Ladies warm up with five-star win

West Ham United Ladies gained their second victory under new manager Julian Dicks with a 5-0 pre-season win at Denham Ladies on Sunday afternoon.

Experienced defender Vicki King grabbed her second goal in as many games to put the Hammers ahead after three minutes, before Emma Sherwood netted a fantastic hat trick.

In the closing minutes, Sasha Kelly also got herself on the scoresheet to give West Ham Ladies a winning end to pre-season as they prepare for the start of their league campagn next weekend.

Hammers boss Dicks made two changes to the team that started in the defeat to C&K Basildon with attacking duo Kelly and Kelley Blanchflower replacing Alma Donohoe and Zoe Lipley-Hinton in the starting eleven.

The visitors got off to a perfect start when full back King followed up her sensational goal last weekend with another long range strike, scoring directly from a free kick just inside the Denham half to put the Hammers ahead in Uxbridge after just three minutes.

It got better for the Hammers just before half time when summer signing Sherwood timed her run perfectly to met a cross from Lindsey Morgan and head home past the home goalkeeper after some quick movement from King and Blanchflower.

Victory was all but sealed just after half-time when Sherwood netted her second of the game with her left foot from the edge of the box to make it 3-0.

In truth, Denham barely got a sniff in this game and it was only going to get worse for them as Sherwood completed a perfect hat trick, this time finishing from 18 yards with her right foot.

West Ham Ladies' fifth goal came courtesy of wide midfielder Kelly, who beat her marker to the byline, before cutting back inside to curl a fantastic shot into the back of the Denham Ladies net.

The result is the Hammers second 5-0 victory this summer, after beating Maidstone United Ladies away just two weeks beforehand.

Dicks' side kick off the FA Women's Premier League Southern Division season away at Queens Park Rangers Ladies on Sunday 17 August.

West Ham United Ladies: Runnacles, King, Baxter, Powles, Bottom, Morgan (Masters), Little, Kelly (Sumpter), Sherwood (Cleary), Bruce, Blanchflower