Dagný Brynjarsdóttir says the only thing that could have made her 50th appearance for West Ham United any more special was victory in Sunday’s match against Manchester City.
The Irons were narrowly beaten 1-0 in a highly competitive fixture at Chigwell Construction Stadium on their return to Barclays Women’s Super League action following the winter break, as Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw’s second-half strike was the difference between the two sides.
In leading the Hammers out, captain Brynjarsdóttir featured in her 50th match for the Claret and Blue; a number the midfielder is immensely proud to reach.
“I’m very proud to play 50 games for West Ham United,” the No10 told West Ham TV. “It would have been nice to get a win to go with it on my 50th game, but I’m proud of it and I’m really happy to be here.
“It was a tough game. We know Manchester City have a great team. But I think, with the chances we created, a draw would have been a fair result. We are disappointed with the loss but we have to take the positives out of it.”
The home side were desperately unfortunate to not find the net as a host of opportunities went begging. Risa Shimizu tested Ellie Roebuck in the Man City goal while Viviane Asseyi and Grace Fisk both went close, while Brynjarsdóttir noted a set-piece in the first-half that had City scrambling on their own goal-line.
“There was that corner where it was saved three times off the line, so there were chances in the game for us,” she continued. “It was just one of those games where it didn’t fall for us. They scored from a chance where we were perhaps a bit unorganised. You could say we were a bit unlucky but they took their chance, and we didn’t.”
Despite defeat, Brynjarsdóttir feels the team can take heart from their performances against the division’s established top clubs so far this season. The aim now is to turn those efforts into points on the board.
The Iceland international added: “We’ve competed very well against the top teams so far this season but, obviously, we want to get something out of those games too.
“We’ve played well in those matches and now we need to figure out a way to get at least one point – if not all three – from those games against the top sides.
Attention now turns to a vital FA Women's League Cup tie at Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday evening. The Hammers travel to the Broadfield Stadium in Crawley knowing anything but defeat will see them top Group C and secure a place in the quarter-finals for the third season in a row.
Brynjarsdóttir concluded: “We have another game on Wednesday, against Brighton, and I think the whole team just needs to rest up, recover and prepare properly for another tough match.”
