league
champions Reading. Shortly after the game, Blowing Bubbles caught up with Toni Anne Wayne, Hannah Gowland, Zoe Lipley- Hinton, Stacey Little, Becky Merritt, Lindsey Morgan and captain Rosey Sullivan to give their votes in six categories.At the bottom of each category, we have also decided who we think should win.

Goal of the Season

TAW: Hannah Gowland’s goal against Leeds in the FA Cup. It was a game of limited
chances and she took it well.

HG: For me it has to be the second goal we scored against Gillingham away. I scored it which I am proud about but that’s not why. It was such a great team goal. It all started from the goalkeeper, worked its way through all positions, before it was given to me to score.

ZLH: Becky Merritt’s goal against Brighton because it was just a lovely clean hit.

SL: This goal sticks in my mind for the way Kell picked the ball up and ran through the QPR defence before sliding the ball underneath the keeper. Unfortunately, Kell also went on to break her collarbone in this game.

BM: We were 2-1 down with minutes to play and Lindsey smashed a half volley to earn us a point.

LM: Even though we lost the game it was an unbelievable strike from outside the box.

RS: Katie Bottom’s goal against Reading last weekend.

The Blowing Bubbles Award for Ladies Goal of the Season goes to Becky Merritt for her goal against Brighton and Hove Albion Ladies.

Mikey Cartwright/Ponderosa Pix

Best Team Performance

TAW: Spurs away where we won 1-0. We played well as a team, everyone from front to back contributed to the win.

HG: Our FA Cup game against Leeds was our best team performance. We were 3-0 down at half time and after a decent talk in the changing room, we came out in the second half such a better team. We got two goals back and was [sic] unlucky not to get a third in the last few minutes. Our fighting spirit to get back at them, determination and team effort was great. We couldn’t have worked harder. If only we were like that first half.

ZLH:  Tottenham away. We just played really well as a team and played some great football.

SL:  Our home match against Brighton which we won 2-0. We always seem to struggle against Brighton and we never play well in both halves against anyone. So to beat Brighton (who had a very strong team this year) 2-0and play well in both the first
and second half was very pleasing for both players and
management.

BM: Our best team performance was when we beat Brighton at home 2-0. We were hungry for the win from the first whistle, everyone put their bodies on the line to prevent and score goals.

LM: For me it has to be Brighton at home. I scored the goal after 10 mins and it was just a brilliant team performance.

RS: For me, it has to be our 3-0 win over Tottenham.

The Blowing Bubbles Award for Best Ladies Performance of the Season goes to the performance against Brighton and Hove Albion at home.

Mikey Cartwright/Ponderosa Pix

Best Individual Performance

TAW: Becky Merritt against Brighton at home. High work rate, first touch was brilliant and she scored a screamer.

ZLH: Toni Anne Wayne against Millwall. She pulled off some amazing saves to keep us in that game.

SL: Hannah Gowland vs Witham. Although Witham are ranked way below us, nothing should be taken away from Hannah for scoring a hat trick in six minutes in this game. Hannah had only just joined West Ham Ladies so she had done well to fit in to the team and made her mark early on. She was a massive miss for us the rest of the season after she broke her ankle.

BM: Toni Anne Wayne against Millwall. She pulled off some incredible saves to help us gain a well-earned point from the league leaders at the time.

LM: She stepped up this season from the reserves and she made the right back position her own and away at Tottenham this year she was brilliant. She has improved her game and become a regular first team player.

RS: Stacey Little on so many occasions. She works so hard on the pitch and covers so much ground.

The Blowing Bubbles Award for Ladies Individual Performance of the Season goes to Toni Anne Wayne for her performance away at Millwall Ladies.

Mikey Cartwright/Ponderosa Pix

Best Goal Celebration

TAW: The team celebration after April Bowers’ goal against Spurs away.

HG: The best goal celebration for me would be after the second goal against Gillingham. After such a great team goal and great team effort, we all celebrated and come[sic] together to cheer and congratulate each other. It was nice.

ZLH: The celebration after April Bowers’ goal against Spurs. Before the game we said if we scored we would do the train celebration out of  [2001 film directed by Gurinder Chadha] Bend It Like Beckham.

SL: Tottenham away, April Bowers’ goal. We had actually been discussing this
before the game if we scored what our celebration would be.

BM: The team celebration after April Bowers’ goal against Spurs away.

LM: The team celebration after April Bowers’ goal against Spurs away.

RS: The best goal celebration was against Tottenham. The girls walked on their hands and knees in a row holding onto each others ankles. It was also a great result against Tottenham.

