After 314 days on the sidelines with an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury – that she suffered on international duty with England senior squad – the young defender returned to action earlier this month, coming on as a second half substitute in our FA Cup quarter-final tie at Chelsea.
Now, marking her comeback from the 11-month layoff on the sidelines, Ella is set to be involved in her first home game of the season and to make it even more special, it will be at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – which she described as ‘one of the best’ grounds in football.
Speaking to us as part of an exclusive interview which you can read in full in the matchday programme this weekend, the 23-year-old spoke about her excitement to be back in N17 and wants to put in a special performance for our Lilywhite fanbase.
“It's incredible,” she said, speaking about playing in N17. “I think it's one of the best, if not, the best stadium in football at this current time. I'm really proud that I get to experience that and, as a team, we're always super excited to go and play there.
“We always get a good turnout from the fans, so we want even more to come down because we always say they're like a 12th player for us. With the environment and the excitement around the group every time we play there, we want to go and get a win.”
On the impact that supporters make, Ella added: “It's so important because every action you do, just that bit of noise, it can drive you. Even if you've done a bad touch or something, it helps you get that focus back in. Something I will say about us building our fan base, that's on us as players. We have to go out there and perform to encourage people to want to come back.
“For us, that's our job. We take that really importantly that we want to put on a performance that makes people want to come back, that grows our fan base, and grows Women's Football fan base. So having it at the stadium gives us that opportunity to expand it even more. So, we want to keep doing that.”
With players now back at Hotspur Way after the latest international break, the focus is now on a strong end to the WSL campaign – and there’s still plenty to play for.
Sitting just three points off our best-ever point tally in a single WSL season (32 in achieved in 2021/22), a victory over United would see us match that while it will confirm our spot in fifth ahead of the final two games.
“For the team, we want to record our highest points finish,” Ella said, when asked about what she wants to achieve for the rest of the season. “We want to push to finish as high in the league as we can. It's a stepping stone for us to then build on that for next season.
“For me personally, it's just about getting as many minutes as I can, showcasing myself in training to give myself that opportunity to get more minutes on the pitch. If that comes, I just want to keep building up to my own personal standards and start to feel like the old Ella again.”
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