Goalscorer Shannon Cooke believes that West Ham United women’s team deserved their late equaliser in their 1-1 Barclays Women's Super League draw at Aston Villa on Sunday.
The Hammers had to wait until the final seconds to level at Villa Park, with substitute Cooke rising highest to net beyond Sophia Poor, with her header squirming under the young Villa goalkeeper.
Cooke was thrown into the game by manager Rehanne Skinner as the Irons went in search of a leveller after former West Ham forward Alisha Lehmann had given the home side the lead.
Defender Cooke came on up front, and she was able to make her mark and score her first goal for the Club in the dying embers of the game.
“It was a deserved point,” the 24-year-old told whufc.com. "We worked hard throughout the game, and I think that just highlights the character of the team to not give up and to keep working right until the very end.
“Obviously, as a team we’re not where we want to be right now in the table, but our goal has been to stay up as a minimum, and we’ve been able to do that today.
"At the start of the season, that wasn’t our goal, and we know that going forward we need to fight harder and be switched on from the very start of the season.”
West Ham manager Rehanne Skinner explained that she felt Cooke could be a threat in the air, in and around the box due to the success her side were seeing in wide areas as the clock ticked down in the west Midlands, and it would prove to be an 81st minute substitute that paid off.
Cooke was able to grab her first goal since signing for the Club in January 2023, and she was delighted to do so.
“I’m really pleased to be off the mark,” she smiled. "I was thrown on up front, which was a little bit different to where I usually am, but I wanted to come on and make an impact, and thankfully I did.
“It was a great moment, and something I’ve been waiting a while for, so yeah, I’m really happy.
"Momentum in football is huge, and this season we’ve struggled with that, which is why we’re down where we are in the standings. We have to make sure that we take the confidence from coming back in this game, and also improve on the things we weren’t so good at.
"I thought we should have had all three points today, so we’ve got to come back out and use that frustration next week against Leicester when we’re back at home and finish the season off in front of the home fans on a high.”
