Victory over West Ham is dedicated to Mr Pompey Ladies

Portsmouth FC Ladies headed into the 2016-17 season under new manager, Craig Taylor, and his coaching staff, Jay Sadler (assistant), Tom Colwill (S&C coach), Shea Taylor (S&C coach) and Cameron Morrison (development squad manager).

The pre-season was a period where players and managerial staff took the opportunity to develop a rapport which may prove to be vital for success this season.

We saw a shift from military style fitness that players have been exposed to within previous pre-seasons, to training methods and exercises underpinned by sports science.

A few players kept themselves fit by playing beach soccer over the summer period for Portsmouth Ladies Beach Soccer, where they had an amazing opportunity to go to Italy for the Beach Soccer Euros.

Showcasing the technical quality our Portsmouth Ladies players possess, they managed to secure a respectable fifth place in Europe.

This season, with some senior players staying and new players coming in, the club has an opportunity to re-establish themselves under Craig Taylor’s playing philosophy.

We kicked off the season with a 2-0 defeat away to C&K Basildon, due to some defensive lapses in concentration and not taking our chances at the other end of the pitch.

Next was our first home game against West Ham.