MATCH PREVIEW: Hemel Hempstead Town vs Chippenham Town | National League South | Tuesday 10th March 2026
We travel to Hertfordshire to play playoff chasing Hemel Hempstead
After two consecutive home wins our attention turns back to the road as we visit Hemel Hempstead in searching for valuable points in the closing stages of the season.
The oppostion
Hemel Hempstead Town FC, one of increasingly few semi-professional sides in the division are this mid week’s opponents as we travel to Vauxhall Road.
Formed in 1885, then named Apsley End. They joined the Hertfordshire County League where they played their football until the 1920’s. They won the league three times in that time but never entered the FA Cup.
A move to the Spartan League came in 1922 and bounced between the various steps in the inter and post war years but only spent four seasons in the Premier Division with two relegations in that time. They entered the FA Cup for the First Time in 1938 and won two matches to reach the First Round before losing 7-4 to Bromley.
The 1950’s brought all change for Apsley as they joined the Delphian league (We assume no relation to the former Aston Villa and Manchester City player Fabian Delph) and in 1955 changed their name to Hemel Hempstead.
The Delphian League dissolved in the mid 60’s and the remaining clubs took station in the Athenian League, and Hemel Hempstead yo-yo’s amoungst the Divisons until making the switch to the Isthmian League un the mid 70’s. In 1971 the club was amalgamated with the other side in the Town Hemel Hempstead United then forming Hemel Hempstead Town.
This new club were consistently in the Isthmian Division Two and Division Two North until their relegation before the turn of the millennium.
A further renaming to Hemel Hempstead Town in 1999 brought a new dawn into the 2000’s. During this entire time (1960’s – 1999) Hemel Hempstead never reached the First Round of the FA Cup. They came closest reaching the Third Qualifying Round in 1964 but were defeated by Oxford City. They had progressed well in the FA Vase in 1981/82 as they reached the 5th Round before being knocked out by Cheshunt. Cheshunt were defeated by Blue Star in the next round, who lost to the eventual Champions Forest Green Rovers.
2004/05 brought a transfer to the Southern League and our first meeting with them came in January of 2005 as we netted five to beat the Tudors 5-2. After ten seasons in the Southern League structure they were promoted to the Conference South and have remained at that step ever since.
Their highest finish was in 2017/18 as they placed 5th being defeated by Braintree Town in the playoffs.
Their lowest ebb came in 2023/24 as they finished just four points clear of the drop zone and conceded 71 times in 46 matches.
This season they currently sit 7th occupying the last playoff position and are also on a run of back-to-back wins beating Farnborough and Tonbridge in their last two matches. This season will be memorable no matter their league postion, as their FA Cup run drew attention. They beat Bishop’s Stortford, Hereford and National League Yeovil to reach Round One. They pegged back League One opposition against Wigan Atheltic but a miss from Ade Azeez in the penalty shootout sent the EFL outfit through.
Fixture History
As previously mentioned, we met for the first time in January 2005, and thumped five past them. Goals from Gary Thorne, Sam Allison, Lee Davison and two from Dave Gilroy gave us a deserved victory. The reverse fixture ended 1-1, with Dave Gilroy netting for the third time against the Tudors that season. Those two dropped points were enough for Histon to pull clear in the title race and eventually we had to settle for a playoff place, losing to Hednesford Town in the final.
We had a fair few ding dong battles in following seasons with big wins for us in September 2011, 4-1 with Alan Griffin, Dave Gilroy, James Guthrie and Jack Pitcher all scoring, and 6-1 in August 2009 with goals from Jon Davies, Ross Adams, Lewis Powell, Ashely Williams and a Shaun Lamb brace to send us top of the Southern League.
In the National League South, we have met 15 times with an aggregate score of Chippenham 17-22 Hemel. Our biggest win was in our first step two meeting, a 5-1 win at home, with a goal from Matt Smith and a brace each from Dave Pratt & Scott Twine.
We have won six times at Vauxhall Road, and three in the NLS, with a 1-0 win in February 2020 (Nat Jarvis scored late on) 2-0 in December 2021 as Alefe Santos and Dan Griffiths scored, and in December 2023 with goals from Craig Fasanmade and Ed Williams.
Our last visit to Hemel was in February last year as we were defeated 4-2, with Matt McClure and Hamzad Kargbo scoring. Kargbo’s strike was a thunderous volley from range.
The reverse fixture this season was on the 4th of October and Millar Matthews-Lewis’ header from a corner settled the match that day in a game we had chances to win it. Matthews-Lewis signed for Burton Albion last month.
Familiar Face
Jake Evans is the only member of either squad to have played for both sides with Evo playing 18 times for the Tudors between 2019 and 2020 scoring against Braintree and Hampton & Richmond in the 20/21 season. He appeared for Hemel in our 1-0 win in January 2020 and he was at the back post when Nat Jarvis knocked in the winner that day.
Dangermen
Kyle Ajayi – Ajayi signed for Hemel in the summer of 2020 and is nearing on 200 league apperances for the Tudors in that time. A powerful centre-half, he has even scored 11 league goals. Ajayi has played against us seven times, with an equal record of three wins, three losses and one draw. The 25 year old hasn’t been sent off in a league match and has only missed four league games this year.
Kyran Wiltshire – Wiltshire is a veteran of the National League South, having played 240 matches in the division’s history, the fourth most of any player. He has played against CTFC 12 times, only playing against Hampton & Richmond more. In those 12 matches he has won four, drawn five and lost just three. He has never scored against us, and was sent off in our 3-0 home win last year.
Wiltshire has played in the NLS for three clubs, Oxford City, where he played alongside Reece Fleet, St Albans for four seasons, and Hemel Hempstead since the start of last season.
Supporter Information
The match is non-segregated and tickets can be purchased in advance or by Cash / Card payments on the gate.
The match is NOT being broadcast by DAZN but we will be bringing you live Radio commentary via MIXLR. Join Jamie Oleszynski from 19.30 for all of the action.
See you in Hertfordshire , Bluebirds ๐
