Halle Houssein says her loan spell at Barclays Women’s Championship side Reading has helped take her game to new heights and has her brimming with confidence.
The midfielder marked her first start in Claret and Blue in over a year with a pair of first-half assists as a much-changed West Ham United women’s team recorded a resounding 6-1 victory over Portsmouth.
We opened our Women’s League Cup Group C account with three points as our visitors from the South Coast were blown away by a blistering quickfire start after the break.
Having emerged from half-time with a narrow 2-1 advantage, the damage was all but done inside the opening six minutes of the second half, with substitute Viviane Asseyi scoring twice in the space of three minutes, before Emma Harries’ instinctive finish all but sealed victory. Riko Ueki then capped off a stunning performance by scoring a superb stoppage-time header to claim our biggest win since April 2021.
Houssein, who featured 13 times for Reading across 2023/24, helping them to retain their Championship status, says regular first-team football has helped her become a more rounded player and believes she has matured and learned so much from a Club, manager and her teammates who have taken her under their wing.
Now, she is excited by the chance to showcase the confidence and experience gained from her loan spell with the Royals.
“The loan spell [at Reading] really helped me grow as a footballer,” Houssein confirmed. “It was great to be able to be play with players who have played week in week out in the league for many years, and it was about trying to soak up as much of it as I could and just enjoy playing my football. I’ve come back with a lot of confidence, and I think the team has helped me as well. They’ve been so supportive and really helped me in my development.
“It was a great win for the team, and we played some really good football. We scored a lot of goals, which is always good and a nice feeling. There were a lot of debuts tonight as well, and there’s a lot of new players here, so it’s all about building chemistry, and I thought it was a great game to build that.”
Houssein, 19, adopted an unfamiliar role at right-wing-back on Wednesday, but says she will play wherever asked if it gives her the opportunity to play first-team football and help the team.
She continued: “I thought I did well. I’ve always been a midfielder, but it’s good for me to get out of my comfort zone and play in a different position, and I had to be a lot more focused.
“If it’s the first team, I’m happy to play anywhere - I'm just happy to help the team. To get two assists is a great feeling, and to help the team score is brilliant, so I’m glad they finished them off for me.”
Having been named in the senior Türkiye women’s national team squad for the first time during the summer, Houssein is targeting a spot at UEFA Women’s Euro 2025.
She says it's the love and support of her family that provided the basis from which she has been able to go on to build a successful playing career.
She said: “I think it gave me a massive confidence boost [playing international football], and it was a really proud moment for me and my family. Now, we’re going to try and qualify for the Euros, because that’s another personal goal that I want to try and achieve.
“I really enjoyed going into a senior camp for the first time, and it was a completely new environment, and it’s a completely different culture and style of football. They [her family] are really proud and are so supportive of me. I’ve got a very good group around me, and I’m very grateful for that.”
Imbued with the confidence that winning breeds, Houssein is hoping to keep building on recent performances in our next match against Manchester City.
“It was a huge point for us [against Liverpool], and tonight has added further confidence as we played some really good football and scored a lot of goals,” she added. “Hopefully tonight’s result can help us gain some momentum ahead of a big game against Manchester City on Sunday.”
