As we begin the defence of our Adobe Women’s FA Cup crown against West Ham United this afternoon, in-form forward and one of our own, Aggie Beever-Jones, reflects on hitting the ground running and the importance of hard work in the pursuit of further success.
The 20-year-old, who is an Academy graduate, spent last season on loan with fellow Women’s Super League side Everton. In the summer, she returned to become part of the Blues first-team squad, where she has flourished.
An impressive run of five goals in five games during the first half of the season captured attention. However, Beever-Jones is forever humble. From being a ball girl at Kingsmeadow to scoring goals there for her childhood club, she is determined to continue living the dream.
Today, we return from our mid-season break to enter the FA Cup at the fourth round stage with a London derby against West Ham at Kingsmeadow. The festive period allowed Beever-Jones to recharge the batteries and attempt to summarise her electric start to the season.
‘A bit of shock in that I maybe didn’t expect myself to do as well as I have done,' Beever-Jones said when reflecting on the first half of the campaign. 'I credit a lot of it to my team-mates, as they have to get the ball to me for me to score, but also the staff as well.
‘It’s been really motivating to score for my childhood club and I’m delighted with it. Hopefully, I can keep doing what I’ve been doing and help the team as much as possible.’
Among a collection of fond memories for the young striker is a first Chelsea goal, scored during a 4-2 league victory over Brighton & Hove Albion at Kingsmeadow in October. Beever-Jones takes confidence from the effort she has put in to reach this point and was delighted to get off the mark.
‘I remember getting the nod to come on, I was very nervous. I thought of all the hard work I’d put into playing for Chelsea, and I just wanted to be composed. Sio (Nusken) crossed one and I was able to put it away.
‘It gave me a lot of confidence because I ended up getting five in five! It’s a great memory, particularly doing it at Kingsmeadow, as I remember being a ball girl there not so long ago.’
Looking ahead to our cup tie, it’s an all-WSL affair and Beever-Jones has highlighted the unpredictable nature of the top flight and the magic of the FA Cup. She has also emphasised the desire within the squad to get our trophy defence off to a strong start on.
‘You can see with how the WSL has gone this season, it’s such an unpredictable league, and I don’t think at Chelsea we will ever underestimate a team.
‘It’s just understanding what we need to implement in the game, looking at their weaknesses and how we can exploit them, and having trust in the coaches for them to deliver the game plan and for us to action it on the pitch.
‘We won’t underestimate them and hopefully we get the win and go through to the next round.’