GEMMA Shepherd is hopeful she will be a Charlton Athletic women’s team player next season, despite the club not being in the FA Women’s Super League (FAWSL).

Shepherd joined the Addicks from West Ham in the summer and has enjoyed a prolific season, netting 27 goals in 28 appearances.

Her extra-time strike helped Charlton win the London Cup but she feels the season, which will see the Addicks finish no higher than sixth in the FA Women’s Premier League National, has been up and down.

Charlton saw their application to join the FAWSL from 2014 rejected, with teams like Millwall Lionesses, Watford and London Bees (Barnet FC) preferred instead.

The transfer window opens for those teams in June but Shepherd admitted she would like to stay with the Addicks for the foreseeable future.

She said: “As a team this season has been pretty up and down, but personally I think I’ve had a good season and really enjoyed it and I’m hoping for more of the same next year.

“I think I’m going to stay.

“I don’t want to say definitively yes or no, because I don’t think you can ever say that until you’ve signed on the dotted line as it were.

“I’m 90 per cent sure I’m going to stay.

“I just love the club and although I feel I could make that step up to Super League Two, or even One, at the moment I’m pretty happy.”

Shepherd is relishing facing her old club West Ham at The Valley this evening (kick-off 7.15pm, £3 adults and £1 concessions).

The striker added: “I am looking forward to it because I’ll get to see a few old faces.

“Hopefully they can see I’ve moved on a bit and the reasons why moved.

“It’s just fantastic that we get to play at grounds like The Valley because not a lot of people can say they’ve played at certain stadiums.

“I’ve played at a few in my time; I have played at Wembley and we played at Leicester with West Ham last year.”

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