Rehanne Skinner is hoping her players will be able to deliver Hammers supporters an early Christmas present and a much needed three points as they prepare to face Liverpool on Sunday.

West Ham return to Dagenham on Sunday in their first home game in close to a month. The Hammers will be looking for a positive response after their 2-1 defeat to Manchester United last time out. Rehanne Skinner acknowledged the importance of producing a strong performance in front of the home supporters against a Liverpool side juggling a quick turnaround in fixtures.

Speaking to the media ahead of the game, Skinner discussed her team’s approach to their final WSL game before the winter break, the attacking threat within her squad, and the challenge she expects Liverpool will present.

For the Hammers boss, the emphasis is on the squad executing their roles well and capitalising on the boost of playing at home. “The biggest thing for us is we’ve just got to figure out our own gameplan and being effective in our own jobs. Being at home, that’s a massive plus for us as well. We want to make sure we give our fans a home league win before the Christmas break.” said Skinner to the clubs Official Website.

Skinner praised Shekiera Martinez for her exceptional equaliser against Manchester United, the German forward is in great form of late with three goals in her last three WSL matches. She described how those moments of individual brilliance can give the group a lift going into a big game like this weekend. “We all love a goal like that. That’s obviously a huge positive and definitely a confidence boost. It’s just about being in the right place at the right time and I think we do that a lot.”

Attention then turned towards the wider attacking options at her disposal, with Skinner stressing the need for the Hammers to take full advantage of chances when they arise. “We’ve got Vivi (Asseyi) and Riko (Ueki), who have been very productive in that department in the past as well, and other people across the picth who have scored set plays. We just need to be able to take those opportunities when they arise on Sunday.” the Hammers boss told reporters.

Looking ahead to the WSL’s winter break, the Hammers boss reflected on the benefits of stepping away from the game and resetting in what is a long campaign. “I think the break is often a good thing. I think we responded brilliantly after the break in October, and then we’ve had  another international break and played well against Manchester United. I think it is healthy to get away from  it for a bit sometimes.”