MATCH PREVIEW: Chelmsford City vs Chippenham Town | National League South | Monday 26th August 2024
Harry Minton previews our Bank Holiday away game.
This Bank Holiday sees more National League South action as our Boys in Blue travel to Essex to face Chelmsford City.
We are looking to build on our two-match unbeaten run so far after a 2-0 win away at Weymouth and a stalemate at Hardenhuish Park against Maidstone.
Chelmsford themselves will have a fire in their belly to pick up their first win of their campaign as last time out was a 2-0 defeat at the Optima Stadium to Weston-super-Mare, that being the Clarets’ first defeat there in ten years, with Reuben Reid and former Bluebird Nick McCootie on target for Weston.
The last time we faced Chelmsford at The Melbourne Stadium was a 2-2 draw, with one of our biggest academy prospects in recent years Dan Ellison, who made a move to the EFL signing for Bristol Rovers this summer, opening the scoring with a header. Owen Windsor then looked like he grabbed the winner for Gary Horgan’s Bluebirds with a delightful chip over the goalkeeper after a good through ball from Ed Williams. However, the Clarets had to break our hearts deep into injury time with a far post tap in from Ody Alfa would make the points were shared that day in Essex.
The last time our boys did taste victory at Melbourne was in January of 2023, a 1-0 win that day thanks to a Joe Hanks thunderbolt from the edge of the box, sent a crucial three points back to our home in Wiltshire.
That result was one of several key victories that contributed to our 15-game unbeaten run during that second half of the season as well
Clarets fans would be familiar with a player from our side in Tyreke Johnson, the winger spent time at The Melbourne Stadium during the second half of the 2022/2023 season on loan from Woking. He would score two goals for Chelmsford City in two respective 5-1 wins against Dulwich Hamlet and Hungerford Town, making a very good run from his own half against Hungerford.
He has scored a few sensational efforts, Johnson, during his time in Wiltshire, including a cross hit shot on his debut against Aveley at home to give us the perfect start to our last campaign winning 1-0 that day.
He would also score another good goal in the reverse fixture away at Aveley in a 2-2 draw and then he would net a brace in a thrashing of Welling United at home for the boys in blue, including another goal from a similar position to where he scored his first goal for the club against the Millers. He will be a threat going back to The Melbourne where I’m sure he would love to grab a goal against his former side.
As for the hosts, one player we would highlight is new summer signing Jake Hyde up front, the veteran striker from Yeovil Town has been the Clarets’ main goal scoring threat so far this season scoring two out of their three goals in two 1-1 draws against Hampton & Richmond Borough and Tonbridge Angels. The 6ft 1in striker has scored 29 goals in his five years playing in the EFL, playing for the likes of Barnet, York City and Stevenage. He certainly knows where the back of the net is.
We did create decent opportunities on Saturday against Maidstone, Luke Haines coming close with a header from a free kick and Tom Mehew off the bench saw his effort from outside the box flash inches wide of the post.
If the boys can create a few more good chances and have that clinical edge with them as well then there is no reason why we can’t go to Chelmsford and pick up all three points against a side who haven’t really got going yet so far this season
Come on you Bluebirds.