The Blues performed well and consistently during the first half of the campaign and went into 2023 sitting atop the Women's Super League table and leading the way in our UEFA Women's Champions League group.

After some much-deserved time off during the festive period, the players reconvened and undertook a warm-weather training camp in Morocco last week.

That was an opportunity for Hayes to prepare the players for the months ahead, not that any had let standards drop during their time away.

‘Anyone who plays for this badge and plays for me knows you don’t down tools for one minute,’ explained Hayes.

‘Chelsea Football Club deserves everything we can possibly give them. This group of players are tremendous characters and it’s not in their nature. I look forward to pushing again as they look forward to finding the next levels.

‘For once, the players got a proper Christmas break. For teams like Chelsea, for sure these are needed off the back of three consecutive major championships. It’s about player welfare and the players have really benefited from it.

‘The players have been working hard [over the winter] and kept themselves in good shape. Our focus now is just on getting ready for the game at the weekend.’

Hayes will be unable to call upon Sam Kerr for this weekend's FA Cup clash after the Australian international sadly suffered an ACL injury in Morocco.

Club captain Millie Bright is also not expected to feature against Hammers as she continues her recovery from a knee issue of her own.

‘She’s in rehab at the minute and working hard on that,’ Hayes explained. ‘I can’t give a timeline for a return as I’ve said many times over. She’s in good spirits and she’ll be back as soon as she humanly possibly can make it back.

‘I’m sure she’d put her boots on today if I asked. We just need to get it right for Millie’s long-term future.’