Centre back Danica Revells’s praise for new signings and captain Rosey Sullivan

The West Ham Ladies have had a fantastic start to 2013, comfortably beating London Corinthians away in the cup and Gillingham away in league.

The Ladies return to cup action this weekend at home to Witham Town where they hope to extend their unbeaten run in all competitions to five games.

Speaking exclusively to Blowing Bubbles, centre back Danica Revell has been delighted with how the side has started the year after a frustrating end to 2012 where the Ladies endured a run of cancelled games because of the weather.

Mikey Cartwright/Ponderosa Pix

She has also been pleased to see the Ladies’ new signings get the chance to show what they can offer the team.

Reflecting on the Ladies season, she said: “We have had games where we haven’t played up to the high standards we know we are capable of but most of the time we’ve done really well this season. We’ve got great team spirit.”

The return of striker Kelley Blanchflower has also pleased the centre half. Kelley broke her collarbone during the Ladies’ 2-0 win at QPR in September.

“Kel has been training really hard and was doing really well in training before she got back in the team,” Danica continued.
“I’m delighted to see her come back. It’s a huge boost for us because we will need her scoring goals to help with our push for promotion.”

She added: “We’re still very much in the fight for promotion and hopefully, fingers crossed, we will get it. If we keep putting in the hard effort and not let it slip, then we will be pushing for promotion right till the end of the season.”

Danica’s partnership with captain Rosey Sullivan has been the subject of huge praise from her teammates as have their individual performances.

“I have a great partnership with Rosey,” Danica said. “We’ve played together for a couple of years now and we also went to the academy at Leyton Orient.

“We know each other’s game, inside out and play the same way. We also get along really well, which I think has been key to some of our performances this season.”

Since joining the Hammers back in the summer of 2010, Danica feels her time with the club has been the best period of her career so far, highlighted by being named West Ham United Ladies ‘Young Player of the Year’ last season.

She concluded: “I feel that I am developing towards my full potential and have found my place within the team. I am thoroughly enjoying being part of the West Ham team. We all get on very well and although we train extremely hard, we also have a lot of laughs throughout training.”

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.”

“I’ll fight for my place” vows West Ham Ladies winger Zoe Lipley-Hinton

When re-joining the West Ham Ladies in the summer, young winger Zoe Lipley-Hinton thought she would spend most of the season in the reserves.

But after impressing in pre-season, the 18-yearold was promoted to the first team and given her chance in the starting line-up.

Following several solid performances, which also saw her score against Colchester United in the League Cup, her teammates were full of praise for Zoe and a regular spot in the starting XI looked certain.

Mikey Cartwright/Ponderosa Pix

But during the Ladies thumping victory against Spurs last month, Zoe twisted her knee and now faces a couple of weeks on the sidelines while others get a chance to shine.

“There are a lot of players in the team who are good enough to step in and take my place so I will have to do my best to get back into the team,” she said. But to be honest I’ve really enjoyed playing with the first team and apart from my goal, my highlight this season has just been starting games.

“I honestly didn’t think I would get this chance because I had just come up from the reserves and thought I’d be on the bench but I was delighted to be able to show what I can do and start matches.”

It looks unlikely the teenager will play competitively for the Ladies this year with their final game of 2012 being Reading away on December 16 but that’s not something she is too worried about.

Zoe continued: “I thought the step up to the first team was difficult because it was much faster but I didn’t have anything to lose or anything to prove so I just gave everything I could in every game.

“I have also been lucky in that players like Bex [Merritt] give me a lot of advice. Her runs are very good and that is one thing I am working on and she helps me with this part of my game.”

She added: “I feel like I bring good work rate to the team and that I always want to put in a good shift.”

West Ham Ladies are next playing at home on Sunday, December 9 against Queen’s Park Rangers in the FA Womens’ Premier League Southern Division. The game kicks off at 2pm.

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

West Ham Ladies midfielder Lindsey Morgan staying on until Ladies are promoted

During the summer of 2011, Lindsey Morgan decided the upcoming season would be her last and aimed to leave on a high with the West Ham Ladies securing promotion.

