We returned to Kingsmeadow on Sunday evening for our first pre-season outing against Italian champions Roma, a strong opponent who provided a good test as we ran out 3-2 winners in an entertaining encounter.

Goals from Guro Reiten, Lauren James and a last-minute winner from Aggie Beever-Jones sent the Blues faithful home happy. Fans can now look forward to our Women’s Super League opener against Tottenham at Stamford Bridge on Sunday 1 October.

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After the final whistle on Sunday evening, Hayes expressed her delight at seeing our supporters. She also touched on the importance of players getting minutes under their belts with everyone at different stages in their pre-season.

‘It was great, nice to hear our fans and nice to get a run out in front of a crowd,’ Hayes said.

‘We scheduled the minutes for everyone but for us, we just need to get everybody up to a level. Some have been training all pre-season, some just a couple of days so it’s very early on for us.’

Our preparations go up a gear when the squad depart for a training camp in Portugal on Tuesday. This will provide the players and staff with an opportunity to come together both on and off the pitch, and Hayes emphasised the value of uniting the group after the summer break.

‘Pre-season tours like this are critical to bring the team together, especially after a major championship. We want to get everyone back on the same page, back into the Chelsea expectations as they’ve all being playing with different national teams. We then go through the reminders of those expectations both on and off the pitch.

‘The players who have been here know what to expect and then to integrate our new players, get to know them, get to be around them in training and in a social capacity. I’m really looking forward to it and it’s usually where the best things come together.’

We begin the defence of our WSL crown against Tottenham at Stamford Bridge in less than a month now. Hayes says the focus is on preparing in the best way possible for this game and wants to get off to a strong start on the opening day.

‘I’m excited, I want to fill the place out if we can. Let’s make the steps, these players deserve to be playing in front of big crowds. We have an incredible squad going into the season so coming to support is important.

‘For us, I know how the first game has been for the last three or four years so my message will be very clear to the team. We have to start strongly and the last few years we haven’t done that. All of our focus is on getting prepared and getting ready for that game.’