West Ham United Women’s 17-year-old midfielder Keira Flannery made only her second ever competitive start for the Club when she accompanied Halle Houssein in central midfield against Wolves on Sunday afternoon.
It was also the first time that the former Arsenal youngster has completed 90 minutes in Claret & Blue, and it was evident at full-time that she was absolutely elated to have done so.
The Irons had to be patient against the third tier outfit, who made life incredibly difficult for Flannery and her teammates for almost 70 minutes – until Dagný Brynjarsdóttir was able to convert from close range, before an own goal from Katie Johnson sealed a 2-0 win.
And Flannery was delighted that she could help the team reach the fifth round of the competition.
“We’re all delighted to be into the fifth round,” she told whufc.com after the full-time whistle at New Bucks Head.
“There’s no better feeling than getting a result in the FA Cup, it’s the best cup in England and you always want to progress as far as you possibly can.
“To be able to make sure that we got the job today and advanced against Wolves was always the aim, and I’m pleased that we’ve been able to do that.
“Wolves were a good side today, so fair play to them. They sat in a low block and made it difficult for us and in the end, but it’s good that we were eventually able to find a way through and book our place in the next round.”
The midfielder joined West Ham United in the summer of 2022, moving to the team that she supports as she looked to be part of the squad and gain minutes when opportunities presented themselves under Paul Konchesky.
And when Flannery laid on an assist for Brynjarsdóttir for the opening goal, she felt like her afternoon was complete.
“There’s nothing better than getting 90 minutes out on the pitch – to be able to play and help the girls out there. We’ve come away with the win, so it’s all really good highs after this result.
“The assist for me topped off a really good day at the office, and I hope I’m able to contribute more as the season goes on. I was shaping up for the shot but I saw Dagny in a better position.
“I know she’s always cool, calm and collected in front of goal, so I thought she was the better option and she proved me right!”
The Hammers have had a compact schedule over recent weeks, which has resulted in them playing the last four matches on the road, racking up over 1,300 miles in the process.
And whilst Flannery admits that the successive away matches have been tough, she believes that the team have come through the games well.
“The away games have taken quite a lot out of us, but we’ve been able to come away with some decent results. Obviously the defeat to Everton is the only really disappointment from that, but overall I think we’ve done well.
“Arsenal will be a really tough game, we know that they have a lot of quality, but we have some time now this week to recoup ready to go again,” she concluded.
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