Full-time: Weymouth 1–6 Chelmsford City
Chelmsford City brought the curtain down on their 2024–25 National League South season in emphatic fashion and cruised to a 6–1 away victory over Weymouth at the Bob Lucas Stadium.
The dominant performance ensured outgoing manager Robbie Simpson received the perfect send-off in his final match in charge of the Clarets.
City’s afternoon got off to a frustrating start when forward Malachi Linton gave the hosts a 15th minute lead. However, the game was soon turned on its head with three Clarets goals in the space of 10 minutes, scored by Charlie Ruff and Jacob Bland, giving City a 3–1 lead at half-time.
Ruff then netted the first of City’s three second half goals in the 55th minute to complete his hat trick. Kane Crichlow added City’s fifth of the afternoon in the 77th minute, while academy player Jett Murphy scored his first senior goal to round off the scoring.
Simpson made two changes from the side that faced Welling United last time out, with Sam Oguntayo and Freddie Hockey coming into the starting XI in place of Paul Appiah and Nico Valentine.
Despite the convincing scoreline, it wasn’t all smooth sailing for City from the outset. Weymouth struck first in the 15th minute when Linton latched onto a ball in behind and fired into the top corner past Ted Collins. The hosts threatened again eight minutes later, but City defender Ruaridh Donaldson made a crucial interception to deny Tom Bearwish what looked like a certain goal.
These early scares sparked the Clarets into life, and Simpson’s side responded by scoring three goals in ten minutes to turn the game around. Ruff got City back on level terms in the 24th minute with a fine strike into the bottom corner after being teed up by Bland on the edge of the box.
Crichlow and Oguntayo then combined down the left, and the latter’s cross found Ruff at the back post. He took a touch and fired his effort through a crowded six-yard box and into the net. Moments later, Bland got on the scoresheet in the 35th minute when he converted Crichlow’s low cross to the back post. The goal, Bland’s first for the club, gave City a 3–1 lead heading into the break.
After the interval, City showed no signs of letting up. Ruff completed his hat trick in the 55th minute when he rifled a strike into the roof of the net, after Archie Tamplin unselfishly squared a pass across the penalty area.
With the result already in hand and a National League South top-half finish all but secured, City still added further gloss to the scoreline. In the 77th minute, Arthur Penney’s long ball forward picked out Crichlow, who composed himself and fired home City’s fifth from the edge of the box. Then, with five minutes to play, first-team assistant and academy manager Mickey Spillane had another reason to celebrate as substitute Jett Murphy reacted quickest to a rebound and tapped home from close range, scoring his first senior goal for the club.
Murphy’s strike was the final act of Simpson’s five-year reign as manager, and the outgoing Chelmsford City boss received a special reception from the travelling supporters at full-time.
Weymouth XI: Thomas (GK); Armstrong (Brooks 57’), Hamblin, Jordan, Robinson, McQuoid, Bearwish (C), Goodship, McCarthy, Pollard (Moss 57’), Linton
Unused substitutes: Buse (GK), Payne, Butcher
Yellow cards: none
Chelmsford City XI: Collins (GK); Barbum-Bobb, Penney, Donaldson, Oguntayo; Blackman (Hayes 80’), Tamplin (Mupomba 74’); Hockey (Murphy 58’), Bland, Ruff (C) (Legg 66’), Crichlow (Ward 80’).
Unused substitutes: none
Yellow cards: Penney 43’
Match officials: Martyn Mitchell (Referee), Sean Jenkings (Assistant Referee), Nicholas Whittington (Assistant Referee), Declan Skehan (Fourth Official)
Attendance: 930
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