Heybridge Swifts V Chelmsford City FC, Tolleshunt D’Arcy Memorial Cup Semi-Final, The First Call Community Stadium, Tuesday 19th March 2024, 7:45pm kick-off.
Chelmsford City face Tolleshunt D’Arcy Memorial Cup holders Heybridge Swifts on Tuesday night, in a rematch of last season’s semi-final of the competition.
Here’s all that Clarets supporters need to know ahead of the game…
Team & match stats:
· Heybridge Swifts are looking to win the Tolleshunt D’Arcy Memorial Cup this season for the tenth time in the club’s history.
· Isthmian North side Swifts possess the fourth strongest defensive record in their division, having conceded 36 league goals in 23-24.
The Tolleshunt D’Arcy Memorial Cup:
The Tolleshunt D’Arcy Memorial Cup is run each year with the aim of raising as much money as possible for the Essex County FA Benevolent Fund, which benefits injured players.
Robbie Simpson can name any registered Chelmsford City player in his squad for the game, with a maximum of five substitutes being allowed on the bench, all of whom can be used if the manager wishes to do so.
If Tuesday’s match at The First Call Community Stadium ends in a draw after 90 minutes, then the game will be settled by a penalty shootout.
Opposition:
With the end of this season looming, Isthmian North playoff chasers Heybridge Swifts will be looking to go one better than they did last campaign as they hunt to secure promotion to the Isthmian Premier Division. Steve Tilson’s side were defeated 1-0 by AFC Sudbury in last year’s Isthmian North Division play-off final, resulting in Swifts fans experiencing further playoff heartbreak not for the first time recent years.
To give themselves the opportunity to go one better this time around, Tilson’s men will need to end this season strongly. The Swifts are currently five points adrift of a playoff place, but are in decent form at present having gone undefeated in their last three league games (W2, D1).
City will need to be wary of Swifts fans’ favourite Jack Adlington-Pile. Adlington-Pile has been in fine form for his side in 2024, having netted nine goals this calendar year.
In the Tolleshunt D’Arcy Memorial Cup this season, Heybridge Swifts needed a penalty to overcome Takeley in the quarter final stage of the competition in order to set up Tuesday’s tie with the Clarets. City also ran out as penalty shootout winners in the quarter final of the competition, after Saffron Walden Town staged a second half comeback against Simpson’s side to make the game end 2-2 in normal time.
Tilson’s side reached the final of the competition last season after beating City on penalties in the semi-final. A late equaliser in the tie scored by Swifts man Callum Taylor cancelled out Simeon Jackson’s 62nd minute goal, and forced the tie to go to a penalty shootout, which Heybridge won 4-3. The Swifts then convincingly beat Wivenhoe Town in the final to lift the trophy.
Team News:
Manager Robbie Simpson has offered the following team news update ahead of Tuesday’s game:
“We’ll speak about what team we pick,” said Simpson following Saturday’s win over Bath City.
“The schedule recently has been gruelling, and we’ve had some players who we’ve wanted to rest but maybe haven’t.
“We’ll look at where we’re at for Tuesday. The most important thing is the league, but this is a game we want to win.”
Getting there:
Supporters travelling by car to Tuesday’s match should know that the journey from Melbourne Community Stadium to The First Call Community Stadium takes around half an hour.
There is no Chelmsford City Supporters Club coach travelling to this game.
Ticketing information:
Ticket prices for Tuesday’s game are as follows:
· £10 (Adults)
· £5 (60+/17-18/NHS/Emergency Services)
· £2 (U16)
How to follow the game:
Radio Clarets will provide live commentary of proceedings at The First Call Community Stadium.
Clarets fans can find pre-match coverage of Tuesday’s match and live updates of proceedings across 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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