‘It comes down to fine margins’ – Being clinical key to West Ham progression says Skinner | OneFootball

West Ham United manager Rehanne Skinner says that being clinical in front of the opposition goal can be the difference between occupying a place in the lower reaches of the Barclays Women’s Super League table and progressing towards the top half.

The Hammers put in an indifferent performance in their last match against Manchester City at the weekend. West Ham United were breached on five occasions, however, they created at least five excellent chances themselves but failed to convert any of them.

When speaking to the media ahead of this weekend’s trip to Aston Villa, Skinner highlighted the areas for improvement which will contribute to her side being more successful over the longer term.

“It comes down to fine margins,” Skinner said. “When you look back at the weekend [against Manchester City], the difference between where we are at and where they are is the clear-cut chances; they take theirs and we’ve not taken ours. You could have been in a position where it was five-all actually, Macca [Arnold] has made two good saves as well. Ultimately, those are the things that have a significant impact in the game.

“When it comes down to it, those are the bits that change the landscape on you moving up the table, moving closer to the next group of teams. The other thing for me is squad depth is key. When you look at the players that are being replaced in the top four teams, there is a significant amount of experience coming off the bench as well as what’s starting the game. That has a massive impact over the course of a season and the longevity of a team’s ability to perform week in, week out.”

After starting the season with a real lack of experience in their ranks, West Ham United added a number of quality professionals to their squad in January. Skinner went on to say that The Hammers remain a work-in-progress and that they still need to recruit in certain areas in the summer.

She said “With the injuries that we’ve picked up, we are light on the ground again going into the end of the season. It’s unfortunate but it’s part of the game. When we get everyone back fit, that puts us into a different position.

“I think there are still a few missing pieces of the jigsaw but having only had one proper transfer window, it was always going to be the case.

“To be in this league, you need players with the right character, resilience and talent. If you’re in this league, you’re already talented but it’s the other pieces that add the value to your ability to be consistent in performance and delivery. Across the board, the squad has been incredibly young from the start and we want to gain experience for players. We need to have players that understand what that takes to go about the game and quality of the league.

“We need to add more in that sense going into next season and I think that will help us to bridge the gap a little bit further.”

West Ham United’s next Barclays Women’s Super League fixture at Aston Villa kicks-off at 2pm on Sunday afternoon.