Hugs are back. So, it was no surprise to see Chelsea Women having a long, meaningful huddle on the Kingsmeadow pitch after beating Everton in the FA Cup.
Still coming to terms with Champions League defeat to a superior Barcelona side, the Blues did the league and league cup double, and can turn that into a treble when the final stages of the FA Cup are played in the autumn.
But at the end of this strange, strung-out, fanless season, the last-match huddle is a poignant moment. Not everyone will return after their six-week summer holiday.
Manager Emma Hayes will farm some out on loan (but could bring back Jamie-Lee Napier and Emily Murphy, both on loan at Birmingham City) and is likely to say goodbye to a couple more.
The group that huddled on the final matchday will not be the same as the group that meets up for pre-season training in July.
Dutch defender Aniek Nouwen is joining, and Hayes wants to strengthen her squad further so that the next Champions League final achieves victory.
Fran Kirby – no surprise – was named player of the year and has signed a contract extension until the summer of 2023.
It is the second time she has lifted the trophy – no other player has achieved that – and she collected the large glass ornament before the cup game. "Nothing's possible without surrounding yourself with the best people… and luckily for me I have a whole teamful," she said.
The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and unless specifically stated are not necessarily those of Hammersmith & Fulham Council.
Want to read more news stories like this? Subscribe to our weekly e-news bulletin.
