Goalkeeper Toni-Anne Wayne quits West Ham Ladies for Women’s Super League hopefuls Brighton and Hove Albion

West Ham Ladies shot stopper Toni-Anne Wayne has quit the club to join Women’s Super League hopefuls Brighton and Hove Albion.

The 30-year-old had been in fine form for the Hammers this season, bagging two player of the match awards in 13 games. But she admitted the move to the south coast side – currently on standby to join the Women’s Super League - was one she couldn’t turn down.

“I had a few approaches come in for me this season including one from Millwall but I know there are quite a few players going there so I turned them down,” the goalkeeper told Blowing Bubbles. “Then Brighton came along and my initial reaction was that I would say no because it was too far for me to travel but their manager wanted to meet me and speak to me so I went down there to look around their set up.

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“During my journey down there, I was thinking there was no way I would join Brighton but I was really impressed with their set up and the support from the men’s team which is second to none.

“I’m at an age now where I’m starting to get a few injuries and as great as the physios are at West Ham, I think at Brighton I’ll be able to sort them out rather than maintain them. That was my thinking behind the move but the chance to play in the Women’s Super League, which Brighton are on standby for, was another big reason for moving to them.”

The former Charlton Athletic and Gillingham ‘keeper said she thought the current season would be her last but admitted if Brighton get into the Women’s Super League, she doesn’t know what she will do.

“I spoke to the manager [Mark Saunderson] and told him about Brighton and them saying they wanted me to go down there and he was great,” Toni-Anne continued. “He told me he didn’t want me to go and would be sad to lose me but that I deserve to be playing at a higher level.

“I also spoke in depth to Julia Setford [Director of Football] and she was great too because she looked at it from a West Ham point of view but also as my friend.

“I was told I had to make the decision the Tuesday after the Cardiff game [December 1] but by the time we were travelling to the game, I still hadn’t made up my mind because even though I knew deep down what the right decision was, I love this club.

“I was so upset after the game, which we lost 4-1, because I knew it was likely to be my last. On the Monday night, I sent a group e-mail to everyone explaining my decision to leave and I was asked if I could play one last game, which turned out to be the following week at home to Chesham United, and if I could be captain for it.

“They are a great bunch of girls and it was an honour to be captain. They really didn’t have to do that especially given the fact I’m going to be in the same league and playing against them in April.”
Toni-Anne, who has played on and off for West Ham for the past five years, still has high hopes for the Hammers in the future.

“They are building and working hard to get a better infrastructure in place with things like the Centre of Excellence to help bid for Women’s Super League in 2015,” she added.

“I think you can see from the likes of Liverpool, Brighton and Chelsea that the only way women’s football can progress is with the support from the men’s teams and for me West Ham doesn’t have that at the moment. But they do deserve to be in the Women’s Super League and I don’t think people on the outside appreciate the hard work that goes on behind the scenes.

“Everything is done for the players so that all they have to do is turn up and play their game and don’t have to do anything else. I’m really going to miss everyone at the club and I wish them all the luck for the rest of the season.”

The West Ham Ladies play their home games at Thurrock FC, Ship Lane, Aveley, Essex, EM19 1YN. They play Charlton on January 5 at home with kick off at 2pm.

Cup run could ignite season for West Ham Ladies

A good run in every cup competition will help fire the West Ham Ladies up the FA Women’s Premier League South.
That is the view of centre back Sophie Reed who has impressed so far this season after breaking into the first team.
The 20-year-old has been with the club since she was 11 and has flourished since she was given her league debut against Lewes in September.

Mikey Cartwright/Ponderosa Pix

Speaking exclusively to Blowing Bubbles, the London Metropolitan University student said: “We’ve got KIKK United in the cup this weekend which is our last game this year so we are hoping to get a good win before our Christmas break.
“We are taking all our cup competitions very seriously this season because cup games are great to play in. It’s just something about them that gets me and the others excited.
“In many cup games we go into them without knowing the opposition very well which I always like and I think some players are more relaxed and play more freely in cup games.
“I honestly believe if we can have a good run in all cup competitions then these performances will rub off on our league form and hopefully we can start climbing the league.”
Reed spoke to Blowing Bubbles after the Ladies comfortably beat Cheshum United 3-1 last weekend with the goals coming from Cherrelle Albert and captain Bex Merritt.