The Blowing Bubbles Award for Best Ladies Goal Celebration of the Season goes to the celebration of April Bowers' goal away at Tottenham Hotspur Ladies.

Mikey Cartwright/Ponderosa Pix

Funniest in Dressing Room

TAW: April Bowers because she says the most
stupid things.

HG: The funniest in the dressing room is difficult because we all crack jokes but if I had to pick someone it would be April Bowers. She is very random, always comes
out with weird sayings, sings and loves a boogie. Plus she brings sweets before a game
and calls them "badman" sweets.

ZLH: Stacey Little. She just comes out with the best little comments.

SL: I’d have to say April due to the fact that we’ll all be sitting there, music playing and she will burst into song or impress us with her dance moves all of a sudden.

BM: April Bowers because she pretty much reinvents the English language with her gangster spin!

LM: Danica Revell. She is funny without even knowing it. She can be so blonde.

RS: Funniest in the changing room is Stacey
Little. She is always coming out with funny comments or jokes that have the whole
team laughing. Very comical girl.

The Blowing Bubbles Award for Dressing Room Joker goes to April Bowers.

Mikey Cartwright/Ponderosa Pix

Team Diva

TAW: Stacey Little because if there is anything to moan about she will find it.

HG: The team diva is Rosey. She is always worrying about her hair and makeup.
Both have to be perfect and she never likes it going wrong especially when it rains. She loves the fake tan too.

ZLH: Kelley Blanchflower.

SL: Rosey Sullivan. That’s easy and I’m sure she will be everyone else’s choice too.
The moisturising to make sure the tan doesn’t peel, the panic when it starts raining that her hair is going to go knotty and mascara will run. Wouldn’t change our Rose though.

BM: Rosey Sullivan or Kelley Blanchflower. Pure TOWIE. You should see them if there is a photo and they were not given sufficient time to prepare.

LM: Kelley Blanchflower.

RS: I am the biggest diva (or so I have been told plenty of times) but if I'm not voting
for myself it would be Kelley Blanchflower. She's kind of similar to me with having our hair perfect, making sure we are pretty and smelling good before the game. She can also get the hump if things aren't going positively but guess that's the whole team.
We still love her.

The Blowing Bubbles Award for Biggest Diva goes to Rosey Sullivan.

Mikey Cartwright/Ponderosa Pix

Becky sees Merritt in West Ham Ladies Academy

West Ham Ladies are opening an Academy for September and are recruiting now. Writing for Blowing Bubbles, forward Becky Merritt explains how the Academy happened, how tough it has been and what it means for the club.

After losing our under 19 development squad to lack of funding a couple of  seasons ago, there has been  limited opportunities for our under 16 graduates to progress into senior football and some have found the jump to reserves and first team a little too daunting.

With this in mind, we wanted to create an opportunity where we could bridge the gap for our young stars and the Academy seemed to be an excellent opportunity for this.

Mikey Cartwright/Ponderosa Pix

Seeing that I already work in football academies with a company called Soccer Coaching Limited, I had the best people around me to start this exciting venture.

With the expertise of SCL and the passion of the management at West Ham, we have formed a strong partnership and aim to propel West Ham Ladies into the spotlight and be the best that we can be.

Starting anything from scratch is never easy, but we have the best people on board to make our ideas reality.

We have managed to secure a state-of-the-art venue for training and education as well as employing excellent coaching staff.

We have also been lucky to have the support of many people to help with our recruitment process and our hard work is paying off.

We have a number of girls applying for trials from well-established teams and we hope this interest grows.

The Academy, first and foremost, will allow us to have more coaching time with our players where our excellent coaching staff can develop the young girls into better players.

Training every day and playing at least one game a week will ensure our players develop far quicker. These players can hopefully progress to represent our first team, who have recently submitted a bid to join the
Women’s Super League.

As a self-sustaining club, our funding will allow the club as a whole to develop and grow. With a regular source of funding into the club we can help make our ambitions more achievable.

Women’s football has grown substantially over the last few years. There is a real buzz around the game at the moment and, with the success of Team GB in the Olympics and the current WSL, this is only set to grow.

As clubs are creating their own centre of excellence or academies this ensures that more young females are receiving regular coaching at a high level and therefore meaning, that as a nation, we are developing potential stars for the future.

Also, as clubs continue to provide these opportunities it will allow them to retain these players and lower the risk of losing excellent talents to big named teams.

Any current year 11 females interested in combining a college education with the professional football training lifestyle should register for trials on www.scl-online.co.uk

Our first trial will be taking place on Wednesday April 10from 3 to 5 pm and will be held at the West Ham Community Trust, Beckton.

