Tolleshunt D’Arcy Memorial Cup, Catons Lane, Friday 29th December 2023, 7:45pm kick-off.
Chelmsford City’s Tolleshunt D’Arcy Memorial Cup campaign begins this week, with Essex Senior League Premier Division side Saffron Walden Town standing in between City and a place in the semi-finals of the competition.
Here’s all Clarets fans need to know ahead of Friday’s game at Catons Lane…
Opposition:
Essex Senior League side Saffron Walden Town are experiencing a comfortable league campaign as they currently sit 12TH out of the 20 teams in their division. Nicknamed The Bloods, Saffron Walden have been a part of the Essex Senior League since 2018-19 after transferring from the Eastern Counties League.
The club has gone on to compete towards the top end of their new division since making this move; The Bloods were top of the table when the league was abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021–22 they were league runners-up, qualifying for a promotion play-off game versus Witham Town, which they lost 3–0. Last season, The Bloods finished 8th in the Essex Senior League.
Saffron Walden Town are managed by Jason Maher, who returned to the dugout at Catons Lane in September 2023 after a 10-month absence from the club. Maher’s side set up this week’s Tolleshunt D’Arcy Memorial Cup tie after beating Burnham Ramblers 2-0 in the previous round of the competition.
The Tolleshunt D’Arcy Memorial Cup:
According to the Essex FA, 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.
Under the competition’s rules 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 the match ends level after 90 minutes, then the game will be settled by a penalty shootout.
Team News:
Following his side’s win against Braintree on Boxing Day, Robbie Simpson offered the following team news update for Friday’s match:
“We’ll certainly be giving a lot of players rests,” Simpson confirmed.
“[There’ll be] opportunities for the players who didn’t start today [against Braintree], plus a few of our academy lads and a couple of the lads at Coggeshall who are doing okay.”
Getting there:
Clarets fans making the journey across Essex should know it takes around 50 minutes to travel by car from the club’s home ground in Melbourne to Catons Lane.
The postcode for Saffron Walden’s 2000 capacity Catons Lane ground is as follows:
CB10 2DU
Ticketing information:
Admission prices on Friday evening at Catons Lane are as follows:
· Adult: £8
· Senior: £5
· Under 16: £1
Weather:
Some rainfall is forecast in Saffron Walden between the time of writing and kick off on Friday.
Ahead of the match, Clarets supporters should stay tuned to the club’s official social media channels for any news of a possible pitch inspection prior to the game.
How to follow the game:
Radio Clarets will be providing live audio commentary of proceedings at Catons Lane.
Clarets fans can find pre-match coverage of Friday’s 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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