The victory ended a nine game winless which stretched back to the last time the Hammers played Cheshum back in September. They currently sit ninth in the league - five points above Keynsham Town at the bottom.
Sophie, who has made 11 appearances so far this season, continued: “I didn’t expect to have played so many games for the first team this season but the manager has come in and given me the chance to play in a lot of games.
“I think I’ve been doing all right. At first I was really nervous but with every game I’ve played, I’ve felt my confidence grow.
“Everyone in the squad has also been brilliant at making me feel welcome. They are all so friendly and that has helped to make the step up easier for me.
“The senior players in the team are really approachable and have been great at helping me out and giving advice.”
She added: “We have been getting results that on paper don’t look too good but we have been playing well. But we are working hard as a team and we’ve just been unlucky not to get the results we deserve.
“We are trying to put things right and everyone has been training hard even though it hasn’t really been happening for us this season so far.
“Everyone also makes the effort of picking each other up and we all try to go again as a team. We need to keep going because there are a lot more games to play this season.”
The Ladies were also boosted by the return of Danica Revell and Stacey Little from injury and both impressed last weekend. It was, however, the last game for influential goalkeeper Toni Anne-Wayne who has joined Brighton & Hove Albion Ladies.
Sophie continued: “Danica is such a brilliant defender. We are a similar age but she has a lot more experience than me and I know I will learn so much from her.
“But while she has been out Hayley [West] and I have been playing together and I think we have started to get a really good understanding of how we both play and I’m looking forward to building on this relationship.
“As for TAW [Toni Anne Wayne], I’m gutted she is leaving because she is such a fantastic ‘keeper. She has been brilliant at helping me week in, week out and she was always there for me.”
She added: “I joined West Ham when I was 11 and I’ve gone all the way through the ranks. This is the club I’ve always wanted to play for because I’m a West Ham fan.
“I can still remember now how massive it was for me when I had a trial and then got asked to play for the club.
“My goals for the rest of the season now are to just keep learning and improving and hopefully keep my place in the team.”
The West Ham Ladies play their home games at Thurrock FC, Ship Lane, Aveley, Essex, EM19 1YN. They play Charlton on January 5 at home with kick off at 2pm.

Campaign launched to stop FA cutting Women's Premier League and West Ham Ladies funding

West Ham Ladies are fearing for their future after FA plans to withdraw funding from the Women’s Premier League were revealed.

Blowing Bubbles understands that under the new proposals, dubbed the ‘Game Changer’ strategy, the FA’s focus will be primarily on the top flight of women’s football, the recently-created Women’s Super League.

This strategy will be at the expense of the Women’s Premier League, which will be merged with the South West, South East, Midland and Northern Combination league and would mean likely financial and footballing disaster for West Ham Ladies.

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But last week a campaign was launched to try and stop this from happening. A spokesman for the Save Our WPL campaign said: “In December 2012, the FA invited all the Premier League clubs to a meeting to discuss the new League structure where [FA Director of the National Game and Women’s Football] Kelly Simmons delivered the FA’s devastating fait accompli.

"Either the current WPL clubs (29 in all made up of National, Northern and Southern divisions) would have to agree to become amalgamated with the Combination clubs from the leagues below and formed into a new, less supported Championship League, or the WPL would simply cease to exist altogether.

"The meeting was labelled ‘consultation’ but this was the first time all clubs had the chance to look at the new structure and therefore were denied any opportunity to fully consider all its implications.

"A vote was then undertaken in part by at least half the clubs who now belong to the WSL and also one or two now relegated clubs.

"But what was not fully understood at the time was how the clubs, and indeed the entire women’s game, would be affected when the new Championship league lost its Premier League stature and the level of funding substantially decreased.

"This means that 36 clubs per league will get a share of just £45k instead of 22 clubs accessing £140k, therefore less funds to help towards the cost of running teams at this level.

