West Ham United Ladies assistant manager Josh Ewens believes adaptability will prove to be the crucial attribute in this Sunday’s FAWPL Cup match with Chichester City.
The Ladies secured their first win of the new season last weekend in a 4-3 thriller against Cardiff City and will now focus their attention on their Determining Round fixture with Chichester.
The West Sussex side are yet to claim a win in the FAWPL Southern Premier this campaign but Ewens is aware that Chichester will be a significant challenge for the West Ham Ladies to overcome.
And the coach reckons Chichester City will prove a good test for his side’s ability to react on the field as the game develops.
“I think Chichester will be a tough test," Ewens told whufc.com. “I think it depends on how they set up, and then it will be about how our players respond to the challenges Chichester pose us.
“No matter how they decide to play our training will hopefully have prepared our players to react appropriately and resolve those problems on the pitch in real time. As long as we continue with what we’ve been doing we should be okay.”
The match with Chichester City Ladies is the first step on the path of a season-long journey to the final.
No matter how they decide to play our training will hopefully have prepared our players to react appropriately and resolve those problems on the pitch in real time.
Josh Ewens
Last campaign the West Ham United Ladies were eliminated at this stage of the competition by eventual winners Tottenham Hotspur, and Ewens is targeting a much better push this season.
The assistant manager also wants to see continued progression in the level of performance and believes winning the right way is also vital for the team.
Ewens, when asked about the Ladies’ aims for this cup competition, responded: “We want to do as well as we can. Like everything we will go in with the view of playing as well as we can and hopefully going all the way and winning it, but we want to do that in our way and in the right way.
“As well as that it’s another game to try and play the way we want to play. Hopefully we get a result as well as a good performance. The performance isn’t necessarily more important than a win but what I will say is how much we win in the future will be dependent on the level of performance.”
Ewens was also keen to offer praise the other members of the Ladies coaching team, who have dedicated their time and efforts to making the West Ham United side a better outfit.
“There’s definitely a good feeling in the camp but there’s lots to work on, lots to improve on and we’re all looking forward to Sunday’s game.
“We’ve got some really good and dedicated staff here. Whether it’s a win or a loss we all work incredibly hard. Greg de Carnys, Karen Ray, Myles Smith, Dan Blewett, Cav Francis-King and Neo Charalambous all deserve credit for what they’re doing with the team.
“We are all working incredibly hard to ensure that performances continue to improve and I think we will start to see that transferring into regular positive results."