Fielding the ambitions and anxieties of young players is a test for any manager – except perhaps Watford Ladies manager Armand Kavaja.

Kavaja’s first campaign in permanent charge of the Golden Girls has been smoothed by the steadying influence of striker Helen Ward, an experienced behemoth of the women’s game.

The 32-year-old is on hand to help guide his young squad and remains a force in front of goal, firing four past Middlesbrough to earn SSE Women’s FA Cup Player of the Round in round three.

It’s no surprise the Albanian tactician regularly reminds his charges of the resource at their disposal in the shape of Ward, a one-in-a-million mother-of-two who sets relentless standards at the club.

“I say this to the players a lot, especially the younger ones, they are very lucky to have Helen around,” he said of the former Arsenal and Chelsea ace.

“Just have a look at her- she’s got two kids, a family and she’s still working so hard. I can’t explain how hard it must be to go through what she’s gone through, have kids and come back.

“She leads by example in a rare way – she’s not the most vocal. That’s not her personality and I don’t want to push her to be, but she measures her words and all the girls listen.

“She has kids to pick up from school but she’s always the first at training and she runs riot against defenders who are nearly half her age. It’s a credit to the way she trains.

“Being named Player of the Round is a very well-deserved award for her, she was superb at Middlesbrough and I think she’ll continue to be important for us going forward.”

Kavaja, 30, will mine the wisdom of Wales’ all-time record goalscorer as he prepares his National League South side to face mighty Manchester City in the next round of the SSE Women’s FA Cup.

Locking managerial horns with Nick Cushing, who led City to 2017 SSE Women’s FA Cup glory, will be a formative experience for a coach in charge of Spartan League outfit London Tigers just last year.

Having lost their Tier 2 status last year, Kavaja is tasked with masterminding promotion from National League South and his side sit third at the season’s midpoint.

Having stepped in as temporary manager mid-season on two separate occasions, the Golden Girls gaffer is preaching patience as the club aim to forge a stable base for future success.

In the short-term, improving on last season’s 5-0 cup defeat to FA WSL opposition in Liverpool will be a measure of progress for Kavaja’s side.

“I’ve come in mid-season twice and it’s been tough, last year we couldn’t register the players we wanted,” he said.

“The SSE Women’s FA Cup gives us an opportunity to show we want to restructure things. It’s a chance to prove we can run it properly and we deserve to be at least in the Championship.

“We only have four or five players from last year’s side and they’re gelling together nicely.

“A lot of people are seeing this as the season we need to go straight back up. But when you start afresh, it’s hard because you get what players come to trials, not ones you recruit.

“As a club it’s good for us to have gone down, restructure and build our reputation as a well-run club with some stability.

“We’re always trying to push forward, the girls want to go up and that’s our aim.”

As the energy behind women’s football, SSE’s ambition is to support girls of all ages in England, helping them join in football from grassroots to the elite level.  For more information on SSE’s sponsorships and activities visit sse.co.uk