Royston Town V Chelmsford City FC, Pre-Season Friendly, Garden Walk, Saturday 20th July 2024, 3pm kick-off.
Chelmsford City’s pre-season preparations continue on Saturday when Robbie Simpson’s side make the 40-mile journey from Melbourne Community Stadium to the home of Southern League Premier Division Central outfit Royston Town.
The Clarets’ pre-season campaign will reach its midway point in Hertfordshire this weekend, when Simpson’s squad play their fourth friendly out of the eight matches which have been scheduled as part of the club’s preparations for the 2024-25 season.
City are due to take to the pitch three times in the next seven days, with two further friendlies set to follow this weekend’s game when the club welcomes Barnet and MK Dons to Melbourne Community Stadium next Monday and Wednesday respectively. Therefore, Saturday’s trip to Garden Walk will mark the beginning of a crucial and busy period of pre-season.
Here’s all that Clarets supporters need to know ahead of the game…
Opposition:
Since being promoted from the Southern League Division One Central in the 2016-17 season, Royston Town have been a mainstay in Step 3 of Non-League Football. The Crows’ current seven-year stay at this level of the pyramid has marked the best period in the club’s history, with Royston having previously never reached Step 3 prior to 2017.
Chris Watters’ side enjoyed a comfortable 2023-24 Southern League Premier Division Central season, ending the campaign sitting 10th in the league standings. 23-24 marked Watters’ first season in charge at Garden Walk, having previously been the club’s assistant manager for nearly 10 years until his appointment as joint-manager in May 2023. Watters then took on full managerial responsibilities late last year, following the departure of fellow joint-manager Steve Castle.
Preparations for Watters’ first full season at the helm on a solo basis are already well underway; Royston overcame Stotfold FC in a 1-0 victory during a pre-season friendly earlier this week.
Team News:
New arrivals Arthur Penney and Kane Crichlow could make their first appearances in Claret since signing for the club earlier this week. A gallery of the duo participating in their first training session as Chelmsford City players can be viewed below.
Ticketing information:
Ticket prices for Saturday’s match are as follows:
- Adults – £6
- Concessions – £4
- Kids – £2
How to follow the game:
Clarets fans can find pre-match coverage of Saturday’s match and live updates of proceedings in Hertfordshire 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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