Abbey-Leigh Stringer took on a new role against Enfield on Wednesday evening.
The 27-year-old old wore the captain’s armband against the FA Women's National League South East Division One side – leading the team to a 11-2 convincing victory in North London.
The Irons played some fantastic stuff at the Queen Elizabeth II Stadium, including a stunning strike from Yui Hasegawa – her second in as many matches.
For Stringer, it was another solid workout for the team as they prepare for the upcoming Barclays Women’s Super League campaign.
“I feel like as a team we did really well out there today,” Stringer told whufc.com.
“Obviously, we’re up against a team that’s from a couple of divisions below, but you have to beat what’s in front of you, and I think we played well overall.
“We did the right things and overall it’s another good workout and it’s good that some players got a good amount of minutes out there again today.”
You’d have been forgiven for forgetting what the score was at times during the match against the Towners, with the Hammers scoring seven before the break.
And Stringer was pleased to see the link-up play taking shape in front of her, with Alex Hennessy and Claudia Walker in particular linking up well in the final third.
“It’s great that we were able to score so many, but they were also really nice goals. Claud and Alex scored a couple of nice ones that started with some good link up play. I know how hard Claud has been working during the off season so it’s nice to see her starting pre-season well.
“Yui’s (Hasegawa) goal was sensational, she’s a top person and a top footballer. She’s a joy to play with and hopefully we will see more of those types of goals during the season.”
At 27, Stringer is one of the more experienced pros in with the squad – with the Hammers using a number of academy players during pre-season so far.
“The young players are really enthusiastic, they’re good kids and are really eager to learn.
“The more games that they’ve been involved in, the more I’ve seen them grow in confidence – hopefully they get many more opportunities with us across pre-season.”
The midfielder was also delighted to lead the team out, which is something that she hadn’t done previously in her career.
“I’ve had the armband at certain points in game, but I’ve never led the teams for the full 90 minutes – I really enjoyed it.
“I feel like as a player it boosts your game a little bit because you want to take more responsibility. Anyone can be a leader out on the pitch – you don’t need the armband to be a leader on the pitch – but it was a nice moment for me.”
