Sunday’s Barclays FA Women’s Super League opener will be bittersweet for West Ham United’s Martha Thomas.
While the striker was able to mark her Hammers’ debut with a fantastic goal and brilliant all-round performance, she and her Irons teammates were beaten 2-1 by reigning WSL champions Arsenal at Boreham Wood.
While the No9 was delighted with her first showing in Claret and Blue, Thomas admitted a deserved share of the points would have made Sunday’s outing even better.
Thomas said: “I’m pleased with my debut. Obviously the result isn’t what we wanted but, for me individually, it was great to get the goal and it’s a good start to the season.
“We’ve been working on crosses and that sort of finishing in training. I think I can be a threat in the air, and it showed today. I just want to try and get into the right spaces, time my runs, and be a threat. It came off today.
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“As a No9, you want to get the goals, but the most important thing is the team gets goals and gets points. As long as the ball ends up in the net for West Ham, I’m happy.”
Arsenal took a two-goal advantage in the first half and Thomas admits the Hammers did not show their full potential in the opening 45 minutes but is adamant the chances that the Irons created throughout the game are a positive sign of things to come in 2019/20.
“The first half was disappointing,” she continued. “We let them come at us too much and it wasn’t good enough. We came out in the second half and, after I scored, I think we could have won the game.
“We hit the cross-bar twice, and Kenza Dali hit the post. They didn’t know what to do with us really and, a few games down the line, maybe those come off for us.”
Having now made her debut in the Barclays FA WSL, Thomas is eager to learn from the loss to Arsenal and take the positives into next Sunday’s home clash with Birmingham City.
She added: ““To be in the WSL and playing at this level is something I’ve always wanted, and I just want to drive on now I’m here. I got to play at Rush Green in pre-season but that game against Birmingham will be a proper home debut.
“It will be really good to kick on and get three points next weekend, hopefully.”