Frustration as weather halts West Ham Ladies promotion bid

As the West Ham Ladies prepare to take to the pitch again after their Christmas break, there is an air of frustration amongst the squad still hoping to secure promotion this season.

The Ladies resume their season on Sunday in a cup game against London Corinthians but they will have to wait until the following week to return to league action.

The Ladies are currently fifth in the Premier League Southern Division but have only played seven games so far this season while their promotion rivals have all played more.

Mikey Cartwright/Ponderosa Pix

Their four wins, one draw and two defeats means they are currently eight points adrift from leaders Reading but the Ladies can cut this to two points by winning their games in hand.

Their last league outing on November 18 saw them thrash Tottenham Hotspur Ladies 3-0 but the bad weather saw the rest of their games for 2012 called off and prevented them continuing their unbeaten run heading into Christmas.

Speaking exclusively to Blowing Bubbles, centre back Danica Revell said: “It has been really annoying to not have played since November. We thought all the games were going to go ahead on the day and got all ready to go only to then get the call to say the game was off.

“It has been very frustrating for all of us because we want to be out there winning games. Despite this, we’ve still been training hard and doing a lot of fitness but it isn’t the same as actually playing games and having match fitness.”

She added: “We’re still fighting for promotion and, I believe, we will get it if we keep putting in the hard effort and ensure we play to the high standards we know we are capable of.”

Meanwhile forward Becky Merritt added: “We are currently sitting in fifth but we’ve only played seven games while others have played like 10 or 12. So providing we capitalize on these games in hand, our bid for promotion is still on course.

“It’s been massively frustrating to not play but we were quite lucky that over the Christmas period we were able to train indoors at Chadwell Health which which I hope will give us a huge advantage when we start playing again in the New Year.

“We hit a good run of form before the games started being called off so I am now hoping we can hit the ground running in the New Year and start getting the wins we need.”

She added: “The positives from the first half of the season have to be the youngsters coming through and the signings we have made.

“The negatives, for me, were the lack of games and our loss against Millwall on the opening game of the season.

“The latter is something which has bugged me all season and something I hope to put right when we play them again.”

Best is yet to come from West Ham Ladies midfielder Stacey Little

Ask the West Ham Ladies who has been their best player so far this season and midfielder Stacey Little would top most of their lists but the 25-year-old has vowed the best is still to come from her.

The former Charlton Athletic player has started every game for the Ladies so far this season and even bagged a goal in the League Cup – a goal she confesses is probably one of the best she has ever scored.

“I’m very tough on myself,” she said. “I expect to have a great game every week but I would rather play average and win then have a great game and lose because we’re determined to get promoted this season and three points from every game are all that matters.

Mikey Cartwright/Ponderosa Pix

“I thought, for example, I played really well against Millwall at the start of the season but we lost and for a West Ham fan, I was devastated to lose against them.
“For me to keep my place in the team, I have to ensure I have a good game every week and although I’m reasonably pleased with my start to the season, there is much more to come from me.”

Moving swiftly onto the other teammates, she continued: “I think Bex [Becky Merritt] has done really well this season.

“She has done well up top but if we have been missing players, she has stepped into their positions and done really well. She has also been banging in the goals.

“The funny thing with Bex is that she will miss an easy chance but then score an absolute screamer. I’m tipping her to have a great season.

“I have also been impressed with Toni [Anne Wayne]. I played with her at Charlton so I already knew her but she has come in and done really well this season and made some important saves.”

Striker Kelley Blanchflower, who broke her collar bone against QPR last month, is another player who caught Stacey’s eye this season.

“She was fantastic in pre-season and took that form into the season,” she said. “She wasn’t scoring as many goals that she would like to have done in the first few games but that doesn’t take anything away from her performances.

“She has been brilliant and her getting injured is a big blow for us. But I’m sure after Christmas, she will be back and fighting fit.”

The Ladies next face rivals Spurs in the league on Sunday (KO 2pm) having already played them once this season, drawing 1-1 in the league cup.

“We under-performed in our last game against Spurs,” Stacey continued. “I’m sure we will be reminded of this performance in the changing room before our game on Sunday and hopefully we can go out there and get the three points we need and want.

“The league is the most important thing for us this season. We haven’t got off to the start we would’ve hoped for but then we didn’t last season and we were still pushing for promotion at the end.

“If we get promoted this season and don’t get to any finals or win anything else then I will be delighted – as I’m sure the others will be too.”

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.