After a successful season last year which saw the Golden Girls finish second, the players are back in training aiming for another impressive performance in the upcoming campaign.

With the change in league set up, Watford Ladies haven’t played a competitive game in almost nine months. A number of the players went out on loan in order to get some football under their belts and keep up fitness levels.

Regular first teamers, Chloe Gunn and Sarah Wiltshire, headed to Chesham and Cardiff respectively during the long break but are now both delighted to be back in training with Watford.

When asked about the return, Gunn said: "It’s great to get all the girls back together and just start preparing for the Super League.

"We’ve been waiting for so long to get back into it and now it’s finally happening. We’re starting to put all these plans into action that we’ve been doing for so many months now, it’s just all coming together."

Wiltshire said: "It’s really good to get back with all the girls again and just to get back into it.

"I was on loan to Cardiff so I did play some football but it was a long time not to have any Watford stuff going on. It has been good to come back into it and see everyone and start our season really."

While the league campaign is still a few months away, Watford will be back in competitive action on February 16 as they travel to either C&K Basildon or West Ham in the third round of the FA Women’s Cup.

With less than two weeks until the opening match, the preparation is ramping up.

Welsh international Wiltshire said: "We’ve been doing quite a bit of fitness work to get our fitness levels higher. This week we start training three times a week.

"We have played an internal game between first team and reserves, a friendly against Brighton and hopefully will have another couple of friendlies on Sunday and midweek before we go into our FA Cup game."

Gunn said: "I think we’ve got an opportunity of doing really well in this league. I’m looking forward to it, I think teams will underestimate us but I think that we’re going to do really well."

Wiltshire also added: "We did really well last season and we’ve kept pretty much all of the players and a couple of new girls.

"We’re looking to build on last season and just keep going as we have got a young but very good team."