Rehanne Skinner is looking forward to Saturday’s Barclays Women’s Super League finale against Tottenham Hotspur.
West Ham United women's team will end the season at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where Skinner will take on her former employers and hope to guide her current side to a win.
The Hammers have picked up two draws from their last two games against Aston Villa and Leicester City, and they will be aiming to end on a high by taking three points from the weekend’s London derby.
Speaking to the media ahead of kick-off, Skinner told reporters that the squad is focused on putting on a positive display for the large number of supporters that are expected to travel across the capital for the clash.
She also reflected on her first season in charge, and gave an update on team news ahead of the fixture.
You can listen to the full pre-match press conference by clicking play on the audio player above, or read on for the key talking points…
Reflecting on a first season in charge
We always knew this year was about the project, we knew it was going to be a journey, and there were lots of different things within the Football Club that we wanted to evolve.
It's a bit of a new era, with a new women's Board and the way that we wanted to get the women's team more integrated into the wider Club. So many things have gone on behind the scenes, and things we’re trying to align that people don't really see.
The real positive step for us this season has been getting the foundations right, which will give us a platform to build on.
Over the course of the year, we’ve embedded the philosophy, and we've played well. We’ve played better since January, in terms of performances, and lots of players have taken big steps forward and made improvements.
Overall, we would have liked to have finished higher in the table, but there are a lot of positives to take out of this season that are going to set us up to be in better stead next year – and we’re really looking forward to that.
Spurs and a London derby
First and foremost, it’s a London derby, so we know it’s going to be a battle. I don’t think either side will be approaching it as the last game of the season as things are winding down – certainly we aren’t approaching it in that way.
We see it as an opportunity to end the season positively and continue with our unbeaten run. We’re doing everything we can to make it three games unbeaten at the end of the campaign, and I think it’s really important for us to end the season on a positive note.
We’ve got a recruitment strategy, and we’re well underway with that at the moment. I think the biggest thing for us will be reinforcing our forward line, and we’ve got to look at how we can make that even more effective.
I think we’ve got to add more in terms of leadership into the squad as well. We’ve obviously got a lot of players with lots of potential within the team, and those players have made really strong improvements this season.
I think it’s also worth mentioning how well Riko [Ueki] has done in her first year [in England]. She’s scored five goals this season already, and in the last three goals scored, she’s been involved in them. I think she’s going to continue to thrive in this league, and it’s important we keep getting the support in and around her and Vivi [Asseyi].
Dagný’s return to the squad
One of the positives for us is that Dagný Brynjarsdóttir will be back in the squad for this game. She’s been recovering and going through all of the safe return-to-play elements.
It's a positive to have her come into the team tomorrow, so we’re delighted to have her back with us.
The approach
Week in, week out, we prepare the same in terms of how we're thinking about the game, what our game plan looks like and how we want to operate as a team and keep building on our style of play.
Obviously, you have to be mindful that you might have to manage some elements of it in terms of transitional elements of the game, because it is a bigger picture.
I think the biggest thing is that we want to finish on a high note. We want to make sure we give a positive account of ourselves, and that's the most important thing to us.
