Chelmsford City take on local rivals Braintree in a mouth-watering Essex Senior Cup semi-final this Monday, 27th February, 7.30pm kickoff.
The opposition
Braintree Town sit in 6th place after 33 games in the National League South this season. They have won 16, drawn 10 and lost 8, scoring 51 goals and conceding 40 in the league campaign so far which all adds up to 58 league points so far. After a consistent season, Braintree are unbeaten in their last 10 fixtures, winning their last 4 away from home.
In terms of players, Braintree have former Welling and Blackpool keeper Jack Sims. In defence they signed in the summer former Colchester and Southend defender John White, now 36 years old. Braintree have scored a number of goals from their defenders with centre-back Kyran Clements and right-back Baris Altintop both notching 5 league goals each. In midfield they have Bermuda international Willie Clemons, as well as former Hampton & Concord man Kyran Farrell. They also have Chris Regis, who has played for clubs all around the country, from Port Vale to Truro! Up front Braintree have some talented individuals, including two former Clarets in Lamar Reynolds, who switched from Concord in August and Matt Rush, who spent time last season on loan at City from Southend United. They also have former Norwich youngster Alfie Payne in midfield and they have recently brought in former Maidstone and Dover striker Alfie Pavey. Another player to watch out for is talented former Arsenal and Crystal Palace youngster Alfie Matthews who had a spell at Welling last season.
Braintree’s boss is 34 year old Angelo Harrop. Harrop was appointed in the summer after a successful spell as joint-manager of AFC Sudbury, he previously managed Stanway Rovers. Braintree also have in their management team former Claret Head of Football Operations Steve Pitt.
Previous Meetings
Chelmsford are undefeated since 2010 against Braintree, when Sean Marks scored twice in a 3-0 victory. Their last meeting at Melbourne was on Boxing Day last year in a 2-0 victory for City when Tom Blackwell headed in and former Braintree striker Reece Grant scored a late penalty on his Clarets debut. Blackwell has scored in all 4 of his Chelmsford appearances against Braintree.
Team News
Ody Alfa and Harry Lodovica have injuries that leave them very doubtful for this game. Dave Winfield is a doubt due to a facial injury he picked up against Tonbridge. Reece Grant is available as his suspension does not count for the Essex Senior Cup, however Chelmsford will be missing Frankie Terry and Ben Brookes due to them being cup-tied.
Similarly for Braintree, Dagenham loanee Aaron Blair and Colchester loanee Gene Kennedy will also be cup-tied for the fixture.
Ticket News
Tickets are available on line at a specially reduced price to buy here
Tickets are available on the gate at the same prices.
Adults – £10.00
Senior (65+) – £5.00
Concessions – £5.00
Students – £5.00
Youth (12-17) Unaccompanied- £5.00
Youth (12-17) With a paying Adult- FREE
Under-12s – FREE
Chelmsford City Season Ticket Holders – £5.00
Braintree Town Season Ticket Holders – £5.00
A digital-only programme will be available to purchase on the day for £3 or a digital subscription to The Claret can be purchased here.
The Club will be providing coverage of the game on Twitter (@OfficialClarets) using the hashtag #TheClarets.
There will also be live audio commentary from Radio Clarets.
Post-match reports and interviews will be found on the club website, social media and ClaretsTV following the game.
It is set to be a chilly evening with 4 degrees expected during the game, with a clear night ahead.
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