There’s a power shift in women’s football – we need to take advantage
Things have gone well since my recent return from a knee injury and it’s the best feeling in the world to be back out on the pitch after being out for so long.
Being out injured is tough. I’ve had long-term knee injuries before, so I’ve had a lot of time out. It takes a strong mind to stay on track.
You have to be very disciplined as a lot of the rehabilitation work you do, particularly in the first three or four months, is done alone and can become very tedious.
It takes patience, self belief and the drive to want to come back better and stronger. It’s a huge test of character.
Once you’re past that stage and are able to run, and work with the ball, it gets a bit easier – that’s usually after five to six months.
That stage can still be quite frustrating because you can see light at the end of the tunnel, but it is important to stay focused and listen to coaches and physios so that you avoid any setbacks.
I feel confident about my fitness and am now hoping I can make an impact for the team come the second half of the season.
It was certainly a feisty game against Notts recently and I was a bit taken aback by the aggression of a challenge from Dunia Susi, a former Chelsea team-mate of mine who knows about my past injuries.
But what happens on the pitch stays on the pitch and I have since spoken to her, so there are no hard feelings.
The good thing is that it adds to my confidence, knowing that I’m able to bounce back up after a challenge like that.
There can be some psychological barriers about wanting to go in for hard challenges after such serious injuries, but these can be overcome by proving that you are strong enough to withstand them. If you are hesitant then it can cause more problems.
Away from Chelsea, the manager of Arsenal Ladies, who have been the dominant team in women’s football, stepped down after they won the FA Cup.
That will affect them during the second half of the season – for better or worse, I’m not sure. It will be interesting to see who takes over.
I do think there’s a power shift going on, which is very exciting for other teams like us.
Every team has more quality now, so the playing field is more equal. We want to capitalise on this and become the strongest club in London.
In the meantime, we now have a break in our season and personally I would have liked to keep going as I’ve just got back in the team after being out injured for so long so I was keen to get some form.
But as a team it is a nice chance to be able to come together, reaffirm our gameplan and go over what has been working for us so far and what we need to work on.
The league is very tight and is hard to call, so I think it’s nice to have time to reflect as every point gained from now will vital.
I will try and get away for a few days in the sun but watching the World Cup is a priority. I am so excited and can’t wait to get my flags out and face painted for the matches! I think England will surprise people.
Tickets for all Chelsea Ladies home games at Wheatsheaf Park, Staines, are available on the door priced £3 for children and £5 for adults or viawebticketmanager.com/clfc season tickets are just £30 for adults and £15 for concessions.
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