The Chigwell Construction Stadium is swiftly becoming one of the toughest places to go in the Barclay Women’s Super League and that point was only underlined as West Ham earned their first ever home point against Manchester City on Wednesday night. The East London side gave as good as they got across the 90 minutes and were good value for the point.
One of their star performers on the night and indeed this season was Belgian central defender Amber Tysiak who made 11 clearances, blocks and interceptions in a busy night’s work. Tysiak has been a mainstay at the back for the Hammers for two seasons now under Rehanne Skinner and she spoke to The Halfway Line last night after nabbing that valuable point right at the death.
‘We just don’t give up’ says proud Tysiak
When Manchester City’s substitutes combined on Wednesday evening to put the Citizens ahead on Wednesday night it seemed like all of West Ham’s good work had been undone. However the Hammers rallied, and it seemed to surprise the visitors as the Irons earned a late, late point.
Tysiak was asked about why West Ham are such a difficult team to play against at the moment, she replied:
“It’s just the spirit of the team. I think that’s why we’re so strong. We just don’t give up. And especially even Sunday, you just could see at the end, it was very close to 4-4 and a draw. We were close, but we didn’t do it. And now today, we just didn’t give up. And, yeah, I’m really happy that we just could score a goal at the end.”
Chigwell Construction Stadium ‘a fortress’ claims Hammers number five
West Ham have the sixth best home record in the league having already played all of last year’s top three at home. There is clearly confidence flowing through West Ham veins when they play in East London. The fact that they are a team enjoying their football is emphasised by Tysiak signing a new contract with the club that will keep her in East London until 2028.
The Belgian defender told us just why the Chigwell Construction Stadium is such a difficult place for opposition sides to visit, she explained:
“Yeah, I think the fans, just the stadium, the fans, the pitch, I think everything around it’s just like a fortress, I think, at this moment. And yeah, we just so strong at home. The fans pushed us until the end, and that’s just great.”
A bullish Tysiak continued: “Especially at home, we have a lot of home games, so yeah, let the games come.”
‘My first job is defending’ affirms Hammers defender
When the Belgian defender scores, she tends to get a taste for it, her first international goal for Belgium came against Armenia in 2021 and she went onto score a hat-trick. Arsenal found that out the hard way last week after West Ham’s number 5 struck twice against them on Sunday, but it was her defensive prowess that really impressed against Manchester City on Wednesday night.
The Belgian defender has made 10 more blocks this season than the next highest Hammer while she has also made more interceptions in the WSL than any West Ham player. Here at the Halfway Line we just had to ask what’s more satisfying defending or scoring? She smiled:
“Yeah, you know what? Like my first job is defending, and I want to do that as good as possible I can. And then, yeah, if I can score a goal for the team, yeah, that’s great, too. But like, I think, yeah, as a team, your collective so good, and we fight until the end, and that’s what I what I like.”
‘Every game helps me’ to push forward to UEFA EURO 2025 says Tysiak
Tysiak has become a regular in the Belgian set up, playing every minute of their recent play offs to make UEFA EURO 2025. The defender has captained Belgium at youth level and clearly has a big future with the Red Flames. The Halfway Line asked Tysiak how a match like Wednesday night might help her to prepare for the European Championships in the Summer, she thoughtfully replied:
“No, of course. But like, you know what in this league, I think at this moment, every game helps me, like every game is challenging and like it’s pushing me forward. That’s just why I like this, this competition and this league, because, like, every game is a challenge.”
Skinner ‘supports us’ and ‘gives us freedom on the pitch’ hails Tysiak
The Belgian was previously semi-professional plying her trade for Oud-Heverlee while also working as a teacher, but that was before she signed for the Hammers in January 2023. After initially joining her first few months in claret and blue were characterised by injuries and set-backs but Tysiak got through it and once Rehanne Skinner was appointed head coach she has been a mainstay, putting the injury woes of the past behind her.
The Belgian is one of the first names on the team sheet for Skinner and The Halfway Line asked Tysiak what it’s like to play under Skinner, she replied:
“It’s been great. I think you can see also the results. She pushes forward, like, in training, in every game, she help us where she can, she support us, but also, like, she give us freedom on the pitch. And she got like, like, a way of play, and I think you can see you can feel but she also liked that we go as a team and we fight until the end and I think you could see today, we did it and we have a point now.”
Paví brings Hammers ‘something different’ claims Tysiak
When West Ham signed Manuela Paví in the Summer the Colombian could not speak English, Skinner could be heard barking from the sidle lines ‘Manuela aki!’ on a weekly basis. While she is still adjusting the message is clearly getting across and it was her goal that gave West Ham a well deserved point. When asked about her team mate Tysiak was delighted with her Colombian team-mate, she recalled:
“We conceded a goal and we just didn’t give up until the end, and then we could have scored, like, at the end of the of the game. And I think it was a great goal from [Manuela] Paví. So yeah, really delighted.”
She continued to lavish praise upon her team-mate:
“You know what? Like, she brings something different, something we don’t really have, like, it’s a lot of energy, a lot of creativity. So yeah, really happy that she’s here.”
