There was no brighter smile at Bescot Stadium than the one on Emma Snerle’s face on Saturday afternoon.
The 21-year-old midfielder had waited a long time to touch a blade of grass in a competitive outing for West Ham United Women, having spent five months on the treatment table with a foot injury.
It’s been a long road to recovery for Snerle, which has often seen her working away from the main training group at Chadwell Heath, the women’s team’s training base.
But that hard-work and application came to fruition on Saturday, when she replaced Honoka Hayashi on 58 minutes to make her comeback.
“I'm just really happy to be back with the team and I really enjoyed being back out there,” Snerle told whufc.com
“It’s been a lot of hard work to get to this point where I was able to get back onto the pitch, and it’s been a much longer journey than we expected, but I’m thankful I’ve been able to do so.
“I’ve had so many ups and downs along the way, but I’m out of the other side now and looking forward to getting myself back fit and ready to play 90 minutes again.”
Injury often means solitude for players, particularly when an injury is sustained over the off-season whilst the rest of the side are away. However, with Lucy Parker also sustaining an injury at a similar time, which meant that the pair spent time together during their rehabilitation process.
Snerle thanked Parker for her support, as well as the team’s former Head of Medical Elena Jobson, who departed in September, and Sports Therapist, Jackson Bradley, who has worked hard to get the midfielder back out on the grass.
“It’s the longest amount of time that I’ve had out since I started playing – hopefully it’s the longest one that I’ll ever have!
“It’s been tough, more mentally so than physically because I haven’t really been in a lot of pain. But I’ve also had a lot of really good people around me throughout my rehab process.
“Lucy and I got injured at a similar point last season, so we’ve been in being treated together through the off-season and during pre-season. It was nice to have a player with you who understands what you’re going through.
“Jacko (Jackson Bradley) and EJ (Elena Jobson) in our medical department have also been a massive help, both of them have been very supportive and have helped me through.
“It’s been important to have these people around me because I’m far away from home and from my family, so I can’t thank them enough.”
The Hammers were under significant pressure from Aston Villa in the second half as the home side looked to try and get back into the game, which limited the amount of time Snerle could get on the ball.
However, she showed glimpses of quality throughout, and worked incredibly hard, alongside the rest of her team-mates to make sure that the Villans couldn’t get any points from the game.
“It was a little bit of a crazy game to come back to, we didn’t have a lot of the ball in the second half, and it was a case of just grinding out the result.
“I was just happy to get my first minutes under my belt to be honest, and I was also proud of how the team defended in the closing stages, it’s a big three points against a good team.”
Snerle could be in line for her first start of the when Reading visit Chigwell Construction Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The Denmark international last started for the Hammers in a 2-0 victory over Reading way back in April, where she also scored her first goal for the Club.
And Snerle hopes to be able to help the team in what will be another tough match in the WSL.
“We will respect Reading, but we also know that we have the quality within the squad to beat them.
“I can remember scoring my first goal against them in April, which was my last game before I got injured, so I hope to get back on the pitch again for this game and gets some more minutes.
“My aim is to just get regular minutes, to continue building up my fitness and help the team as much as I can. I'd love to get more minutes against Reading.
"I’m really enjoying my time here with West Ham – it’s been a good start to the season and hopefully we can continue that and pick up a further three points on Sunday," Snerle concluded.
West Ham United Women face Reading at Chigwell Construction Stadium on Sunday 23 October, with tickets for Adults starting from £13 and for £5 for Juniors.
