On Wednesday evening, Lauren James represented Chelsea for the 100th time when she was introduced as a substitute in our Women’s League Cup semi-final victory over Man City on Tuesday night. Afterwards, she explained why she is Chelsea through and through.
James, who was part of the Blues Academy from the age of 10 to when she was 14, rejoined the club in the summer of 2021 and has since gone on to make a century of senior appearances.
As she explained, her career at Chelsea means everything to her, even if she hadn’t yet realised she’d reached the important milestone.
‘I was actually surprised when I got told!’ LJ said after the match. ‘It’s a massive achievement, and I’m proud of it.
‘Chelsea has been my club since I was born, and now I’m living my dream. I’ve lived it 100 times for this club. Hopefully, there are many more appearances to come.’
Now James has a League Cup final to look forward to in March as well as more battles still to come in the Women’s Super League, Women’s Champions League and Women’s FA Cup.
The Chelsea number 10 believes that this team are ready for anything as we move into the business end of the campaign.
‘Another final again, I’m looking forward to it!’ she smiled. ‘The team are looking forward to it, and hopefully we get another trophy.
‘For sure, tonight will be a big confidence boost for us. There’s always belief in the dressing room that we’re more than capable of beating any team; it’s just a matter of making sure we’re on our game on the day because that’s what counts.’
The Blues had to dig in away from home on Wednesday against another top-level team who tested our resolve against a barrage of their second-half attacks.
While James has created plenty of magic moments in a Chelsea shirt, she explained why Wednesday night’s clash was more about pulling together and showing a different skillset.
‘It was probably a weird game at the start,’ she continued. ‘I don’t think either side had got up to fifth gear. But we’re through to the final, and that’s the most important thing.
‘These are the games you’ve got to be patient in; in fact, you’ve got to be patient in all the games. It’s a case of not rushing it and always having the belief that we’re going to score a goal. We managed to do that and keep a clean sheet at the same time.
‘The whole team worked hard for each other, even the ones coming on, including myself. We had to dig deep. When you come on in these types of games, you’ve got to do the hard stuff instead of all the pretty, nice stuff.’