We lifted the fourth trophy of Sonia Bompastor’s reign as head coach thanks to a 2-0 win over Man Utd in Bristol on Sunday afternoon, coming out on top in a tough cup final.

James opened the scoring in the first half, ruthlessly punishing a loose touch in the United defence by finding the back of the net with a fierce finish, before Aggie Beever-Jones put the silverware’s destination beyond doubt by extending our lead after the break.

The Blues didn’t have things all our own way, with our opponents showing plenty of threat themselves during the opening 45 minutes, but our victory looked more secure the longer the game went on, leaving James pleased with a good afternoon’s work from herself and her team-mates.

‘It’s amazing,’ she said, holding her Player of the Match award on Ashton Gate pitch after the final whistle.

‘It’s so nice to get a trophy to start off the rest of the season and it’s always nice to get on the score sheet and help the team win.

‘I think it’s just in our DNA. We’ve always found a way to win, whether we play well or not. We always make sure that no matter what, we put up a fight, and we make it hard to beat us.’

James’ goal was the perfect way for her to celebrate signing a new four-year contract with Chelsea, which was announced on Friday.

It was also one of the pivotal moments of the cup final, breaking the deadlock at a time when it looked as though the match was in the balance and the trophy could go either way. But once she was allowed to get free in the box, the outcome and our lead felt inevitable.

‘I just remember winning the ball and thinking all I had in my sights was the goal and to put it away!’ she added.

However, the Chelsea players won’t be dwelling on our latest trophy triumph for long. There are still two months of the season remaining and our next fixture in the Women’s Super League is fast approaching.

James hopes this victory, achieved with some experienced members of the squad missing due to injury, can help us build further momentum going into the business end of our campaign, starting with Wednesday’s game against Brighton & Hove Albion at Kingsmeadow.

‘This was massive but we have we have a squad full of quality and everyone digs in, everyone fills in. It just goes to show what quality everyone has.

‘I think we need to use it as momentum and hopefully we can use this game as another step forward and keep working hard in trying to achieve our dreams.’