Hashtag United v Chelmsford City, Pre-Season Friendly, Parkside, Monday 21st July 2025, 7:45pm kick-off.
Chelmsford City make a quick return to pre-season action when they face Hashtag United on Monday night.
Both sides are heading into the fixture on the back of their latest friendlies a little more than 48 hours after they last took to the pitch, with the Clarets losing to Brackley Town on Saturday afternoon, while the Tags took on Maldon & Tiptree away from home.
Despite falling to a late defeat against Brackley, City boss Angelo Harrop was pleased with many aspects of his side’s performance against National League opposition, and will hope to build on the positives against Isthmian Premier Division outfit Hashtag.
Here’s all that Clarets fans need to know ahead of the game…
Opposition:
Hashtag United were founded by creator Spencer Carmichael-Brown, and the club initially played exhibition games on YouTube around the world, including at Wembley Stadium. In 2018, the Tags moved into the world of non-league football and have enjoyed three promotions since then, meaning they now rank as a Step 3 Isthmian League Premier outfit.
The Tags entered the non-league pyramid at Step Six and have since risen to within touching distance of the National League South. They were promoted in their first season in non-league (2018/19), again in 2020/21 on a points-per-game basis after the league was curtailed due to COVID, and then once more in 2022/23. Former Chelmsford City men Ben Brookes and Jermaine Francis made significant contributions to the latter of Hashtag’s three promotion seasons, before leaving the club to move across Essex and play in Claret. Hashtag have played two seasons in the Isthmian Premier Division since then, finishing 13th and 8th respectively.
Jay Devereux, the club’s long-serving manager since his arrival in 2018, is looking to push his side even closer to the play-off places this season. Preparations for the 2025/26 season have included friendlies versus Basildon United, Redbridge FC, Stanway Rovers and Maldon & Tiptree. The Tags have won three out of four of these games, with the lone defeat coming against Stanway.
Team news:
Considering the tight turnaround from Saturday’s game against Brackley Town, Harrop will be looking to manage his squad carefully as the beginning of the National League South season draws nearer.
Matchday & Ticketing information:
Hashtag United’s home games are played at Parkside (RM15 4PX), the home of recent National League South club Aveley.
Tickets are available to purchase on matchday at Parkside. Prices are as follows: £5 / £3 / £1
How to follow the game:
Radio Clarets will NOT provide live audio commentary for this game.
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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