Halstead Town FC V Chelmsford City FC
Essex Senior Cup Third Round, Milbank Stadium, Tuesday 28th November 2023, 7:45pm kick-off.
Chelmsford City’s Essex Senior Cup campaign begins this week, with Essex Senior League Premier Division side Halstead Town standing in between the Clarets and a place in the Fourth Round of the competition.
Here’s all Clarets fans need to know ahead of Tuesday’s game at Milbank Stadium…
Opposition:
Halstead Town, currently competing in the Essex Senior League Premier Division, have enjoyed a solid 2023/24 season so far. The Humbugs have made maximum progress in the Senior Cup and currently sit 9th in their league, which they were promoted to in 2022.
Mark McClean’s men finished in 4th place in the Thurlow Nunn League Division South during the 2021/22 campaign, securing a play-off spot. The Humbugs went on to beat Buckhurst Hill 2-1 in the play-off final, despite finishing 27 points behind their opponents.
After returning to Step 5 of Non-League Football last season, Halstead comfortably secured survival after finishing 15th out of the 20 teams in the division.
The Humbugs entered the 23/24 Essex Senior Cup in the first round of the competition, beating West Essex 4-3. This victory secured the Humbugs a second round tie against Southend Manor last month. Halstead emerged from this clash 3-2 winners, subsequently setting up this week’s third round clash.
Essex Senior Cup rules:
If Tuesday’s game at Milbank Stadium remains level after 90 minutes, then the tie will go straight to penalties, with no extra-time played in any round of the Essex Senior Cup.
Robbie Simpson is allowed to name five substitutes on the bench in this competition, and the manager can introduce all five substitutes if he wishes to do so.
Team News:
Robbie Simpson has confirmed that Ody Alfa is set for a spell on the sidelines, after the attacker was forced off at the weekend against Truro with a groin problem.
Ahead of a return to league action this weekend away to Bath City, the manager may look to use Tuesday’s Halstead game as an opportunity to rotate the Clarets’ starting eleven.
Following Saturday’s match, Simpson revealed that he may look to use some of the club’s younger players in this week’s Senior Cup clash.
Elsewhere, Samir Carruthers and Callum Watts might be some of the first team players who are given starts, as both look to continue their recoveries from recent injuries.
Jacob Marsden looks could be handed more minutes in goal following Josh Oluwayemi’s thumb injury, which will be assessed by a specialist this week.
Getting there:
Clarets fans making the journey across Essex should know it takes around 40 minutes to travel by car from the club’s home ground in Melbourne to Milbank Stadium.
The address for Halstead’s Milbank Stadium is as follows:
Rosemary LaneBroton Industrial EstateHalsteadEssexCO9 1HR
Ticketing information:
Admission prices on Tuesday evening at Milbank Stadium are as follows:
· Adults: £7
· Concessions: £3
· U14s: Free
How to follow the game:
Radio Clarets will be providing live audio commentary of proceedings at Milbank Stadium.
Clarets fans can find pre-match coverage of Tuesday’s game, 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.
Words by Jake Dixon.
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