Like the rest of West Ham United’s women’s team, Katie O’Hanlon returned to Chadwell Heath for pre-season training on Monday 21 July. The only difference is, this time she’s a professional.
The young goalkeeper, who progressed through West Ham’s Professional Game Academy, penned her first professional contract with the Club over the summer after loan spells at Hashtag United and Billericay Town over the past two seasons.
Momentous occasions were the theme of the summer for O’Hanlon, as her signing day followed her 21st birthday and the news that she’d achieved a First-Class Honours degree in Sports Coaching and Performance from the University of east London.
Cue the celebrations.
“We got an Airbnb in Frinton and it was unbelievable!” she said. “It was my Mum's idea, I can't take any credit!
“It had a pool table, a PlayStation 5, everything you can think of. It had a big garden and it was right by the sea! So we all just stayed together and had takeaways.
“That was perfect for me, and a celebration for all three achievements. That's the way I wanted to do it, have my family and close friends with me.
“It's a really boring answer, but it (turning professional) doesn't feel any different, which I think is a good thing, personally. I've not got too carried away with it or too ahead of myself. I'm very aware of my position and my role, and for me that's not too different.”
So, O’Hanlon and her side have returned for pre-season, hoping to build on last term’s record-breaking endeavors in east London that saw the Irons record the most home Barclays Women’s Super League wins and points in a single season in the Club’s history.
Building on last season has been the message from manager Rehanne Skinner so far this summer, and O’Hanlon has been impressed by the levels her team have shown in training at Chadwell Heath.
“I think as a group we've come back a lot sharper than the season before, to be honest with you,” she said.
“I think we're looking quite good and ahead of where we thought we might be at this time. We're starting to introduce all the right things now, so we've just got to keep going with it.
“I can only speak for myself, but when players first come back, the first couple of balls you catch are a bit all over the place. But it just seemed like that teething stage was a little bit shorter, which allows us to push on more with what we want to do - technical and tactical work.
“We want to obviously pick up where we left off, but at the same time, [we’re thinking about] how much further we can take that this season. Not just in terms of points and places in the table, but everything that makes that. That is in the forefront of our minds, even at this early stage.
“Everyone's clear on the role they have to do, the target that we're going for as a group and as a Club.”
The hard yards that Skinner’s side are putting in are to gear up for the big kick-off away at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday 7 September - the opening weekend of the WSL season, which precedes another London derby, at home to Arsenal, on Friday 12 September.
It’s safe to say the opening two fixtures have provided Hammers fans with a lot to be excited about.
“It's a good one (opening fixture),” said O’Hanlon. “Those games are good for the fans. It's good for us as well. We're driven every game, but everyone wants to beat Spurs. We're happy, but again, we're just working towards it bit by bit.”
AI Asks... Katie O'Hanlon
If you weren’t a goalkeeper, what position would you never want to play and why?
“A position with a lot of running! So maybe left wing-back or right wing-back?”
Have you ever made a save that was so good, you even surprised yourself?
“Don’t get me wrong, there are times where I’ve made saves and I’ve thought ‘I don’t know how I’ve done that’, or ‘How have I got away with that?’, but pinpointing one is quite hard. I have felt that though!
“You have to play it off, you can’t celebrate a save! Unless it’s in the World Cup final in the last minute. But in a normal game, you can’t just be celebrating a save.”
Who takes the longest to get ready in the West Ham dressing room - and would they admit it?
“I’m not sure, I think we’re all pretty timely, we’re never just waiting for one person. We’re quite good with our timings.”
If you could swap lives with any goalkeeper past or present for one match, who would it be?
“Emi Martínez, when he made that save in the 2022 World Cup final. I’d love to know what that felt like for him! He won the Golden Glove as well in that tournament.
“That’s what came to my mind first, because he’s got a tattoo of the exact spot the ball hit him on his leg, so it must’ve meant a lot to him. That’s a save you can celebrate!”
What’s one completely random skill you have that no-one on the team knows about?
“I can solve a Rubik's Cube in under three minutes. I learned to do it when I was really young. My Mum wasn’t keen on me on my iPad. You know, when you see kids on their iPads at restaurants. So we’d always be drawing or doing puzzles, and I learned to do the Rubik's Cube to have something to do when we’d go out for the night!
“I was a lot quicker when I was younger, I used to be able to do it in under two minutes.”
What’s scarier? Facing a penalty, or forgetting your gloves?
“Forgetting your gloves. I’ve never done it before, but coming through academies, I used to carry three pairs of gloves in my match bag, and I’ve had to hand out a spare pair of gloves a couple of times.”
What’s the most ridiculous superstition you’ve ever witnessed or tried yourself?
“I haven’t seen any crazy ones to be honest, but if I’ve played a bad game, I will go as far as to not wear those gloves again - but it has to be a really bad game.
“It’s the same when I’m watching football. When I watched the men’s Euros last summer, we put loads of flags outside of the house, but England lost in the final. My Mum was going to do it in the Lionesses’ final, but I said ‘Don’t! Because that’s the reason we lost last time!’.”
What’s one piece of advice you wish you could give your younger self when you first started playing football?
“To be patient. I was patient, but Michelle Agyemang said something on the TV the other day. She said everyone progresses at different rates, and that’s completely normal.”
If your gloves could talk, what would they say after a tough match?
“Probably ‘Ouch, that hurt’, or, ‘I need a wash!’. Something like that!”
What’s one thing fans would be surprised to learn about life as a goalkeeper?
“One thing my friends and family can’t get their heads around is from a corner, or a wide free-kick, there’s about 18 players running at you, and you’re the only one going the opposite way. It’s not surprising, but it’s just an interesting way to think about it.”