 "The league will be downgraded from Premier to Championship level so clubs will find it hard to attract players and there will be less players coming into the game in the lower leagues because the FA isn’t strongly supporting them.

"When funding is cut, Men’s clubs that have Women’s team may not continue to support them either; therefore there is a real risk to their future survival.

"The FA are building a top down strategy rather than a bottom up one which will create an elitist sport rather than a sport for all."

Save Our WPL are demanding a Special General Meeting with the FA to debate ‘Game Changer’ against their alternative strategy for women’s football, ‘Every Player Counts’.

 The spokesman added: “It’s clear from Women’s Premier League (WPL) players’ reactions so far, the absence of promotion from WPL to Women’s Super League (WSL) in the Game Changer strategy is a huge demotivating factor in their development and may even cause some to leave the game.

"Rather than throwing the Women’s Premier League under the bus, the FA should, in fact, be looking to retain the WPL and invest more in its growth both in finance and management, as they have learned already how necessary it is to support the lower leagues in the men’s game.

"Ours is an approach that will be a more effective and cost-efficient way to achieve a more widespread player development route and create pathways for new players.

"In short, it will respect and deliver on the women’s game as a national, grassroots movement and not an elite sport for the wealthy few. And it will ultimately better serve the England national team by helping to develop many more English players. The FA have also moved to distance themselves from the FAWPL by claiming their previous collaboration was a “mistake”.

The news was announced on the influential independent FAWPL News Twitter account which has done much to promote the women’s game in England. The FA were unavailable for comment.

Injured midfielder hoping to give West Ham Ladies a New Year boost

Midfielder Stacey Little has set herself a target of returning to action by January in a bid to give the West Ham Ladies a huge New Year boost.

The 26-year-old has been highly praised by her teammates this year for her performances which has also seen her receive two player of the match awards in seven league and cup games.

But Stacey is currently enduring a frustrating period on the sidelines after chipping a bone in her ankle and sustaining ligament damage during the Ladies draw with Tottenham Hotspur last month.

Mikey Cartwright/Ponderosa Pix

“I don’t know exactly when I’ll be returning yet and I don’t have a timescale in place but I’d love to be back by the New Year,” the midfielder told Blowing Bubbles. “I had a cast on my ankle for a week after the Spurs game to give me some pain relief and to stop me putting any weight on my ankle but now I have an air cast which allows me to walk on it.

“It has been really frustrating not being able to play because I’m injured but what’s worse is not having a realistic return date to work towards. I have been going to training and do keep asking when I can come back but at the moment I’m just working on upper body stuff.

“I thought I had been playing well this season too. I really feel I had come on leaps and bounds since the manager [Mark Saunderson] has come in and I’ve had two player of the matches. I’ve even stepped in at centre back because we’ve had injuries and I felt I didn’t do too badly.

“The other motivation for me to get back soon is that I’m not guaranteed my starting place because there is so much competition for places.  For me now it’s a case of starting all over again that’s what I find frustrating. Going through pre-season again really. Someone has got my shirt now and it’s my job to get it back off them.”

She added: “I really didn’t want to come off during the Spurs game but I’ve had ankle injuries before and I knew something bad had happened. It happened after a tackle and I can remember actually screaming in pain which I never do unless I have really hurt myself.

“I think when I get back to playing again, I’ll still be putting in the same tackles. After every injury, it’s all psychological and I’m sure I will be worried about my ankle but going in for tackles is part of my game – I can’t change that about my game.”

Following the draw against Tottenham Hotspur and without Stacey, the Hammers have lost against Keynsham Town, Coventry City and Cardiff City but did get a brilliant draw against a Gillingham side performing well in the FA Women’s Premier League South.

Stacey continued: “I’m extremely disappointed to be missing out but I was really pleased that they got a point against Gillingham. When the girls are at home, I will go to support them but to travel and watch them from the sidelines is pretty hard.

“I think we’ve had a very difficult start to the season. We got through pre-season and a few players left like Rosey Sullivan and then the players who filled in got injured and our back four has been constantly changed. I think it’s really important to have a solid starting XI to gel together at the start of the season especially with the new players coming in. Regardless of all this, the team has got on with it and morale is high.”

