Chelmsford City return to action after an enforced 11 day break when they take on National League Wealdstone in the FA Trophy 3rd Round tonight, Wednesday 21st December (KO 7.30pm)
The opposition
Wealdstone sit in 12th place having played 22 games in the Vanarama National League this season. They have won 8, drawn 6 and lost 8, scoring 26 goals and conceding 33 in the league campaign so far which all adds up to 30 league points. Wealdstone had a brilliant start to the season when they only lost 2 of their first 10 league games. However they had a nightmare spell in October when they lost 6 consecutive games, including a 6-1 home defeat by high-flying Notts County. Since that run though they have only lost 1 of their next 6 including a creditable 0-0 draw against Wrexham.
In terms of players, Wealdstone have former Chelmsford keeper Sam Howes, who played for the Clarets on loan in the 2019-20 season. In defence they have their captain Jack Cook, although he went off injured in Wealdstone’s last game. They also have former Colchester and Aldershot defender Lewis Kinsella, as well as former Braintree and Lincoln defender Sam Habergham. In midfield they have former Dulwich man Gio McGregor, who scored at Melbourne last season. They also have Nathan Ferguson, who signed from Southend in the summer and also has played for Crawley in the Football League. Experienced Montserrat international Alex Dyer also plies his trade for the Stones, after spending a long time in Sweden with Ostersunds and Elfsborg. They have creative midfielder Max Kretzschmar who also played for Hampton & Richmond and Woking. Up front Wealdstone have former Scunthorpe and Carlisle striker Olufela Olomola as well as former Colchester and Woking forward Tarryn Allarakhia. Wealdstone lost their top scorer Rhys Browne when he signed for Woking after 7 in his first 13 this season for the Stones.
Dartford’s boss is 42 year old Stuart Maynard. Maynard was assistant-manager to Dean Brennan when they worked together at Hemel Hempstead, Billericay and Kingstonian and then Wealdstone. Brennan resigned as manager in February 2021 and Maynard was appointed interim, before being appointed permanently in March 2021. Last season under Maynard, Wealdstone finished 16th in the National League, their highest league finish for 35 years and he signed a new 2 year contract in the summer.
Previous Meetings
Chelmsford would have probably preferred this tie to have been an away draw with the recent record in this fixture! City have lost 5 of their last 7 games at home against the Stones, with a 3-0 win in 2018 when Chris Dickson scoring twice being a rare home win for the Clarets. If you include the pre-season friendly win at Grosvenor Vale this season, the Clarets are unbeaten in their last 7 at Wealdstone, including our last competitive meeting, a 1-0 win just before the season was shortened in 2020 via Covid when Tom Knowles’ goal was enough to give Robbie Simpson his first away win as Chelmsford manager.
Team News
Chelmsford City have a few injuries and suspensions to deal with ahead of tonight’s game. Eduino Vaz is suspended after his 2 bookings against Dulwich but will be back for Boxing Day. Jamie Yila after his straight red against Dulwich is suspended and so starts the first of a 3 game ban. The game has come too soon for Khale Da Costa and Callum Jones although they continue their recovery in training. Ade Oluwo and Louis Dunne are out with long-term injuries. A couple of other players are touch and go before the game. New signing Reece Grant, having only signed yesterday is not eligible to play having not signed before the original date of the fixture and so will be in line to make his debut against his former club Braintree on Boxing Day.
Ticket News
Tickets are now available to be purchased in advance of the 7:30pm kick-off on Wednesday 21st December and can be bought by clicking this link.
Adult – £14.07 (includes processing fees)
Senior (65+) – £9.90 (includes processing fees)
Concession – £9.90 (includes processing fees)
Full-Time Student – £5.72 (includes processing fees)
Youth (12-17) – £5.72 (includes processing fees)
Under-12s – Free
Entry can also be purchased at the turnstiles on the night at the Melbourne Community Stadium – we accept both cash & card.
Ticket prices on the night:
Adult – £15
Senior (65+) – £10
Concession – £10
Full-Time Student – £5
Youth (12-17) – £5
Under-12s – Free
A programme will be available to purchase on the day for £3 or a digital subscription to The Claret can be purchased here.
Where to follow the game…
The Club will be only 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.
Christmas Draw
The legendary Chelmsford City FC Christmas Draw is back, fancy taking home a £250 cash price or winning one of the other great prizes between Christmas and New Year? Well, now is your chance as we officially launch the Chelmsford City FC 2022 Christmas Draw!
The CCFC Christmas Draw is offering you some great prizes this year:
· £250 cash
· £100 Amazon Voucher
· Raceday Entry & a meal for 4 in the Fairwood Restaurant at Chelmsford City Racecourse
· 4 pairs of Entry Tickets to any race meeting at Chelmsford City Racecourse
· Hospitality for 4 (including 2 course meal) in The Claret Club at any 1st team league game
· Matchday experience with the 1st team squad
· Signed Chelmsford City Away Shirt
· Signed ball
· 2 x hospitality tickets in the West Stand – Tottenham vs Aston Villa
· Other prizes to be confirmed
Tickets will be available from Saturday 3rd December, and will be priced at £1 per ticket. Tickets can be purchased in the supporters’ hut or bar on matchdays, at the club during office hours or by completing the online form.
Entries close at 3.00pm on Monday 26th December 2022. Any entries after this date shall be deemed invalid.
The Christmas Draw takes place at half-time during the Braintree game on Monday 26th December 2022.
We want to make CCFC’s 2022 Christmas Draw as successful as possible so please spread the word and send this link to as many friends, family, work colleagues, etc, as you can.
If you have any further questions about this year’s Christmas Draw, please contact CCFC General Manager Phil Crowe at: phil.crowe@chelmsfordcityfc.com
Weather
It is set to be a chilly but dry evening tonight with highs of just 7 degrees. There is also a chance of mist around the kickoff time.
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