A serious knee injury kept Kirby out of the latter part of last season and that was followed by an ankle setback at the beginning of the Spring Series, which meant her first action was delayed until the visit to Sunderland on Sunday 21st May.
A fortnight later she had clinched the Golden Boot after netting six times in five matches, only two of which were starts, including the second goal in the 2-0 win over Birmingham City which sealed the title.
‘For me, it’s been a long road, a long journey, and a lot of hard work,’ Kirby told chelseafc.com. ‘I’ve really pushed myself to the limit to make sure I’ve been ready to go on the pitch whenever called upon.
‘Getting over the injury was tough, especially having a setback, but I’ve always tried to remain positive and I’m surrounded by some of the best players in the world – and I mean that off the pitch as well as on it.
‘We’re obviously all delighted to win the trophy, we worked really hard in the off-season and during the campaign itself the girls have all put in a really big shift so this is just the prize at the end of it.’
