Becky Spencer is expecting Sunday to be a big challenge for herself and her West Ham side this Sunday as her former club, Chelsea, travel to Rush Green.
With Chelsea having a disappointing start to the season, Spencer gave her thoughts on her former club’s start to the campaign and what she is expecting from them on Sunday.
Spencer said: “It’s not been the greatest of starts for Chelsea, but I do think every team goes through that phase at some point in a season. I have no doubt that they will still be challenging at the top of the table.
“They have a quality squad and I’m expecting them to put on a really tough test for us on Sunday. I think we will need to stay strong and focus on ourselves in this game. Whoever plays for them will do a good job, so we will need to be at our best to take something from the game.”
Despite playing in a very successful Chelsea team that won the domestic double last season, Spencer made the decision to pursue first team football with the Irons.
Spencer told whufc.com: “I had no problems at Chelsea, but there were three very strong goalkeepers there. Training stimulated me a lot but playing time was difficult to get. It came down to playing and I’m at the age now where I need to be playing on a weekly basis.
“I’m not saying coming to West Ham was a guarantee of that. I knew it was still going to be a challenge, but it was my best opportunity to move on and try to get that. I wasn’t interested in a loan. I wanted to be somewhere full-time where I could fight for the No1 spot.”
The goalkeeper added: “It’s been enjoyable so far this season. It’s been about finding our feet a bit, with us being a new team and everyone trying to get to know each other. We knew it would take a few months to fully gel together. In recent games, I think it’s starting to show on the pitch that we are all getting on off of it. It’s been easier than I thought it would be.
“We have a really good group of girls here and everyone seems to get on really well, so in that aspect things have been quite easy. On the pitch, it’s perhaps taken a little bit of time. People have come from different cultures, different countries and know different styles of play. It’s a real mixed bag but it’s a good one too. There’s a lot of experience in this team and we’re all enjoying the journey.”
You can read more from Spencer by purchasing a copy of this weekend’s match-day programme at the game on Sunday