Jane Ross has hailed the quality of the cross from Julia Simic which led to the only goal of the game in Sunday’s win over Brighton & Hove Albion, saying she ‘couldn’t really miss’.
Ross completed a terrific team move by West Ham United in the 64th minute, glancing home a header from Simic’s ball into the box to give the Irons the win and three points, moving the side up to sixth in the FA Women’s Super League table.
The goal marked the Scottish international’s fifth finish of the season and Ross says the calibre of the move meant it was almost impossible for her to not score.
“I’m always happy to be on the score-sheet, although the three points is more important,” Ross told whufc.com. “It was a quality ball in from Julia. It was put on a plate for me and I couldn’t really miss from there! She made it easy for me.
It was a quality ball in from Julia. It was put on a plate for me and I couldn’t really miss from there! She made it easy for me.
Jane Ross
“As a forward, you want to be scoring goals, so to do it regularly is a really good feeling. It’s obviously great to win again and pick up another three points. We knew it was going to be an important and tough game for us, so it’s great to come away with the victory.”
The result marks the second successive victory and consecutive clean-sheets for Matt Beard’s side, which Ross puts down to the team’s homework prior to Sunday’s fixture.
The striker believes that the Hammers are seeing the fruits of their hard work on the training fields, with the side taking maximum points in their last two matches.
She continued: “We had watched Brighton during our sessions and we knew that they were dangerous on the counter-attack and they would look for a quick transition. I felt, defensively, we dealt with that really well and we were able to limit their chances.
“It was always going to take time and there’s still a lot of development to go, but it feels like we’re building some relationships and we’re getting some consistency. It’s a good feeling.”
West Ham’s WSL campaign in 2018 will come to an end next Sunday with a test away to Yeovil Town Ladies.
The Hammers have already played Yeovil this season, securing a 2-1 home win at the end of September, and Ross is eager to end the year with another victory on the road.
Ross added: “We’ve already played Yeovil this season so it will be the first time we’ve come up against a team we’ve already faced. We know what challenges they possess.
“For us, it will be a matter of getting our game plan right, and playing at our best.”