Chelmsford City FC V Weston-super-Mare, National League South, Melbourne Community Stadium, Monday 29th January 2024, 7:45pm kick-off.
Chelmsford City will play their third league game in the space of seven days when they welcome Weston-super-Mare to Essex on Monday evening.
City – currently 3rd in the National League South table – can move joint-second place in the standings if they pick up a seventh consecutive league victory, while also building a six-point advantage over 4th placed Maidstone for the time being.
Meanwhile Weston, who arrive in Essex sitting 15th in the table, will climb into the top half of the league if they win by two goals or more at the Melbourne Community Stadium.
Here’s all that Clarets supporters need to know ahead of the game…
Team & match stats:
· The Seagulls are looking to record their first clean sheet in 10 games.
· Weston have also conceded in each of their last 5 matches against Chelmsford.
· The Clarets are undefeated in their last 8 clashes against Monday’s Somerset-based visitors.
Opposition:
Weston’s 15-year tenure in the National League South came to an end in the 2018/19 campaign, when the club were relegated after finishing bottom of the table. Last season the Seagulls won the Southern League Premier South, earning Scott Bartlett’s side an eagerly awaited return to the second tier of non-league football.
Despite being newly promoted, the Somerset-based club have competed impressively so far this campaign and currently are well on track to secure a second season of National League South football, with Bartlett signing a new long-term deal at the Optima Stadium this week.
A key man in Bartlett’s side this season has been centre back Lloyd Humphries, who has been a mainstay in Weston’s starting eleven. The Welshman joined the club from Cardiff in 2020 and was voted Player of the Year by Weston supporters for his role in the club’s promotion winning 22/23 campaign. Humphries has continued to be a key figure for the Seagulls this season, starting every single league game so far in 23-24.
Further forward, Weston’s main goal threats come from striker Reuben Reid and captain Dayle Grubb. Despite starting this season slowly by not scoring his first league goal of the season until October, 35-year-old Reid has gone on to net 9 times for his side since then, making him the Seagulls’ top league goalscorer at present. Meanwhile Grubb, who has notched up over 400 appearances across two spells at the Optima Stadium, has scored six times in the league this season, as he looks to finish as Weston’s top scorer for a third consecutive campaign.
Elsewhere, Simpson’s side will also have to be wary of the threat of Robbie Willmott, a name City fans will be highly familiar with. Willmott played at Melbourne Community Stadium during the 2016-17 season, earning the club’s Player of the Year award after contributing over 30 assists during his single year in Essex. Willmott signed for Weston on loan from Woking in October, and he scored his first two league goals for the club in their 3-1 win over Tonbridge on Saturday.
Team News:
Robbie Simpson will assess the fitness of his squad as his team return to action just over 48 hours after beating Hampton & Richmond.
The fitness of Samir Carruthers in particular will be examined. The attacking midfielder was substituted on Saturday after going down with a problem.
Forward Mo Bettamer is pushing for a return to action as he steps up his recovery from injury.
Ticketing information:
Ticket prices online:
Adult – £14Concession/Senior (65+) – £9Student (17-24 with valid ID) – £4Youth (12-17) – £4Under-12s – Free
Supporters can also buy tickets on the day at Melbourne Community Stadium. Matchday turnstile prices are as follows:
Adult – £17.00Concession/Senior (65+) – £12.00Student (17-24 with valid ID) – £6.50Youth (12-17) – £6.50Under-12s – Free
How to follow the game:
Radio Clarets will be providing live audio commentary of proceedings at Melbourne Community Stadium.
The game is also being live streamed on National League TV, and supporters who can’t make the game can purchase streaming passes for the game via the National League TV website.
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.
Words by Jake Dixon.
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