Kirsty Smith knows West Ham United Women will need to be at their very best to claim a positive result in Wednesday’s London derby versus Chelsea.
Paul Konchesky’s Irons welcome the Blues to the Chigwell Construction Stadium on Wednesday in the first of three matches at the end of the 2022/23 season, with the Hammers eager to return to winning ways.
It has been a disappointing couple of weeks for West Ham, who had started the campaign in immense form, but Smith believes there is no reason why the home side cannot turn things around against the Blues.
“There has obviously been a dip in our form, and I think there are lots of things that can contribute to it,” the full-back told whufc.com.
“To be successful in football you need to score goals and you need to defend well. Sometimes a bit of luck plays a part because things fall for you on some days and they don’t on others.
“We have had several close games where we had opportunities to pick up points and we have been disappointed that we have been unable to do that. That’s something that we need to address and put right.
“There have definitely been results that haven’t gone our way when we feel that they should’ve gone our way. We’ve had chances but we haven’t always taken them. I hope that we can learn from past games as we head into our final few games. We really want to get some positive results.
“Every game and every result gives you something to learn from and as a team we know that we can do a lot better. It’s all about making things happen now in our next few games.”
In Chelsea, the Irons face a side that defeated Manchester United 1-0 on Sunday to lift the FA Cup are still in the hunt to win the Barclays Women’s Super League title.
Smith feels the Irons should relish being the underdogs when the Blues visit east London, and knows the side have the quality to get a result that few would expect.
“Chelsea had a really tough run in the last few weeks,” she continued. “However, they have a really strong squad so they have been able to rotate. It is something that we need to try to take advantage of though.
“If we work hard and play well on the day then we can get a result. We’ll be pushing for a positive result but we know that they are a really good side so we will need to be at the top of our game. It will be a tough game.
“The pressure is really all on them and the run in will be interesting with them up against my old team. For us, the pressure is off so we just need to work hard and stick together as a team. It would be nice to cause an upset.”
In order to get a big result though, the Irons will undoubtedly need to be at their very best. Smith says the work has been done on the training pitches, with the squad possessing a collective desire to return to winning ways.
The defender added: “Training has been tough and the squad have been working really hard ahead of this game.
“We will always prepare in the same way in terms of our desire and focus. We have had some tough sessions this week and our focus is on our next match and putting in a performance.
“We want to demonstrate that we can get results and we want to prove that we are still as capable as we were before. Training has been going well and we have worked really hard. Hopefully that will show on the day.”
