MATCH PREVIEW: Chippenham Town vs Chelmsford City | National League South, Sat 13th Aug 2022

Jamie Oleszynski previews our upcoming National League South clash with Chelmsford City.

Chippenham  Town return to competitive home action for the first time in 101 days, this Saturday as they line up for the second match of the 2022/23 Vanarama National League South season. After an opening day defeat against last years playoff runners-up and this years league title favourites Ebbsfleet United, the Bluebirds will look to earn their first points of the season against a new-look Chelmsford City side.

The Bluebirds’ first match was certainly a less than ideal performance, as Ebbsfleet ran away with the three points, with goals from Greg Cundle, Toby Edser and a brilliant finish from Darren McQueen. The match started with 15 minutes of solid pressure from the hosts, but they were unable to fashion an opportunity. It was the Bluebirds who created the first clear chance, when Noah Coppin broke through 1-on-1 against the keeper before just firing a whisker wide. It wasn’t long after, that Coppin found himself on goal again before firing over the bar.

The deadlock was broken on 25 minutes however, after some good work from Craig Tanner, the ball was slipped through to Greg Cundle who fired across Will Henry and into his net. The first half went from bad to worse as Matt Jones was adjudged to have brought down Sterling-James through on goal, and Callum Walchester sent the Chippenham full-back for an early bath. The second half was largely uninspiring for the Bluebirds, with substitutes Palmer-Holden and Aaron Simpson doing well and proving that the future is bright. A scrappy goal from Toby Edser and a very neat finish from McQueen towards the end put the result beyond all doubt.

Chippenham and Chelmsford City will matchup at the #TheTSStadium on Saturday, and fans will want to see a more compelling match of football than was played out and the EMG Inspire in January. It was a game of few chances, with Young firing over for the best Chippenham chance, and Chelmsford having a goal ruled out for a handball in the build-up. There has been matches between the two sides that have hit stellar results, including a 3-3 draw and a couple of 3-2 score lines. It was the clarets who took 4 points from the Bluebirds last season, with a Charlie Sheringham double securing the win for the Clarets.

The Bluebirds will be looking up however, as there were positive performances from most of the Chippenham camp. Academy graduates Noah Coppin and Caine Bradbury both featured and played well, and the debutants of Martinez, Simpson and Palmer-Holden and Parker all looked promising. Jordan Young  missed out on the opening day due to a small injury, but he is back in training, and Eddie Jones was also unavailable due to illness. Alex Bray picked up a muscle Injury in pre-season, and Gary Horgan confirmed that he will be out for a “couple more” weeks until the winger is fully fit.

It will certainly be a different test for Chippenham up against Chelmsford, and the Bluebirds will be looking to kick off the first home match of the season with a bang.

Take advantage of our Ultimate Matchday Experience, by purchasing our VIP package for just £35 per person, Come and enjoy a 2 course meal with a complimentary drink, half time tea, coffee and cake. Also included is match admission, a matchday programme & a car park space.

Match Tickets are still available to purchase online, on our TicketTailor site until 11am midday on Saturday, and can be found via the link here. Tickets will also be available to purchase on the turnstiles on the day.