WOMEN'S WEEKLY

Resilience, that's what showed through for the Ladies this week, as they travelled to face a tough Leeds team on the back of a 4-0 defeat at the hands of Everton.

That resilience and character carried the side to a 2-0 away win, placing us back in second place of the league, fully in the running for the title, only two points behind Arsenal.

England's strike-force of Eniola Aluko and Lianne Sanderson proved too much for the hosts, as the Blues scored in each half, securing Chelsea's seventh win of the 2008/09 campaign.

'This win was so important for us for a number of reasons,' said Lorrie Fair, Chelsea Ladies' assistant coach.

'It's easy to slip into a downward spiral after a blow to the team's confidence. It's much more difficult to pick yourselves up and play well, and that is what we did.

'Holding Leeds goalless makes an even stronger statement about where this team wants to end up,' added Fair.

But, despite second place, the Ladies need to keep a watch for complacency, as league-leaders Arsenal have a game in hand, while third place Everton have two, and are only one point behind the Blues.

So, although the season is still relatively young, the Ladies need to keep on top of their game and perform in every fixture if there is any chance of competing for the top-spot.

However, the Ladies should be able to ride any confidence the side currently possess and still endeavour to enjoy the football. And this weekend will see the Ladies line-up against a Fulham side who were defeated 5-0 earlier in the season on their home turf.

But with Sunday's fixture taking place at Imber Court, any attending fans could see a goal-fest unfold.

Currently 11th in the league, with a mere three points from eight games, Fulham do not threaten Chelsea's league status, although they could scupper the Ladies' winning mind-set ahead of the following fixture against Watford.

And two wins in the upcoming fixtures will be vital for more than just our league position.

With three players heading to Chile for the Under 20s World Cup, the majority of November's games and the first of December's have been postponed, meaning the Ladies do not have any competitive fixtures for over a month.

It is essential the Ladies embark on this break with a few wins behind them, if not only for psychological comfort, because any momentum the team may have will have dispersed by the time they return to competitive football.

Katie Owen, Clare Rafferty and Danni Buet will head abroad to represent their country in the World Cup, and should return more experienced for it, and able to rally the side straight back into the thick of things.

While those three are away on Under 20s duty, Sophie Perry, Lizzie Edwards, Georgie Giddings, Sokara Goodhall and Dunia Susi will all head to an England Under 23 training camp in preparation for next August's European Championship in Finland.

For more information on the women's team visit the Chelsea Ladies section of the website.