West Ham United Women vs Reading

she has made six appearances,
scoring in the Hammers’ win over
Leicester City last time out.
She reflected on how her time at
the Club has been since she made
the move south of the border.
“I’ve enjoyed the experience
of being here and playing in
the WSL. I’ve definitely seen
myself improving as a player,
and that was what I wanted –
it’s the best league in the world
at the moment so I knew this
was where I wanted to be.
“I’ve only made the one start
so far since I arrived, but I know
that I need to be patient, continue
to adapt to things here and
then my chances will come.
“I’m so driven in what I want
to do, and the next step for me
is to really push on, and I want
to do that by working as hard
as I can and giving my all every
time I cross the white line.
“I have to make sure that I
continue to remember that
I’m still a very young player
and that there will be plenty of
opportunities as the season goes
along. It’s been a crazy 2022 for
me, and I hope there’s plenty more
opportunities like that to come.”
As was mentioned, Atkinson was
the match winner last time out
for Paul Konchesky’s side, as she
came off the bench to slot home
the winner against the Foxes.
The 21-year-old showed
composure beyond her years
as she danced beyond two
defenders and slotted the ball
past Demi Lambourne as the
game was looking like it was
going to fizzle to a drab close.
Instead, Atkinson’s moment of
brilliance meant that the Hammers
secured their fourth win of the
campaign, moving them up to sixth
in the Barclays Women’s Super
League standing – and Atkinson
was pleased to be able to have
that sort of impact having come
off the bench on 62 minutes.
“There’s no better feeling than
being able to contribute and help
the team win, particularly when
we knew how important it was
to get back to winning ways.
“It was a really tough match, and
to be honest, that’s exactly what
we were expecting from Leicester.
I’ve learnt very quickly that there
are no easy games in the WSL – I’d
even include the Championship
in that because our game against
London City Lionesses in the
Conti Cup was also really tough.
“It’s great to be off the mark
for West Ham, and hopefully
it’s just the start for me here.”
Atkinson will be hoping to
make a similar impact against
Birmingham City – with the Blues
heading to Chigwell Construction
Stadium for the second match
of the Conti Cup group stage.
Birmingham were relegated from
the WSL last season and are aiming
for a return on the stewardship of
former midfielder, Darren Carter.
Whilst they’re hoping to make an
instant return, they will also be
hoping to build on their winning
start in this cup competition. The
Blues beat Brighton & Hove Albion
in their opening game, and they
will know that a positive result
will put them in a good position
heading into the final match.
The Hammers, meanwhile, are
looking for their first three points
in Group C, having picked up two
from their penalty shootout win
over London City Lionesses in
October. Atkinson is hoping that
her side can get the job done
against today’s opposition.
“We’ve got a little bit of
momentum to take into the game
now, which I think will be really
good for us. We know it’s going
to be a tough game, but I think as
a group we’re prepared for that.
“We will have had a full week as
a group going into the match and
I think that will serve us well, it
will give us time to work on things
that we want to work through.
“I’m confident that if we play to
our best, we will get the result that
we want,” Atkinson concluded.
COME ON YOU IRONS 19