Chelmsford City FC V Eastbourne Borough, National League South, EMJ Community Stadium, Saturday 5th October 2024, 3pm kick-off.
Two of the National League South’s form teams will face each other in Essex this Saturday when Chelmsford City welcome Eastbourne Borough to the EMJ Community Stadium.
Robbie Simpson’s Clarets picked up maximum points from their three league games played in the month of September, while Adam Murray’s men registered a return of seven points out of a possible nine available to them last month.
The Sports’ strong September cemented their impressive start to the 2024-25 season, which has allowed them to sit 2nd in the National League South standings nine games into the campaign. City, meanwhile, will hope to maintain their good form ahead of next week’s FA Cup clash against Barnet and continue to climb up the league table.
Here’s all that Clarets supporters need to know ahead of the game…
Team & match stats:
- Both the Clarets and the Sports went unbeaten in the National League South during the month of September. City last tasted defeat on 31st August while Murray’s men last lost in the league on 20th August.
- Adam Murray’s side have netted three goals away from home this season in the National League South. Only Bath City, Welling United and St Albans (two goals) have scored less on the road.
- Chelmsford City are unbeaten in their last four clashes against Eastbourne Borough (W3, D1).
- City did the league double over the Sports last season for the first time since the 2017-18 campaign.
Relive last season’s memorable away win over this weekend’s opponents by watching the video below.
Opposition:
Eastbourne Borough have enjoyed a strong start to the 2024-25 National League South campaign following a difficult 23-24 season. Manager Adam Murray arrived at Priory Lane at the beginning of this calendar year and, despite inheriting a Sports side six points adrift of safety, guided the club to safety after they ended last season six points above the drop zone.
Murray has built on the progress he helped Eastbourne make during the second half of last season by guiding them to 2nd in the league standings with nine games gone so far in 24-25. During the off-season, the Sports carried out a summer overhaul of their squad which saw the club complete permanent additions of several recognisable National League South players. The likes of Isaac Pitblado, Moussa Diarra, Dom Odusanya, Jayden Davis and Alfie Pavey arrived at Priory Lane during the summer months and have been regular fixtures in Murray’s side up to now.
One face in the Sports’ squad who will be familiar to City fans is George Alexander. The forward played in Chelmsford City colours last season after signing for the club in February; 23-year-old Alexander went on to make 16 National League South appearances in claret and scored eight goals for the club. Alexander made the move from Essex to Sussex in May but had to wait until the end of August to make his competitive debut for the Sports after being ruled out of his side’s opening league matches due to injury. Alexander opened his Chelmsford City goalscoring account during last season’s trip to Priory Lane – this time around he will be vying to score his first goal for Eastbourne on his return to the EMJ Community Stadium.
This Saturday’s clash will mark the fifth away game of this season in the National League South for Murray’s men, who will be hoping to record their fourth win on the road. All three of the Sports’ away victories so far in 24-25 have come by the same scoreline (1-0 wins against Hornchurch, Weymouth and Truro City) while Eastbourne’s only league defeat of the season came during their visit to Farnborough in a game which they lost 2-0.
Team News:
Ryan Blackman is set to remain absent. Cameron James and Geofrey Okonkwo are continuing to progress in their recoveries from respective knee injuries.
Following his absence against Hornchurch due to a knock, Kalvin Kalala returned to action in last week’s FA Cup win. Jake Hyde is pushing for a return to the matchday squad after being ruled out recently due to a knock of his own.
Matchday & ticketing information:
Supporters can click here to buy tickets online ahead of matchday, via the club’s Ticketpass website. Online tickets will be on sale until 12pm on the day of the game. Online ticket prices are as follows:
- Adults – £14.00*
- Concessions/Senior (65+) – £9.00*
- Student (17–24 with a valid ID Card) – £4.00*
- Youth (12–17) – £4.00*
- Under-12s (when accompanied by an adult) – Free
*plus booking fee
Tickets will also be available on the gate on the day of the fixture. Matchday ticket prices are as follows:
- Adult – £17
- Concession/Senior (65+) – £12
- Student (17-24 with valid ID card) – £6.50
- Youth (12-17) – £6.50
- Under-12s (when accompanied by an adult) – Free
How to follow the game:
Radio Clarets will provide live audio commentary of proceedings at the EMJ Community Stadium.
Clarets fans can find pre-match coverage of Saturday’s match and live updates of proceedings in Essex 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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