The Blues take on Tottenham away on Wednesday evening, knowing a win in this game in hand would move Chelsea back to the top of the table - level on points with Manchester City ahead of Saturday's final round of fixtures. We currently have a goal difference superior by +1.

We are in this healthy position thanks to an 8-0 win over Bristol City last time out, on the day City dropped three points.

‘I hope we build on the Bristol game,’ Hayes said at her Tuesday afternoon media conference.

‘There were so many things I saw in that game that I'm wanting to see from the team. They delivered, so the challenge is to do it again. But we enjoy being in this position.

‘For those of us who have won titles, we know how hard it is so I'm happy to be in the position we're in. We've got two tough games but I’m looking forward to enjoying them.

‘It feels this is the longest period we've gone without a game,’ our manager pointed out. ‘That's quite rare for us. We've had a good training week and we're always grateful for the opportunities to train, and we're ready.’

Hayes confirmed that Jelena Cankovic and Mayra Ramirez are still out with the injuries that have prevented them from playing recently, and having only had one training session in the past 18 days due to a foot problem, Lauren James will again be missing tomorrow.

One player who is available is 20-year-old Aggie Beever-Jones who earlier in the day received her first call-up for the England squad. Two of her 13 goals in this breakthrough season came in that big win against Bristol City.

‘I’m proud that a club like ours wants to develop players,’ declared Hayes. ‘She's been with us since she was eight, she been on a journey and gone on loan to different clubs. Now she has come back here and the effort she put in for the shirt in that Bristol game was unbelievable. She set the tone for the team from the front and it [the Lionesses selection] is no more than she deserves.

‘She's in this position on merit. She's in the squad here at Chelsea with world-class players and she's competing week in week out. She's a really warm character, really likeable, but she's really resilient.

‘She's always asking what she needs to do to get better but she has the goal threat. You can't teach that. She's got a goal threat anywhere around the box, whether she plays at the sides or down the middle. I spoke to her this morning and I don't think she can quite believe it. She's chuffed and so are we because there's nothing better than one of your own making it.’