It’s been a frustrating 2022/23 season so far for West Ham United Women’s midfielder Emma Snerle.
The 21-year-old Denmark international has been at the Club for over a year now, having signed from Fortuna Hjørring in her native country on 6 January 2022.
Having made eight appearances in Claret & Blue last season, Snerle had shown promise in her early outings, which was highlighted by her goal against Reading in the Barclays Women's Super League back in April.
But that match against the Royals would prove to be her final start for the Hammers in 2022, with the midfielder subsequently ruled out for the rest of the season, and the upcoming pre-season.
Snerle was finally back out on the pitch in October, as she came off the bench to help Paul Konchesky’s side beat Aston Villa 2-1 at Bescot Stadium, but another setback would follow, causing further frustration for the young midfielder.
Her appearance from the bench against Manchester City last weekend will hopefully be the final step in her long journey back to first-team action. She now hopes to be able to turn the page on this chapter of her career and get back out on the pitch on a more consistent basis as the Hammers enter the second half of the season.
“I’ve really enjoyed being back out there after such a long time on the treatment table,” Snerle told whufc.com.
“It’s been tough mentally to come back after another setback, but it’s a relief to be back out there.
“Hopefully I won’t have any further setbacks this year and I can really start my season and help the team.”
Snerle entered the fray against Manchester City in the 55th minute and caused issues for Gareth Taylor’s backline with a number of attacking runs - but she couldn’t help the team to get back into the game as they fell to a narrow 1-0 defeat.
“It’s frustrating that we did concede and couldn’t hold out in the game,” she admitted. “I’m really proud of my teammates though, because I think we did enough to get something from the game.
“We were brave on the ball and had a couple of really good opportunities, we just couldn’t put the ball in the back of the net.”
Snerle and her teammates now switch focus to their final Continental Tyres League Cup group stage game against Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday 18 January.
The Hammers need to avoid defeat to make sure they advance to the knockout stages, setting up a tie with either Manchester City, Liverpool or Leicester City in the quarter-final.
And Snerle is hoping that the team can advance without issues at Broadfield Stadium on Wednesday evening.
“It’s all in our own hands going into the final group game, and we all want to do well in the cup competitions this season.
“It’s a really big opportunity for us, and we don’t want to waste it,” she concluded.