Fast forward to the end of the 2011/12 campaign and the Ladies missed out on promotion by the narrowest of margins, leaving the retiring midfielder devastated.

But a few conversations with manager Julia Setford and other experienced players in the Ladies’ squad and the 32-year-old decided to postpone her retirement for another season to help her side get promotion.

Mikey Cartwright/Ponderosa Pix

And this season, Lindsey has helped to spearhead the Ladies’ push for promotion, netting three goals in the opening seven matches.

“I stayed on because I think we are going to get promoted this season,” she told Blowing Bubbles. “The girls really want to do it this season and I think I would have been gutted not to have been part of our push for promotion this season.

“I have scored more goals so far this season than I did for the whole of last season and I feel like I am playing pretty decent stuff. Of course it gives me more confidence to be scoring goals for the team, but for me, providing assists for my team mates to score goals is just as important as scoring them myself.”

The goals scored by Lindsey has helped the Hammers grab ten early points from a possible 18 already this season.

And she knows that the beginning of the season will indicate where the team should be aiming for at the end of the season.

“It is massively important to get off to a good start in the league because the first few months are the foundation for how the season shapes up,” she continued

“Having a solid defence is also important, but the defending starts from the front. It is equally as important that we work together as a team.”

Lindsey rejoined West Ham United last summer from Millwall Lionesses, who she joined from the Hammers back in August 2009.

She continued: “This season we’ve got a few new faces and at the moment I feel we have a good mixture of experience and youth.

“In some games we’ve needed the older ones to take the game by the scruff of the neck and help give the younger ones some guidance.

“But the young girls in our squad have that desire and hunger to get stuck in and fight for the win and I think gives us a bit of an edge.”

She added: “I really want to stay until we get promoted because I feel like I’ve got unfinished business here because we’ve been so close in the past and I don’t want to go without helping achieve this.”

West Ham Ladies are next playing at home on Sunday, November 18 against Tottenham in the FA Womens’ Premier League
Southern Division The game kicks off at 2pm.

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

West Ham Ladies striker April Bowers hoping for a shower of goals

West Ham Ladies striker April Bowers has vowed to fire her side towards promotion this season.

The 18-year-old bagged the winner in the Ladies’ league game against Tottenham Hotspur which was also her first game back from an ankle injury.

And with her fitness picking up all the time, she has now set herself a goals target and hopes to make strides into that this weekend.

She said: “I wouldn’t say I’m 100pc fit at the moment but I’m getting there and my ankle feels good so I can’t wait to play this Sunday.

Mikey Cartwright/Ponderosa Pix

“It was annoying to have been out so early in the season particularly as I felt my fitness was good and I was happy with how I was playing.

“We’ve been playing a 4-3-3 system this season and I’ve been playing out wide, up top – like an old school winger – and I love it because I love scoring goals. “I have set myself a target of getting at least 15 goals this season and help us really challenge for promotion.”

But she continued: “I wouldn’t say there is pressure on any one person to score all the goals and at the minute we are all chipping in with goals.

“Bex [Merritt] has got a few goals already, as has Lindsay [Morgan], and although I love scoring, it is nice when one of the other girls scores too.

“To be honest it doesn’t really matter where they are coming from, as long as the goals are going in and we are winning games that is all that matters.”

She added: “Bex [Merritt] has been one of the outstanding players so far this season. She is also always helping me and talking to me and trying to build my confidence.”

This season is the second the striker has played with the first team having come through the juniors and reserve sides.

She continued: “I love playing in the first team. I remember when I first started playing with the first team, I found it so fast but now I feel I have made the step up.

“It is a big step from the reserves to the first team but there are few girls who could come up and get into the squad and I hope they get their chance to.”

Asked how she thinks the Ladies’ season is going, April replied: “I think the season is going well so far.

“Losing out first game to Millwall was a bad start but we’ve picked ourselves up from that and we are all gelling well as a team and working hard in training.”

West Ham Ladies are next playing at home on Sunday, November 11 against Colchester United in the FA Womens’ Premier League Southern Division The game kicks off at 2pm.

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