Lewes Women v West Ham United Women
Pre-season friendly, Dripping Pan, Sunday 20 August 2023, 3pm BST.
West Ham United head to East Sussex on Sunday afternoon to take on Barclays Women’s Championship side Lewes in their latest pre-season friendly.
Rehanne Skinner will be in the dugout for the first time having arrived at the Club on Tuesday after completing her media commitments at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
After a week on the grass under the new boss, the Irons will be ready to get more minutes into the legs in their second pre-season outing ahead of the 2023/24 season getting underway against Manchester City on Sunday 1 October 2023.
Read on for all you need to know about Sunday’s fixtures against The Rooks.
“More minutes in the legs are key” says Harries
After joining West Ham United in early August, Emma Harries is looking forward to getting more gametime on the pitch alongside her new teammates.
The 21-year-old forward left Reading at the end of her contract in June after 16 years with the Club, and opted to join the Hammers.
And after three weeks in east London, connections are starting to form off the pitch, and now she is looking forward to things coming together on the pitch under Skinner’s reign.
“I’ve really enjoyed the first couple of weeks since I came into the Club,” Harries explained.
“The girls have been brilliant with welcoming me in, and having Rehanne come in and bring a new philosophy is really challenging for me as a player personally and I’m looking forward to working on that over the coming season.
“It’s been a really big change for me personally, leaving a Club that I’ve been with for my whole career and coming into a new environment. I’ve been made to feel so welcome and I’m relishing the challenge.”
On the pitch, the Hammers have already had one pre-season fixture, a behind-closed-doors match against Charlton Athletic last weekend – which saw first-team players get 45/60 minutes of action.
Harries is looking forward to getting more minutes in the tank against fellow Championship opposition.
“Sunday’s game is about getting more minutes into our legs, that’s the key. We want to show what we’re capable of as well. We’ve worked a little bit on philosophy this week and we want to get to work on that.
“Charlton was a good test for us physically, whilst also trying to implement what Rehanne and her staff want us to do. Hopefully with each game we continue to improve physically, but also tactically and technically – that’s what pre-season is for.”
Skinner: The physical outcomes are important at this stage of pre-season
Rehanne Skinner has also reiterated the importance of match minutes at the early stages of pre-season.
After her first week on the grass with the Hammers, she will now take charge of her first fixture this weekend against Lewes.
After a hard week of work at Chadwell Heath, she’s looking forward continuing with that at Dripping Pan.
“It’s going to be our second game of pre-season, and it’s important that we start building up those minutes,” she told West Ham TV earlier this week.
“The physical outcomes are really important at this stage of pre-season, and we've also started to implement some of the principles of play that we want to work towards.
“It's important this week with me being here that we carry on developing that, and obviously just putting some things in practice that are going to help the team to play the style of football we want to play come the start of the season.”
Hear more from Skinner after taking her first training session at Chadwell Heath by clicking here.
Opposition
Lewes are hurtling towards the beginning of the 2023/24 Barclays Women’s Championship season. This weekend’s fixture is their final pre-season fixture before Scott Booth’s side get the new campaign under against Southampton on Sunday 27 August.
Booth has been manager at Dripping Pan since May 2022, having previously managed Birmingham City in the WSL, and before that, he managed Glasgow City to five consecutive Scottish Women’s Premier League titles.
The Rooks have been active during the transfer window so far, bringing in the likes of Maltese international Maria Farrugia, Reanna Blades on loan from Chelsea, as well as former Hammer Grace Garrad, who made the switch from Norwegian side Stabæk Fotball at the end of July.
Last season, Lewes finished the campaign in ninth place, winning seven of their 22 matches in the second division.
West Ham and Lewes last met competitively in the Continental Tyres League Cup back in November 2019, with the Irons running out 3-1 winner at Rush Green.
The fixture is also a regular in pre-season, with the two teams facing off against one-another for the third time in as many pre-season campaigns.
How to follow?
A live blog will bring you all the action as it happens on whufc.com, as well as half time and full time updates on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Report, reaction and highlights will follow after the final whistle.
Tickets
Tickets are priced at £5 for adults, with Under 16s going free! Click here to purchase your tickets from Lewes’ official website.
Want to watch Rehanne Skinner's West Ham United in action throughout the 2023/24 Barclays Women's Super League season? Purchase a season ticket by clicking on the graphic below!
