Mel Filis believes West Ham United Women have the resiliency and ability to get a result in Thursday’s London derby with Chelsea.
The Hammers return to action with a midweek Barclays FA Women’s Super League match against the Blues, the reigning league champions, and Filis says the group are aware of the quality Chelsea possess in their ranks.
The Irons have faced Chelsea in league and Continental League Cup action in recent weeks and Filis knows the team have what it takes to get the win on Thursday.
“We’re optimistic,” the midfielder told West Ham TV. "There have been times this season where we’re battling with the big teams. We got the win against Manchester City early on in the season, which gives us a lot of confidence heading into these games.
“We’re realising in our group that it can be done and there is no reason that it can’t be just as long as we get our heads down and work together and for each other.
“Compared to where we’ve been previously, we have given the top teams a serious run for their money this season. We’ve been able to hold our own against them and compete for long periods of the games. But, when you play top teams like Chelsea, you just can’t afford to switch off because they are ruthless. They will pick up goals and kill the game off.
“We’ve been training hard. Everyone is switched on and ready to take what we’ve learned about them in the previous matches into the coming game.”
Thursday’s match with Chelsea kick-offs a busy period for the Women’s team, with four matches in the space of ten days across all competitions.
Filis is aware of how important the coming period could be for the side’s season.
She added: “Olli has spoken to us about it. We’ve the run of four games we’ve got in the short space of time then we need everyone to be at our collective best.
“It’s going to be tough but we’ve got a resilient group. We’re very together and we will help each other through, and I’m sure we will get the results we want and need.”