The former Charlton Athletic player added: “My personal aims for the season have changed now with the injury. I’m just focused on getting my shirt back and playing in my position and playing my game. I know what the manager expects of me and I’m happy to fill in wherever I’m needed.

“As a team as a whole, there’s no-one in the league that should be beating us – that’s how much confidence I’ve got in our squad. We were unlucky not to get a point against Charlton and we’ve beaten Portsmouth and got a good point against Gillingham bearing in mind their start to the season. As long as the girls can kick on now, there’s no reason why we can’t be pushing into the top half of the table.”

The Ladies host Gillingham on Sunday, November 24. Kick off at 2pm at Thurrock FC, Ship Lane, Aveley, Essex, EM19 1YN.

West Ham Ladies defender Hayley West hoping for charge up FA Women’s Premier League South

West Ham Ladies defender Hayley West has called on her teammates to have more self-belief and confidence to help drive a push up the table. 

The centre half was the standout performer for the Hammers during a 1-1 draw with league leaders Gillingham last month - a game the centre back believes could prove to be the catalyst for an unbeaten
run in the FA Women’s Premier League South.

Reflecting on the result, she said: “We didn’t know if the Gillingham game was going to be on or not when we travelled there because of the weather but once we got the all clear after the pitch inspection, we were just all up for it.

Mikey Cartwright/Ponderosa Pix

“They are at the top of the league and we wanted to give them a good game. We hadn’t really hit our best
form and it hadn’t really happened for us this season even though we had been playing well so it was great
to get the result we did.

“They had put a lot of pressure on us in the first half and Toni [Anne Wayne] had to make some really good saves to keep us at 0-0 at at half time. Our talk at half time was how well we were doing and how we just needed to keep going and put a bit more pressure on them and we could hear their manager ripping into his players and it gave us a boost.

“And even though we came out in the second half and went a goal down, we didn’t give up and kept pressing and then Cherelle came on and scored pretty quickly. From that moment on we started to win everything, first and second balls, and even though it poured down
in the last 10 minutes, we didn’t give up.

“The morale at the end of the game was amazing. To have come from 1-0 down against the league leaders and not give up was great. We were all buzzing after the game and the manager was really pleased with us – it was such a great feeling.”

She continued: “This season our aim was – and still is – to win the league. With our bid to join the women’s super league rejected, we want to try and promote ourselves and get
more recognised this season. There is no better way of doing this then winning games, leagues and trophies. We all have that goal in mind.

We have got brilliant players who are starting to really combine with each other. We know how we want to play and I think we will kick on from here. If winning the league is not on, then getting as close as we can at the end of the season must be our aim.”

Hayley joined the Hammers in the summer and admits she is enjoying her football again after falling out of love with the game at Colchester United.

“It’s a whole new team this season with Mark bringing in new players like me but the team dynamic is so much better,” she continued. “It’s just the whole set-up and everything that’s going on behind the scenes which has really impressed me. The team has also bonded really well and we have a lot of banter.

“Before this season, I hadn’t played centre back before but I’ve learnt quickly and I’ve learnt a lot.
“What has also helped me is that the back four is more settled now. We lost a few players through injuries and leaving the club altogether but the last few games we’ve had the same back four and we have got a much better understanding. Sophie and I at the back work well together and both Jade and Lindsey are great full backs.”

The centre back also picked out centre forward Natalie Crinean, winger Kelley Blanchflower and ‘keeper Toni-Anne Wayne for their impressive performances recently.

“Natalie has been one of our standout players this season,” the former Colchester United player said.
“I’ve got no idea how she can hold the ball up for so long. The ball gets up to her and she just holds off other players until laying it off. Also if we have to go more direct, she wins nine out of ten headers in the air.”

She added: “Kelley has made quite an impact in recent games and is more attacking and has more confidence. Toni is a quality ‘keeper just from her talking and decisions she makes. It’s great having her behind me especially being new to the centre back role, she has been great at talking me through games.”

The Ladies host Coventry on Sunday, November 3. Kick off at 2pm at Thurrock FC, Ship Lane, Aveley, Essex, EM19 1YN