Anouk Denton has called on West Ham to hit the ground running in their Women’s Super League opener against Tottenham Hotspur.
The Irons face a tough start to the new campaign, with a London derby closely followed by games against three of last season’s top six in Arsenal, Brighton and Chelsea.
As the club aims to improve on last season’s ninth-place finish, Denton believes it is vital to set the right tone by replicating the strong performances the side produced in the second half of that campaign.
‘If we can get some wins then the momentum will come’
“We need to definitely continue on from how we finished last season,” said the West Ham defender. “It’s about building momentum because, once we started getting wins, they kept coming.
“If we can start the season strong and get some wins then the momentum will come.
“Everyone knows that it’s a big derby against Tottenham in the first game. Every player will be up for that game, even the new players who haven’t experienced it before.”
West Ham earned draws against Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United in the final weeks of last season.
Rehanne Skinner’s side also defeated Tottenham and put seven past Crystal Palace, and Denton insists they will enter the new campaign confident that they can get a result against any team in the division.
‘We showed last year that we can get points against the top teams’
“Every game is a game that you can get points from,” she said. “Even against the top teams, we go into those games wanting three points, and we showed last year that we can get points against the top teams.”
The club has since been further bolstered by a number of summer signings including England under-23 midfielder Sarah Brasero, who joined from Estoril, and Wales international Ffion Morgan.
Japan international Yu Endo signed for West Ham earlier this month from WE League side Urawa Reds, while Republic of Ireland international Jess Ziu recently returned to the fold after almost a year on the sidelines with an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
West Ham begin their campaign against Tottenham at the BetWright Stadium at midday on Sunday 7 September. Five days later they will entertain Arsenal in their opening home game.
