Dagný Brynjarsdóttir made her long-awaited return to the pitch on Thursday evening at HBF Park.
The Iceland international came off the bench in the first half of the narrow 1-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, West Ham United women’s team’s first match of the Perth International Football Cup.
After welcoming her second son Andreas in early February, the midfielder has been building up her fitness ready for match action, and that came in front of the West Ham fans in Western Australia.
Brynjarsdóttir played around 55 minutes in the fixture against the French heavyweights, who scored the only goal of the match midway through the first half. Romée Leuchter slotted beyond Kinga Szemik to inflict the defeat on Rehanne Skinner’s team, but it was a largely positive performance against Champions League opposition.
It has been a good few days in Perth for Brynjarsdóttir. Her husband Ómar and her two sons have travelled Down Under with her, which has allowed her to continue combining her roles as a mother and a player while on the trip.
“I’ve never been to Australia before, and I’ve really enjoyed the experience so far,” the 33-year-old explained.
“I have my family here with me and that’s quite special for me that we’ve been able to share this experience of coming away - I’m thankful to the Club for helping to make it happen.
“I’m still breastfeeding Andreas at the moment, so the only way I would have been able to come on the trip is if he was able to come with me. Then there are obviously the challenges of when I’m training and playing that he needs to be looked after, and then my other son Brynjar needs looking after, too!
“The Club have been so supportive of me ever since I arrived in terms of being a mum, and this is another big tick for that too.”
Brynjarsdóttir hadn’t taken to the field in an official game since May 2023, the final day of the 2022/23 season. At the end of that campaign, she received the Hammer of the Year award from the supporters for her performances.
She was pleased to meet the Australian contingent of Irons that were invited to Monday’s first training session in Perth and attended Thursday’s clash with PSG.
“It was really nice to see all the Australian West Ham fans at the training session and our match,” Brynjarsdóttir continued. “There were lots of people wearing West Ham shirts, but there was also a lot of people wearing Australian shirts with names of players on the back that play in the WSL.
“I think it’s so important for some of our younger players to see the support that the Club has worldwide, and that it could be their name on the back of shirts one day.
“It’s a great reality check for us all. Sometimes you’re not really thinking about the supporters outside of England because as a footballer it’s just training, matches and working hard. It shows the growth of the game and how far we’ve come - and we have to continue to push things forward. It’s a privilege to be here and to see the support first-hand.”
Minutes in the tank are important for Hella native Brynjarsdóttir as she gears up for her competitive return to action when the new season kicks off in just three weeks’ time.
With every passing moment on the grass, she can feel herself become sharper and stronger, and now she is looking for gametime in the Hammers’ Perth International Football Cup third-place play-off against Leicester City on Sunday.
Brynjarsdóttir added: “It’s kind of a bit of a dream for me to be back and playing again after my second pregnancy. Touch wood, I haven’t had any setbacks, and things have been good so far.
“Obviously, I’m not at my best at the moment, and it’s going to take a little bit of time, but with every minute that I’m out on the pitch playing matches, I’m feeling stronger.”
Tickets for West Ham’s Leicester City clash are available HERE.
