MATCH PREVIEW: Chippenham Town vs Chelmsford City | National League South | Saturday 5th April 2025

Harry Minton previews our home game against The Clarets

The Bluebirds kick off the final month of the season with a game in front of the home supporters against Chelmsford City. The Clarets themselves currently sit level on points with our boys in blue, but just one place directly above us as of right now due to goal difference.

Last Time Out

Last weekend, for Gary Horgan’s side, it was a trip to Enfield Town where a goalless but entertaining draw played out. Will Henry in goal had to make a few good saves during the match for the Wiltshire outfit — one very impressive save during the second half to deny Jack Bates a goal on the volley for the hosts. There was also one moment of controversy during the match where the home side thought they had taken the lead. The net certainly did bulge; however, the referee on the field nor the linesman signalled anything else but play on. Luke Spokes and Caine Bradbury also had good efforts from range for Chippenham — Spokesy’s effort was blocked, while Bradbury’s produced a good save from the Enfield number one, Joe Wright. In the end, both teams settled for a share of the spoils in Greater London.

Our Opponents

The original Chelmsford football club was founded in 1878, and over the coming years the club played across leagues such as the South East Anglian League, the Spartan League, and the Athenian League, just to name a few. Sadly, in 1938, Chelmsford did fold while playing in the Essex County League. However, thankfully, that very same year a new club was formed in the area — this time by the name we know today as Chelmsford City — with the first game for the Clarets ending in an enthralling 3–3 draw against Bristol Rovers’ reserve team.

In 2008, the Essex outfit were champions of the Isthmian Premier Division, achieving promotion to the National League South for the first time in the Clarets’ history. This started a period for Chelmsford of being the so-called “nearly team” upon most seasons. Since their promotion to the sixth tier, it is where the club have remained up until the present day. However, they have been at the top end of the league for many seasons and came so close to getting the job over the line — but just falling short at the final hurdle. In total, the team from Melbourne Park have competed in nine playoff campaigns in the National League South and have lost on every occasion. Mostly succumbing to defeat in the semis, there was one season — 2016/2017 — where they made the final, though sadly missed out on promotion thanks to defeat at the hands of Ebbsfleet United.

Meanwhile, last season, the Clarets had their best ever finish in the sixth tier, finishing in second place with a points total of 84. However, when it came to the playoffs, sadly it was more heartbreak for them as they narrowly lost 3–2 in the semis to eventual winners Braintree Town.

This season has not been as strong for Chelmsford, as they currently just sit one place above the Bluebirds in thirteenth. Though just like any side in the division right now, they will of course be looking to finish these last five games as strong as possible.

Head to Head

Our visitors this weekend are currently unbeaten at the Thornbury Surfacing Stadium in the last three occasions that this fixture has played out. The last time us Bluebirds got a win against Chelmsford on home soil was back in December 2019 — a win by two goals to one on a chilly afternoon, thanks to goals either side of half-time from David Pratt and Curtis McDonald respectively. It stopped a rut of six games without a win in the league for Mark Collier’s boys in blue at the time, and a run of nine games winless in all competitions.

And the most recent time the two sides met in Wiltshire was on the final day of last season, where both sides didn’t have much to play for — the Clarets were already confirmed to finish in second, meanwhile the Bluebirds were in no threat of being relegated, finishing in a comfortable twelfth position in the end. The game started the brighter for the away side and, just after the twenty-minute mark, they had found their reward after a good through ball from Charlie Ruff found striker George Alexander. Alexander then showed great skill to basically turn Aaron Amadi-Holloway on a sixpence before calmly slotting the ball past Will Henry to put Chelmsford in the lead.

After that goal, however, it was the hosts who had all the momentum going forward. Craig Fasanmade struck the post from inside the penalty area, before Caine Bradbury had a very good set-piece from the left just tipped over the bar by the Chelmsford shot-stopper, Dylan Berry. Fasanmade also had a golden opportunity in the second half when he went through one-on-one with Berry; however, the Clarets’ number one made himself big in the goal to make a huge stop for his side.

The backline for the visitors finally succumbed to all the Bluebirds’ pressure when a mix-up between the goalkeeper Berry and one of the defenders allowed Amadi-Holloway to race into the box with the goal gaping. However, before he could get his shot away, he was tripped up in the box. The referee showed no hesitation in awarding a spot-kick to Gary Horgan’s side. Fasanmade was the man who would step up to take this penalty. With the chances he missed earlier in the game possibly playing on his mind a little bit, it was as cool as you like as he tucked it into the bottom right corner, sending Berry the wrong way. The packed-out home crowd on the final day had something to cheer about with seven minutes to go from time.

Ones to Watch

The biggest threat we have picked out from the Chelmsford side is Kane Crichlow. The forward player is currently the Clarets’ top scorer in the league this season with eleven goals, and also has twelve goals in all competitions this year.

Round-Up

If you do wish to come down and support the Bluebirds, then here are all the ticket prices:

• Adult: £16
• Senior Citizens*: £12
• Junior (16–17): £6
• Child (5–15): £4

*Students/NHS/Armed Forces with ID

Come cheer on our boys in Blue, as we look to finish the season on a high. COME ON YOU BLUEBIRDS!!!