Train £12 (Oyster cap)
Subway £3-27
Tea £1
Paper & gum £1-96
Oxo £1
Fruit £1-70
Entry £5
Total £25-93
As I was in the capital for the weekend, I decided to take advantage and head to a Sunday fixture. It turned out that many Ladies Premier League matches were on, so I planned to head East to Thamesmead. When that was postponed, I switched my attentions to Uxbridge, where QPR Ladies were facing West Ham. The ground was actually closest to West Drayton station, which is not far from Heathrow. This was on the very edge of London, and as I travelled out I had a sense of reaching the end of the universe!
After locating the ground, I headed to West Drayton for a restorative cuppa. There was not much in the town, and it had a very Sunday feel to it, with half the shops closed and few people about. The grey sky and slight drizzle seemed to top it off, finishing my London visit with an anti climax.
So I headed for the delightfully-named Honeycroft, which was next to a small industrial estate at the end of a narrow road. This swept down to the left to a reasonably sized car park. The ground was neat but distinctive, with identical stands behind each goal and two seated stands bang on the halfway line. The pitch was surrounded by a picket like fence, and the dug outs were tidy examples of brickwork. The main stand where I took up my position was partially encased with glass/plastic, reminding me vaguely of the main stand at the Walks before it was revamped. It was strangely similar to a greenhouse.
The game and surroundings were certainly a contrast to yesterday's match at Upton Park. This was something of a relegation 6-pointer with QPR Ladies, who were being sucked towards the trap door. QPR saw the better of the early chances, with 10 stretching but not reaching a low cross, and 11 teeing up 17, who smashed it over. Q10 made it 1-0 when she slotted in from close range, while at the other end w11s effort was smothered by a strong hand from the keeper. West Ham had a couple of useful players, particularly 14, whose skill was fantastic, although her passing frequently went awry - she also managed to loft an effort over just before the break. QPRs best players so far were the excellent 11, who was at the heart of most offensive moves and 3, who gave a solid backbone at the back.
The Hoops came out looking to extend their lead, and did so on 53 minutes when 3 planted it in. Their opponents briefly responded with some pressure of their own - w9 hit a left footer just wide, before 11s lob went in to make it 2-1. It was end to end stuff now, and QPR continued to create chances aplenty. On the counterattack, West Ham looked dangerous, and quickly transitioned with 9 and 11 at the heart of it. Then to the relief of the home side, QPR's 15 made it 3-1 with a looping header. She very nearly created another goal when she squared to 10, who fired wide. The Hammers were not done, and a decent effort from 14 was pawed away by the home keeper.
So my first hop taking in a Ladies match, and it was a decent and entertaining one. It was a fairly open game with flashes of quality, much like you'd expect the average non league game to be.
I trudged back to West Drayton for the train back to Paddington, and after a brisk walk managed to make my 5:35 train up to Sheffield.
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