Programme notesMatt Beard: We've made progress this season - now let's keep going

The Reds return to Barclays Women’s Super League action this afternoon when they take on West Ham United at Prenton Park in a 12pm GMT kick-off.

Beard’s side go into the meeting with the Hammers having endured the disappointment of an Adobe Women’s FA Cup quarter-final loss to Leicester City last time out, but the manager is eager for his players to kick on in the top flight.

Liverpool sit behind fourth-placed Manchester United on goal difference only ahead of this weekend’s fixtures.

And, in his notes for today’s official matchday programme, Beard writes: “The 4-1 win at Aston Villa a couple of weeks ago saw us go past our points tally of last season and that’s really encouraging, particularly with almost a third of the season remaining. We feel that on our day we can beat anyone.

“I know we’ve had a couple of blips along the way but I think the biggest thing in top-level football is finding that consistency week in and week out. We’re not quite there yet but I do think we are getting there.

“We still have plenty to do but I’m pleased with the season that we’ve had so far and we’ll just have to continue to make sure that we pick points up as we want to finish as high up the league table as possible.

“After losing to Leicester in the FA Cup last weekend, our only focus now is the WSL. We’ve got a tough run-in but we’ve also got a lot of good home games to look forward to.

“For now, though, our only focus is on West Ham United and we need to make sure that we win this afternoon.”