Chelmsford City FC V Tonbridge Angels, National League South, The EMJ Community Stadium, Monday 19th August 2024, 7:45pm kick-off.
Robbie Simpson’s Clarets conclude the club’s first Saturday-Monday home double-header of the season with a clash against Tonbridge Angels on Monday evening.
After sharing the spoils against Hampton & Richmond on Saturday, City will be hoping to collect maximum points from a National League South game for the first time in the 2024-25 campaign when they return to action against the Angels.
Monday’s match will mark Jay Saunders side’s second trip to Essex in the space of just over 48 hours; Tonbridge shared the points in an away clash versus Aveley on Saturday to continue their unbeaten start to the season, following an opening day win against Weymouth.
Here’s all that Clarets supporters need to know ahead of the game…
Team & match stats:
- Angels duo Liam Vincent and Sean Shields have scored two National League South goals in two games so far this season, leaving them joint-second place in the division’s top goalscorer charts.
- Tonbridge’s last away defeat in the National League South came at the EMJ Community Stadium back in April, in a game which Robbie Simpson’s side won 3-0.
- The Angels’ last victory in Melbourne came in November 2020.
- Saunders’ men have not scored during their previous two visits to Chelmsford, with Simpson’s team running out 1-0 and 3-0 winners on those occasions.
Opposition:
The 2024-25 season marks Tonbridge Angels’ sixth consecutive campaign competing in the National League South. During their current stint playing in the second-tier of Non-League football, the Angels have only broke into the top half of the league table once, and this time around will be hoping to better last season’s 14th place finish.
In their quest to push on in the National League South standings, Tonbridge have had a busy summer in the transfer market and have made a host of new additions to their squad. Goalkeeper Toby Steward, defenders Ronny Nelson, Crossley Lema and Naz Bakrin, midfielder Taylor Maloney, winger Fumnaya Shomotun and forwards Trevan Robinson, Timmy Abraham, and Rayan Clarke have all been added to the Kent club’s arsenal over recent months.
Jay Saunders has also retained several of his side’s key players from last season. Former Claret Liam Vincent made a permanent switch to Tonbridge ahead of the new season, after ending the 2023-24 campaign playing for the Angels on loan from former club Portsmouth. Saunders has retained Mo Dabre for this season as well; the attacking midfielder has impressed in a Tonbridge shirt ever since he departed Chelmsford City for Longmead Stadium late last year. Back in March, club captain Scott Wagstaff committed to continuing in an Angels shirt for this season, and the former AFC Wimbledon man has joined Vincent and Dabre in the starting lineup for the Angels’ opening two league games.
Saunders’ side have been an entertaining team to watch over the first two matchdays of the 24-25 National League South season; they were on the right side of a 3-2 scoreline against Weymouth on the opening day before coming from behind twice at Parkside Stadium to draw with Aveley on Saturday.
Team News:
Robbie Simpson will assess the fitness of all of his squad members ahead of Monday’s game, following the tight turnaround from Saturday’s clash against Hampton & Richmond.
Defender Sam Gale made his Chelmsford City debut on Saturday after his loan move to the club from Gillingham was confirmed on Friday. Attacker Osman Foyo’s loan transfer to the EMJ Community Stadium was also announced on Friday evening. Ipswich loanee Foyo will hope to feature from the beginning against Tonbridge, after making his Clarets debut from the bench against Hampton & Richmond.
Cameron James and Geofrey Okonkwo look set to remain sidelined.
Matchday & ticketing information:
Supporters should note that tickets are only being sold on matchday at the turnstiles, and that online tickets are once again not being sold ahead of this fixture due to ongoing administrative tasks. We would like to advise those attending tomorrow’s game to arrive at the ground early, in order to avoid queues at the turnstiles. Cash or card payments are accepted.
Ticket prices for Monday’s match are as follows:
- Adult – £17
- Concession/Senior (65+) – £12
- Student (17-24 with valid ID) – £6.50
- Youth (12-17) – £6.50
- Under-12s – Free
How to follow the game:
Radio Clarets will provide live audio commentary of proceedings at Melbourne Community Stadium.
Clarets fans can find pre-match coverage of Monday’s match 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.
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