Having lived in east London her whole life, moving away from home to go on loan will have been a daunting thought for West Ham United women's team's Keira Flannery. But she took it all in her stride, and gained experiences that will stand her in good stead for the rest of her career.
After spending the second half of the 2023/24 campaign on loan at Reading, the 19-year-old lifelong Hammer, who joined the Club in July 2022, signed for Sunderland on a season-long loan last summer.
The midfielder had previously made her West Ham debut against Chelsea at just 17, in September 2022, before penning her first professional contract in January 2024 ahead of embarking on her move to the North East.
During her time with the Lasses, Flannery, who joined the Black Cats alongside fellow Hammer Jessie Stapleton, made 17 appearances in all competitions, helping her team finish seventh in the Barclays Women's Championship standings.
“It was really enjoyable,” she reflected. “I learned a lot on and off the pitch. It was a really good life experience as well, moving away from home.
“I learned a lot from the coaches and the girls at Sunderland, and had a lot of good experiences up there.
“I think I learned a lot about the different styles of play, trying to implement different gameplans, and learning from different coaches. I’ve always loved picking things up from multiple coaches, and I’ve done that throughout the time I’ve been playing. That’s been a really enjoyable process.
“I’ve always been in east London, always lived here, so it was different, but a really good life experience, just to go and experience new things - and you couldn’t really get much further away!”
Sunderland boss Melanie Reay clearly trusted Flannery, as she played all of Sunderland’s Adobe Women’s FA Cup quarter-final away at Manchester United in March. The Black Cats were within touching distance of their opponents for the majority of the contest, but a 91st-minute goal from Ella Toone put the game to bed, as the hosts secured a 3-1 victory.
Just two weeks later, Flannery was stepping out at St James’ Park in front of a record league attendance of 38,502 in a Tyne-Wear derby against Newcastle United. While the result was not the one her nor Stapleton were desiring, a 1-0 loss, it again provided Flannery with a pinch-me moment.
“I think it’s got to be up there with one of the best [moments of my career so far],” she said. “It’s a big derby up there and I took that into my own. We wanted to win, obviously we didn’t get the result, but the experience as a whole, the way the team worked, I can’t fault it.
“[The FA Cup game against Manchester United] was a really good experience and I took a lot away from it. Obviously we were probably under the cosh for a lot of the game, and they put on a lot of pressure, but I think as a team we handled it really well.
"I think we took a lot from that game and tried to implement certain things that they did into our game as well. They’re experiences I’ll take with me for the rest of my career.
"It was what I needed, it was really enjoyable to go and play, and get a lot of minutes."
