Captain Katrina Gorry starts for West Ham United women’s team against Crystal Palace this afternoon in her return to Rehanne Skinner’s matchday squad.
The Australia international suffered a shoulder injury in the Hammers’ narrow defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion in the Barclays Women's Super League last month, when she was forced off the field after scoring a stunning, quick-fire brace that drew her side level in the contest - her first two goals for the Club.
Midfielder Gorry missed West Ham’s 4-1 beating of London City Lionesses in the Women’s League Cup last time out before the international break, but has recovered from her injury and slots straight back into Skinner’s starting XI for this afternoon’s crunch clash against the Eagles at Chigwell Construction Stadium.
The skipper will lead out her team that consists of six changes from the victory at Hayes Lane two weeks ago.
Fresh from making history with Poland over the international break, Kinga Szemik returns between the sticks in search of back-to-back clean sheets in Dagenham. Full-back Anouk Denton comes back into the starting XI, as does Amber Tysiak, who enjoyed a successful time away with Belgium.
Fellow Women’s Euro 2025 qualifier Oona Siren also makes a return to the line-up, alongside striker Riko Ueki, who came off the bench to add the Hammers’ fourth in Bromley.
That means Szemik, Denton and Tysiak maintain their records of starting every WSL game this term and they will hope to keep Palace at bay alongside defenders Shelina Zadorsky and Kirsty Smith.
Looking to protect the back-four, the midfield partnership of Gorry and Siren is used for a sixth successive WSL fixture by Skinner, and the duo will also hope to help thread balls through to the ever-present attack of Manuela Paví, Seraina Piubel and Viviane Asseyi, who support striker Ueki this afternoon.
Skinner has nine options on her substitutes' bench and can make a maximum of five changes. Megan Walsh is the goalkeeping option, alongside defenders Li Mengwen, Camila Sáez and Shannon Cooke.
Marika Bergman Lundin, Dagný Brynjarsdóttir, Halle Houssein, Soraya Walsh and Emma Harries are the other names who will look to make an impact for the Hammers this afternoon.
Keep up to date with the match by following our live blog from Chigwell Construction Stadium HERE!
West Ham United: Szemik, Denton, Tysiak, Zadorsky, Smith, Siren, Gorry ©, Piubel, Paví, Asseyi, Ueki
Subs: M. Walsh (GK), Mengwen, Sáez, Cooke, Bergman Lundin, Brynjarsdóttir, Houssein, S. Walsh, Harries
Crystal Palace: Yáñez, Veje, Cato, Everett ©, Blanchard, Nolan, Potter, Riley, Gejl, Woodham, Stengel
Subs: Majasaarl (GK), Gibbons, Arthur, Sharpe, Weerden, Pritchard, Larkin, Atkinson
