Chelmsford City take on Hungerford Town in their penultimate home game of the regular season in the Vanarama National League South, in a game that has permutations at both ends of the table (3pm kick-off).
The opposition
Hungerford currently sit in 23rd, second-bottom, in the National League South after 41 games this season. They have won 9, drawn 9 and lost 23, scoring 42 goals and conceding 59 in the league campaign so far, which all adds up to 36 points.
Hungerford had a mid-table finish in the National League South last season but have struggled so far this campaign, especially after top scorer Ryan Seager moved on to Dorking Wanderers, and talented youngster Sol Wanjau-Smith joined Maidstone United in the summer. The Crusaders have struggled on the road of late, losing 7 of their last 9 in the league, including a damaging 1-0 defeat at fellow strugglers Concord on Thursday night.
In terms of players, Hungerford have Yeovil loanee goalkeeper Max Evans in between the sticks. In defence they have experienced former Wealdstone and Chippenham full-back Rhys Tyler, who is known for his marauding runs down the right. At centre-back in their last match they played Matt Berry-Hargreaves and former Peterhead man Kyle Bailey.
In midfield they have another Bristol Rovers loanee in the shape of Ryan Jones, who had a spell at Bath City last season. They also have former Swindon Town and Hemel Hempstead Town man Jake Evans, who scored the goal against the Clarets at Bulpit Lane, and former Eastbourne Borough midfielder Joel Rollinson. They have also recently brought in Portuguese winger Fabio Lopes, formerly of Oxford United.
Up front they can call upon Dartford loanee Dan Roberts, who scored 12 goals for Slough Town in the 2019-20 season in the National League South. They also have much travelled striker Great Evans, as well as former Braintree striker Joe Boachie, who’s last game for the Iron was the Essex Senior Cup semi-final win over Chelmsford in February.
Hungerford’s boss is Danny Robinson. Robinson is in his third season, having joined the club from Thatcham Town where he won the FA Vase at Wembley in 2018. He also won the Hellenic League with the Kingfishers to gain promotion to the Southern League.
Previous Meetings
City have a poor record of late against the Crusaders, with the Clarets winless in their last 4 against the men from Berkshire. City’s last win against Hungerford was in December 2019 when City won 4-1 at Melbourne with Tom Knowles, Shaun Jeffers, Chris Whelpdale and current City manager Robbie Simpson scoring the goals. Captain Dave Winfield, who scored his first Chelmsford goal of the season on Good Friday, scored against Hungerford in November 2019 when City beat the Crusaders in the FA Trophy.
Team News
City will hope to have Ade Oluwo back in contention after he suffered concussion against Farnborough on Good Friday. Frankie Terry and Freddie Hockey are doubts with their knee injuries. Harry Lodovica came off the bench on Easter Monday to make his first league appearance since February as he continues a comeback from injury.
Ticket News
Tickets are available on line at a discounted advance price to buy here
Adult – £13
Senior (65+) – £9
Concession – £9
Full-Time Student – £5
Youth (12-17) – £5
Under-12s – Free
Entry can also be purchased at the turnstiles on the day at the Melbourne Community Stadium.
Ticket prices on the day:
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 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.
Weather
It is set to be a mild afternoon in Chelmsford with highs of 13 degrees for kickoff but there is a chance of a shower or two.
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