Billericay Town Women v West Ham United Women
Pre-Season Match, New Lodge, Saturday 23 July 2022, 1.30pm BST
West Ham United Women kick-off their 2022/23 pre-season campaign with a trip into Essex to face Billericay Town.
The Irons have worked hard for the past two weeks as they returned for testing and training, and Paul Konchesky's squad will be relishing the opportunity to put that into practice and get minutes in the tank on Saturday.
Former Billericay defender and men's assistant manager Konchesky will be taking charge of the Barclays Women's Super League (WSL) side for the first time since replacing Olli Harder at the end of last season.
This will be the Billericay's second pre-season fixture, as the newly-promoted FA Women's National League Southern Premier Division side defeated Cambridge City 5-1 last weekend.
Kick-off is scheduled for 1.30pm on Saturday afternoon.
Tickets…
West Ham United supporters can attend the match at New Lodge, with tickets available through the Billericay Town official website priced at £12 for Adults, £7 for Concessions, £3 for Young Adults (12-17) and £1 for 11 and Unders.
Your ticket also includes access to watch Billericay Town's men take on a Tottenham Hotspur XI at 6.30pm at New Lodge.
Please note that Billericay accept card payments only at the turnstiles and within the stadium.
How To Follow…
- We will be keeping you updated on throughout the game on our social media channels, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and bringing you reaction after the match on whufc.com.
Travel…
To get to New Lodge from London by car, take the A12 or A127. The postcode for your sat nav is CM12 9SA.
If you take the A12, come off at Junction 12 and take the first exit at the roundabout, then the second exit at the next roundabout. Follow Widvale Road under the A12. It becomes Wash Road and heads into Hutton. At the mini roundabout, turn left onto the A129/Rayleigh Road and follow that for 2.6 miles to traffic lights. Turn right onto Tye Common Road, then after 0.2 miles right onto Blunts Wall Road the the stadium is on the right-hand side.
From south Essex, join the A127 and come off at the A148/Dunton exit. Take Dunton Road eastbound, running parallel with the A127, then take the 90-degree left turn up Rectory Road for 1.1 miles into Little Burstead. Turn left onto Clock House Road, which becomes Tye Common Road, for 1.6 miles, then turn left into Blunts Wall Road.
The nearest railway station to New Lodge is Billericay, which is located a mile's walk from the ground. Come out of the station and turn right, then right again across the railway bridge. Turn right at the traffic lights into Western Road and walk all the way to the next set of traffic lights, go straight over into Tye Common Road, then turn right into Blunts Wall Road.
However, there is a rail strike on Greater Anglia services on Saturday, meaning only an hourly service will link Billericay with Stratford and London Liverpool Street.
Team News…
Paul Konchesky is expected to name a team that has a mix of youth and experience as the Hammers embark on their first match of pre-season.
Fans can anticipate seeing the five new signings – Jess Ziu, Kirsty Smith, Izzy Atkinson, Sophie Hillyerd and Alex Hennessy in action for the first time.
However, Dagný Brynjarsdóttir and Hawa Cissoko will both be unavailable due to their participation at UEFA Women's Euro 2022 with Iceland and France respectively.
It is also likely that a number of players from the Irons’ Academy will also feature at New Lodge.
Opposition…
Billericay Town Women were crowned champions of the FA Women's National League South East Division One last season - sealing the title after winning 20 of their 24 matches.
The Blues also reached the final of the 2022 BBC Essex Women's Cup, losing 2-1 to Hashtag United Women in the final.
This season they will compete in the Women’s National League Southern Division, where they will be up against the likes of London Bees, Portsmouth and Oxford United.
Town have bolstered their squad with three new players in the off-season to date, securing the services of Beau Parker, Holly Turner and Sophie McLean.
Blues manager Scott Chickelday has previously worked at Tottenham Hotspur and Queens Park Rangers, where he worked in various different roles within their men’s Academies.
Recently-appointed West Ham manager Konchesky will make a return to New Lodge, where he spent time as a player and later assistant manager.
