Chelmsford City v Arsenal, Pre-Season Friendly, The Dunmow Group Community Stadium, Saturday 2nd August July 2025, 3:00pm kick-off.
Chelmsford City welcome an Arsenal XI to a sold-out Dunmow Group Community Stadium this weekend for an exciting pre-season fixture in CM1.
The friendly marks the final chance for Angelo Harrop’s squad to build match sharpness ahead of next week’s eagerly awaited Enterprise National League South opener at home to Horsham.
A capacity crowd and a visit from a talented Gunners side provides the perfect platform for City to test themselves for a final time before competitive action begins.
Here’s everything Clarets fans need to know ahead of the game…
Opposition:
Arsenal are set to make their second visit to the Dunmow Group Community Stadium in the space of 24 months, having last faced the Clarets in August 2023. On that occasion, a talented Gunners XI featuring the likes of Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri earned a 2-1 win in Essex, with all three goals in the game being scored from the penalty spot.
The latest group of up and coming Arsenal talents will provide Harrop’s men with a similarly tough test. The Gunners U21’s side are well prepared for this weekend’s game, having already taken on a number of non-league clubs throughout pre-season. Earlier this week, former City striker Harry Lodovica was part of the Enfield Town side that beat the Gunners 2-0. Arsenal’s U21s have also lost to St Albans City and drawn with Boreham Wood since beginning their preparations for their upcoming Premier League 2 campaign.
The visitors have been led in these fixtures by former Chelmsford midfielder Max Porter, who is now the Gunners’ U21s coach. Porter made 55 appearances in claret between 2016 and 2019. Speaking to the Gunners’ website ahead of his return to Chelmsford, Porter said: “Chelmsford will play directly if you press them. So, I think we’re going to have to deal with direct play well. They have gone full-time this year, so I think the intensity will be similar [to what it was against Enfield] in terms of physicality, and it’ll be a tough match.”
Team news:
The Clarets will debut their new home kit for the 2025/26 season on Saturday, with Angelo Harrop looking to field a strong side as preparations continue for next weekend’s league curtain-raiser against Horsham.
Following Tuesday’s 3-0 win over Witham Town, Harrop confirmed that Tom Lapslie will continue his comeback from a long-term injury by playing 45 minutes in this weekend’s fixture.
Ticketing & matchday information:
We would like to extend a big thank you to our Official Legal Partner Birketts, who are the matchday sponsor of this weekend’s game against Arsenal.
Tickets for this Saturday’s clash have sold out. Please do not travel to The Dunmow Group Community Stadium without a valid ticket. All supporters are required to have a valid ticket for the match, including U12s.
On matchday, a variety of hot food stalls will be open around the ground. Scents by Snookie’s and the refreshment hut will also be serving sweet treats and snacks.
The Wheel ‘Em Inn bar will be open, and a marquee erected behind the main stand will also serve drinks following the conclusion of our pre-match networking event.
The Chelmsford City Clubhouse will be serving beverages and snacks from behind the bar. To help reduce queues, a fast-track lager lane will be in operation inside the Clubhouse.
Please remember: The Dunmow Group Community Stadium is a cashless venue.
How to follow the game:
Radio Clarets will be providing live audio commentary for this game.
Clarets fans can find pre-match coverage of the game and live updates of the proceedings by following the club’s X (formerly Twitter) page: @OfficialClarets and Instagram page: chelmsfordcityfc.
Post-match reactions will be found on the club’s website, official social media channels and on ClaretsTV.
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