Aveley v Chelmsford City, National League South, Parkside, Friday 18th April 2025, 3:00pm kick-off.
Chelmsford City travel across Essex to Parkside on Good Friday to face the already relegated Aveley.
The Millers’ fate was sealed at the end of last month following a home defeat to Torquay United, meaning Danny Scopes’ side have nothing left to play for except pride for the remainder of this season.
In some ways, Aveley’s situation mirrors City’s, as both teams’ overall fates in the National League South are sealed. City are currently 12th in the table and, with just three matches left in the 2024-25 season, can neither reach the play-offs nor drop into the relegation zone. However, Robbie Simpson’s side still have the incentive of looking to secure a top half finish.
In another similarity, Millers boss Scopes will be departing the Parkside dugout at the end of the season, just like Clarets manager Simpson, who will also leave the EMJ Community Stadium following the current campaign.
Here’s everything Clarets supporters need to know ahead of the game…
Team and match stats:
- The Millers have earned 17 points at home this season, the fewest of any National League South side in 2024-25.
- City are looking to win back-to-back away games for the first time since February.
- Aveley have lost all three of their meetings with Chelmsford City since their promotion to the National League South in 2023 (P3, L3).
Click below to watch the highlights of the Clarets’ away victory at Parkside last season.
Opposition:
Aveley’s second season in the National League South will end in disappointment. The Millers achieved back-to-back promotions to secure their place in Step Two of the Non-League football pyramid and had a chance to earn a third consecutive promotion last season after ending 2023-24 in a play-off place. However, the Millers lost their play-off eliminator to Maidstone United and have struggled to bounce back from this disappointment since, having lost many key members of last season’s successful squad.
Manager Danny Scopes has therefore arguably been a victim of his own success, with his new-look side going on to lose more matches this season than any other team in the division. Following Aveley’s relegation, it was confirmed that Scopes would depart the club after a successful three-and-a-half-year tenure.
In a move similar to Chelmsford City’s after Robbie Simpson’s departure was announced in January, Aveley acted quickly to appoint their next manager. Earlier this month, they confirmed the arrival of Brett Munyard, who will take charge at Parkside from the end of the current season.
One Aveley player Munyard might be keen to retain is forward David Kawa. The 21-year-old has been a shining light for the Millers this season, registering 12 goal contributions in the National League South. Kawa started in his side’s most recent outing, a 2-0 win away at Salisbury. Despite their relegation, Aveley showed their spirit in Wiltshire last weekend and will hope to do so in front of their home fans on Good Friday.
Team news:
Cameron James and Jake Hyde are expected to remain sidelined for the rest of the season.
First-team players Arthur Penney, Jazzi Barnum-Bobb, Ryan Blackman, Freddie Hockey and Saleem Akanbi all gained valuable minutes in Chelmsford City Under-21’s 2-1 victory over Bromley on Monday night. Penney will be available for selection against Aveley after serving a two-match ban.
Here's how we lineup for tonight's match against Bromley! 👇#TheFutureIsClaret pic.twitter.com/YArKRGUvfv
— Chelmsford City Under 21s (@ClaretsUnder21s) April 14, 2025
Getting there:
Supporters traveling by car should be aware that the journey from the EMJ Community Stadium to Parkside takes approximately 40 minutes. There are over 200 parking spaces available, including disabled parking and coach spaces.
The Chelmsford City Supporters Club coach will be travelling to the game on Friday. See below for further details.
Matchday & ticketing information:
Tickets for Friday’s match can be purchased online ahead of the game by clicking here and visiting Aveley’s ticketing website.
Admission fees for the 2024-25 National South campaign at Parkside are as follows:
- Adults – £16
- Concessions – £12
- 11 to 18- £5
- U11 – Free
How to follow the game:
Radio Clarets will provide live audio commentary of proceedings at Parkside.
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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