MATCH PREVIEW: Chippenham Town vs Weymouth | National League South | Tuesday 21st March 2023
Jamie Oleszynski previews our home game against Weymouth.
Chippenham Town have the chance to move ten points clear of the relegation zone, just 35 days after being in 22nd place, when they face strugglers Weymouth on Tuesday.
After a run of league nine games winless, Chippenham have taken maximum points from their last four leaving them in 16th place, with games in hand on the teams around them.
The most recent of those victories was a 1-0 victory away at midtable Farnborough, thanks to a Matt McClure penalty seconds before the interval.
The Opposition
For Weymouth, it is a tale of inconsistency. Recent weeks have yielded incredibly positive wins against, Welling United, Dartford and a five goal thumping of relegation rivals Concord Rangers.
Despite these impressive victories, they have shipped five against Hungerford last Tuesday and most crucially lost to Chippenham at the Bob Lucas two weeks ago.
The Terras have a right to be terrified with difficult games to come against the likes of Eastbourne Borough, Bath City and Havant & Waterlooville.
What will give them confidence coming into this match was the 93rd minute winner that Ahkeem Rose netted against Welling on Saturday.
Last Meeting
The two sides will be facing each other for the second time in two weeks, and the images of Luke Russe’s wonder-strike will surely be fresh in the minds of the Bluebirds fans that made the journey to Dorset.
In a tense game that was labelled a classic ‘six-pointer’ it was Chippenham’s enigmatic midfielder who broke the deadlock with a thunderous strike into the top left corner.
Since then Chippenham have not looked back, and with a win will seal five consecutive league victories, for the first time since the Southern League days.
The Chippenham defence will be looking for a milestone, as should they silence the Weymouth attack it will be their tenth clean sheet of the season and in back to back games for the first time since matchday four.
Ones To Watch
In what has been a disappointing season for Weymouth so far, there are two shining above the rest and they are Brad Ash and the aforementioned Ahkeem Rose.
Between them they have 24 league goals for the Terras this term, and both netted in their 2-1 win against Welling on Saturday.
Ash is very familiar to Chippenham having scored four for them in the curtailed 2020/21 season.
Rose on the other hand is a player with experience at higher levels, as he made a total of 34 appearances for Grimsby across three season before the pandemic.
One piece on information that Chippenham will find solace in is that the two have missed a combined four spot kicks between them this season, and with penalty specialist Will Henry to beat, a strike from 12 yards may favour the Bluebirds!