Amber Tysiak hopes to be able to get on the pitch and help West Ham United Women in their final four Barclays Women’s Super League matches of the season.
The 23-year-old defender has endured a frustrating start to life in east London since arriving from Oud-Heverlee Leuven in January, having suffered a number of injury setbacks that meant she was unable to take to the field in a Hammers shirt.
That all changed in the previous outing against Manchester City, with the Belgian international coming off the bench in the closing stages at the Academy Stadium, making her debut in the process.
Tysiak has 19 caps for the Belgian Red Flames, and has notched five goals for her country, which is particularly impressive when you consider that she plays in the heart of defence.
She’s hoping to be able to make an impact for the Hammers in the remaining fixtures of the 2022/23 season, which will see Paul Konchesky’s team face off against Brighton & Hove Albion, Chelsea, Leicester City and Tottenham Hotspur.
“It’s been a really frustrating time for me since I arrived at the Club, but getting minutes on the pitch against Manchester City gave me that warm feeling that I’ve really missed,” Tysiak told whufc.com.
“I came here in January, did two or three training sessions and then that was it, I was out on the sidelines. That was really hard for me because I’d come over to a new country and was trying to integrate myself into the team – it made things really difficult.
“There’s been a lot of hard work gone into getting me back out on the pitch, and I’d like to thank our staff for getting me back out there – I’m really pleased to finally be back fit.”
Being away from the main training group can often be a lonely experience for those making their comeback from long-term injuries – but Tysiak hasn’t been alone in the treatment room this season.
Jess Ziu sustained an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury back in October in a Continental Tyres League Cup fixture against London City Lionesses and has been on the treatment table ever since. Tysiak says that having players around her that could sympathise with her own injury and situation made things easier.
“Having Jess with me the whole way throughout the process was brilliant. Like me, she’s a young player that has come over to a new team and has picked up a long-term injury. She understands what it’s like and how you feel on days where you’re struggling.
“It’s the same with our staff here at West Ham, everyone has been very supportive and has helped me to adapt to live off the pitch here in England. Now I want to repay them by getting out on the pitch and putting in some good performances to help the team.”
West Ham United Women are looking to secure their WSL status in the coming weeks. The side currently sit in eighth place in the standings.
Tysiak believes that the team should have collected more points since the turn of the year, but that the final four matches offer a chance to finish the campaign strongly.
“I think we all expected more from the league matches in February and March,” Tysiak explained. "We produced a really good performance against Arsenal and managed to get a point, but we’ve not been able to get a win, and that’s been frustrating.
“We have four tough games left, but it’s a chance for us to finish as high up the table as possible. We have to expect more from ourselves and go for the three points in every game. I’m looking forward to being able to contribute and help the team,” she concluded.
