Chelmsford City FC V Redbridge FC
Essex Senior Cup Fourth Round, Melbourne Community Stadium, Monday 11th December 2023, 7:30pm kick-off.
Chelmsford City’s Essex Senior Cup journey continues tonight, with Isthmian North Side Redbridge FC standing between Robbie Simpson’s side and a place in the quarter-finals of the competition.
Here’s all Clarets fans need to know ahead of this evening’s game at the Melbourne Community Stadium…
Opposition:
Since becoming known as Redbridge FC in 2004, the Motormen have experienced relegations, play-off heartbreak, and promotion.
Formerly known as Ford United until the 2004/05 season, Redbridge FC’s first season under their new name ended in disappointment as the club was relegated from the Conference South. The Motormen experienced back-to-back relegations, when the club then dropped down to the Isthmian Division One North, after finishing 22nd during their first season in the Isthmian League Premier.
Under the management of former Chelmsford City boss Dean Holdsworth, the Motormen suffered a play-off defeat in their second year of Isthmian Division One North football, consigning them to another eight seasons at this level before they endured another relegation in the 2015/16 campaign, this time to the Essex Senior League.
The Motormen suffered a play-off loss in 2021/22 as they looked to return to the Isthmian Leagues, but they bounced back the following season with a dramatic 3-2 win against Haywards Heath Town in an inter-step play off final. This earned Redbridge promotion to the Isthmian North, with George Christou’s side currently sitting in a comfortable 14th place during their first season back at this level since 2016.
Redbridge progressed to this round of the Essex Senior Cup after convincingly beating Southend United’s U19’s team 4-0 at Roots Hall last week.
Essex Senior Cup rules:
If Monday’s match at the Melbourne Community Stadium ends in a draw 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 players from the bench if he wishes to do so.
Team News:
Anthony Wordsworth is suspended for tonight’s match, with the midfielder serving the first match of the ban he has received for his straight red card in the previous round of this competition.
Ody Alfa made his return to the match day squad at the weekend after a spell sidelined with a groin issue. The manager may look to use this evening’s game as an opportunity to hand Alfa his first minutes since last month.
New signing Henry Gray will be pushing for his first start in between the sticks for the Clarets, after joining the club on loan from Ipswich Town last week.
Dimitri Nicolaou was named amongst the substitutes at the RAW Charging Stadium on Saturday, marking his second involvement in a Chelmsford squad after making his Clarets debut against Halstead two weeks ago. The defender has linked up with the club thanks to our partnership with Coggeshall Town, and he will be looking to make his second start for the club later today.
In injury news, captain Dave Winfield missed out against Oxford City with a slight issue. Liam Vincent is expected to remain sidelined.
Ticketing information:
Admission prices on Monday evening at Melbourne Community Stadium are as follows:
· Adults: £10
· Concessions & U18s: £5
· U12s: Free
How to follow the game:
Radio Clarets will be providing live audio commentary of this evening’s proceedings.
Clarets fans can find pre-match coverage of the 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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