Formed by two childhood friends during the first lockdown in 2020, Hammersmith FC have been dubbed ‘the Wrexham of grassroots football’ and ‘London’s most elegant club’. Among their sponsors are Chase & Status and Kappa while former Lionesses star Eni Aluko has helped them out. Their men’s first team has enjoyed success in the Southern Amateur League and their women’s first team have secured four promotions in five seasons, including last season. Their long-term aims are to reach the national leagues, add in a youth set-up and secure their own stadium.

We met competitively once last season, with Hammersmith winning 3-0 at the Old Spotted Dog Ground. In the summer we managed a tiny amount of revenge with a 3-2 friendly win with goals from Aimee Shaw, Egle Trezzi and Vee Hayward.

Hammersmith are fifth in the division above us, but with up to four games in hand over the teams around them, so another promotion is not out of reach. They have played a lot less because they have progressed well in the cups, including in the FA Cup where they were eventually knocked out by AFC Wimbledon.

This season’s top scorer Victoria Neuefeind, with 8 goals in 8 games, was playing top flight New Zealand football last season.

Exactly half of the 14-player squad we played last season are still with the club, so it will be a mix of the familiar and the new.

The game will be in a 3G cage but with standing inside and it’s free entry.

There is a cafe in the park next to the crazy golf course.

Gunnersbury Park lies between Acton, Brentford, Chiswick and Ealing in West London. The Sports Hub is 15 minutes’ walk from Acton Town station, 21 minutes from Kew Bridge and 21 minutes from South Ealing.

Parking on-site has a cost (using the RingGo App) or you can park on the road just outside the park for free. It’s £1 for every hour at the site.