Kate Longhurst has called on West Ham United Women to be ‘at their best’ on Sunday afternoon, as they face Birmingham City at the Chigwell Construction Stadium.
The 32-year-old has been a key cog in Olli Harder’s side in the opening four matches of the campaign, filling in at both wing-back and centre-back whilst Lisa Evans and Grace Fisk have been sidelined.
And the West Ham United supporter says that the squad have time to reflect on on last week’s superb victory over Manchester City last weekend and are ready for the challenge ahead on Sunday.
“It’s been a good week,” Longhurst told whufc.com. “Monday was about recovery and making sure that our bodies were ready for the week ahead and the challenge that Birmingham will give us this weekend.
“We went through the game on Wednesday and went through some of the improvements we could have made to our performance – we know that it wasn’t perfect and there’s things that we can work on, so we won’t get carried away by last weekend’s result.
“The intensity has been good this week and everyone is fully focused on getting three points.”
Longhurst has performed well whilst covering in defence, helping the team to keep back-to-back clean sheets, and coming close to also adding a third of the season, had it not been for a last gasp equaliser at home to Aston Villa.
And the midfielder admits that she is happy to play anywhere that will help the team succeed, even if it isn’t a position that is already familiar to her.
“Throughout my whole career I’ve played in different positions when the team has required that.
“For me, the main thing is that I’m on the pitch and playing matches, I don’t want to just be on the bench every week, but I know that if I’m not performing or something else is needed for a particular game, then I respect that decision as well.
“I’m just trying to play to the best of my ability, regardless of whether I’m in my natural position, or in defence. I will always give everything I’ve got for the team, and I think so far I’ve done well.
“Being versatile and playing in different positions has helped me with playing in defence. It’s just another job, I love football and I just want to play. I’ve also got Gilly beside me, one of the most experienced defenders in the game, so I’m always taking to her throughout the game if I’m unsure.”
Longhurst is a player that has been with West Ham United since the club turned professional and embarked on its journey in the WSL – therefore knows the importance of the fans and how they can drive the team on. She is delighted to have them back at the Chigwell Construction Stadium, as well as following the team away from home.
“It’s been unbelievable to have them back – in every game we’ve heard them. There was a few who went to Brighton and then having everyone back for Aston Villa, you really notice the noise having been playing in empty stadiums for so long.
“I think everyone enjoyed themselves against Leicester, there was that fun atmosphere that we’ve been missing at home for a long time – I think we showed the fans that we’re a team that wants to play good football and work hard for each other.
“Certainly, since I’ve been at West Ham, we’ve had instances where we’ve worked hard for each other, but haven’t had the quality – and then sometimes we’ve worked hard but the quality has been missing in certain areas. Now we’re really trying to out both parts together and hopefully we can entertain the fans.
“We’re hoping that we will be able to put on a show in matches this season, attract some new supporters and engage with the ones that have been loyal to us,” she added.
I think we showed the fans that we’re a team that wants to play good football and work hard for each other
Kate Longhurst
The Hammers will be looking to make it three wins in a row when they face off against the Blues. It’s been a summer of transition for both teams, with Birmingham bringing in 13 new players, as well as appointing former Glasgow City manager, Scott Booth as head coach.
“Birmingham very similar to us in terms of the fact that they’re almost hit the reset button in many ways. A lot of the players that they had last season have moved on and a lot have come in.
“I’ve watched their games back and I think they’ve been a little bit unlucky so far to be honest. I think they keep the ball quite well, they’re similar to Leicester in that they want to get the ball forward as quickly as possible, and they definitely have players that can unlock defences.
“Nobody can underestimate them – just because they don’t have a point on the board so far doesn’t mean that they can’t get three points against us, and we need to be mindful of that. We have to be at our best on Sunday and continue with the good things that we’ve shown to be able to walk away with three points,” she concluded.
