HASHTAG United Women finally return to Park Lane on Sunday afternoon as they welcome Actonians to Canvey Island with high hopes of making it two wins from two in their bid to cement their place as one of the FA WNL Division One South East title favourites.

After seeing their maiden campaign following the merger between Spencer Owen’s one-of-a-kind football club and the former AFC Basildon cut to just five league games, the Tags have not played in front of their own supporters since an impressive win over Cambridge City on December 13th last year.

Coincidentally, the Tags opened their 2021/22 campaign against the same opposition last Sunday, registering a 3-1 victory in Cambridgeshire as two expertly taken finishes sandwiched a debut strike from the impressive Sasha Adamson.

A summer signing from last season’s title winners Ipswich Town, the new Tags #12 has declared herself thrilled to have joined a club “that is going in the right direction with the right people” and cannot hide her excitement ahead of making her home bow.

She says: ”I am really excited to get to play in front of our fans and play our first home game of the season!

“I have already been welcomed in by the supporters online but I’m really looking forward to seeing as many of them as possible on Sunday. Hopefully we can put on a good performance to welcome the fans back - and maybe I can grab another goal to say thanks for their support already!

Despite eight months without competitive football, it has been a busy summer for manager Jason Stephens.

The Tags have strengthened their squad with the likes of Emma Samways, Malika Apindia, and Ellie Finneran - who scored her way into the team by becoming the first women’s champion of the club’s immensely popular Hashtag Academy series earlier this summer - to assemble an outfit that will be hoping to go one better than its second-place finish last term.

Adamson has quickly settled in at the Tags, confirming that she already feels at home with a set of players that she identifies as her “best assets” on the pitch.

And she is eager to continue her fine start as the team looks to build on its opening day win with the type of performance that can fire a warning shot to the division’s other title hopefuls. Speaking about her new side’s chances of emulating the success of her former club, she states: “I feel like it’s a realistic target that we have set as a team.

“We have the talent and ability, so what’s really important is we go out there and focus on our strengths and take it game by game. If we do that, the promotion will take care of itself.”

The Tags will be hoping that last Sunday’s volley will prompt a rich vein of form from the summer signing, not least because they have already lost one regular source of goals for the foreseeable future in the form of Holly Turner, who sustained an ACL injury during the pre-season schedule.

However, three opening day goals would suggest that the Tags still boast the firepower to break through disciplined and resolute defences. Adamson says “we have a really deep squad with lots of talent - there’s competition for places all across the pitch” and is confident in the team’s ability to enjoy a productive season.

Looking back on last weekend’s opener, she adds: “We didn’t play our best game, but it was a really productive day out. We dominated possession and were the better team, but they were very defensive and had a solid game plan - I think the timing of our goals were really critical in killing off the game.”

Indeed, the Tags had to show patience en route to their opening day victory, waiting until the second half before breaking the deadlock. It might not be the last time that they encounter a defence-minded opponent over the coming months either, particularly after scoring at a regular rate throughout a pre-season fixture list composed chiefly of team’s from the division above.

Nonetheless, Adamson believes that her side is ready for any type of challenge, and hopes to play an instrumental role in its bid for honours.

She concludes: “I’d love to chip in with assists, goals, and crunching tackles consistently throughout the season. Already in a short time this team has helped to boost my confidence and make me feel at home so I just want to work as hard as possible to give back as much as I can.

“As a team, the big goal is that promotion. It would be great to have a couple of good cup runs too, with a nice trophy at the end of at least one!”

The club’s first home game of 2021 kicks off at 2 pm with tickets priced £5 (£3/£1 concessions). Alternatively, Hashtag United members can watch the match streamed online via the club’s official YouTube channel.