Grassroots Magazine April Issue 6

So we have now reached the business end of the Season, already we are seeing Cup finals being played out & League titles won. Good luck if your team is due to participate in a final, they are great days that the various leagues work hard to put on.

Again the weather has played a massive part this month with so many games postponed due to heavy rain & waterlogged pitches, we hope that after the Easter break there will be a run of games so the season can be completed.

I’d like to draw your attention to our Essex Charity section, Dave Neill is part of the set up & has raised plenty of money for Charity, its now our turn to help him as he tries to raise a huge amount of money to get the private treatment he needs.

Please if you spare anything no matter how small it will be greatly appreciated.

Please remember to get in touch with any news you have, our noticeboard if for any club to advertise for players, sponsors & special matches. You can reach us at grassrootsmag@btinternet.com

Good Luck all.

The Grassroots team

This Months Content

Match Fit

Level Up Charity FC

Kit Aid

EWWFL

Adult Leagues

Youth Leagues

Prostate F.C.

Notice Board

London Transplant United

Farleigh’s

The Clarets

Page 4

Page 10

Page 12

Page 14

Page 24

Page 25

Page 30

Page 34

Page 34

Page 38

Page 44

WHY YOUR PERFORMANCES PLATEAU

Your performance can hit a plateau in many ways. If you have plateaued, you’ll notice that the gains you’ve been making in training have halted. Maybe you’ve been making steady progress in terms of weight increments in the gym or sprint speed on the pitch and now you seem to have hit a glass ceiling. Or perhaps you’re just not feeling as sharp on the pitch or as strong and powerful in the gym as you normally do. Performances plateau for different reasons but pinpointing the cause may lead to a quick and easy fix. The main causes are generally:

• Over-training

• Inadequate sleep, nutrition and recovery

• Psychological stress

OVER-TRAINING

The first thing to look at is your workload. Let’s say you’re playing Tuesday and Saturday (and have to travel a long way to matches), training with the team three times per week and also scheduling strength-based gym sessions. Sudden spikes in workload without careful consideration can cause a lot of stress to your body and even lead to illness. If this resonates with you, the simplest solution is to be smart and reduce your workload until you return to feeling energetic and healthy, especially during the season. Begin by taking the least important activities out of your weekly schedule. Of course, the most important ones are always your team matches and training sessions.

KEY POINT:

If you think overtraining may be the cause of your performance plateau, make sure you have at least one, ideally two rest days each week and consider ways to reduce your workload without negatively affecting your overall performance. During the competition period when you’re playing lots of games, it comes down to doing the minimum amount of work to get the maximum amount of gains. This is also referred to as the minimum effective dose.

INADEQUATE SLEEP, NUTRITION AND RECOVERY

If the above doesn’t apply to you and your workload is appropriate, your performance plateau could be the result of inadequate sleep, poor nutrition, or a lack of recovery time after games or training.

SLEEP:

The general advice is to aim for an 8-hour sleep every night, but anything from 7 and a half up to 10 hours could be the right amount for you. Sleeping for 10 hours might be a luxury you can’t justify, however, getting as much sleep as you can is going to lead to feeling better in training and matches.

NUTRITION:

Having sufficient protein and carbohydrates in your daily diet will also have a positive impact on your performance. As a general guide, this should be 2g of protein per kg of bodyweight and 4g-5g of carbohydrate per kg of bodyweight per day (although you may eat less on rest days).

RECOVERY:

Maintaining flexibility, tissue quality and joint mobility is essential in terms of boosting recovery and staying injury free. Foam rolling and stretching are the most effective strategies to use and any tight areas should be released consistently to keep you performing at your best. Being able to sit into a deep squat position comfortably is a good indicator of having the flexibility and mobility required to move well on the pitch.

PSYCHOLOGICAL SOURCES:

When you’re training in the gym, the weights, reps and sets in your programme make it easy to identify a progression or regression in your body’s condition. If you notice that you’re no longer making gains or you’re not able to lift as much as you did in the previous week, you have a clear indication of a performance plateau or dip.

As mentioned, in gym training it’s simple to measure and monitor your performance objectively, but monitoring your performance in a football training session becomes much more subjective. With objective measures, a dip in progress lets you know that you need to pull back somewhere in your training schedule and reduce your workload, but when measures are subjective, it’s harder to evaluate your performance and know whether you’ve really plateaued.

One way to help with this is to use the RPE scale (rate of perceived exertion), it’s a simple 0-10 scoring system where you give the perceived intensity of your session a score, we outline how to use this in both our testing guide and true tracking system. You can then combine your RPE score with the number of training minutes to give an overall training units score. For example, if you had just finished a training session which was 60 minutes long and you perceived the intensity to be a 7/10 (very hard), then your training units for that session would be 60 x 7 = 420.

AVOIDING IN-SEASON PLATEAUS

Hitting a plateau in training is a normal part of your body’s adaptation process. Gradually increasing the workload in steady increments and allowing appropriate recovery between sessions promotes steady improvements, however, it’s natural to plateau at times when your body needs additional time to adapt to new stresses.

Athletes in all sports hit performance plateaus at some stage in training and in competition. Olympic sprinters might achieve a PB in one race, but they’re not going to keep on improving on that PB in every race that follows. Olympic weightlifters might lift a new WR weight in one round, but they’re not going to keep on breaking that record in every consecutive round. Plateaus occur and by following a progressive training plan and continually monitoring yourself, further improvements will be achieved over time.

As a player, reaching peak fitness for crucial games and avoiding in-season plateaus is important. The most important games tend to come towards the end of the season when teams are chasing cup finals or trying to avoid relegation, so improving in pre-season and then maintaining your performance levels throughout the season is key.

Plateauing when you’re in the form of your life is one thing, but experiencing a dip in your performance mid-season is another.

KEY POINTS:

• Monitor your progress objectively in the gym

• Monitor your progress subjectively in football training

• Make sure you’re doing everything in your power to optimise your performance at every stage by sleeping well, eating well and boosting recovery by maintaining your flexibility, tissue quality and joint mobility

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LEVEL UP CHARITY F.C

Level up cfc started in may 2021 and was set up by sports coaches to help raise money and awareness for a charity called scope. This charity helps children with disabilities which was close to our hearts.

In 2022 we decided that we would change charity to prostate cancer UK. This is because someone close to us was diagnosed with prostate cancer so we wanted to show our support. Our games are played at Heybridge swifts but do travel around having played in Southend, Billericay, Rochford, Witham and Harwich.

We have raised just over £4,000 so far for charity and are keen to keep spreading awareness and raising money for a wonderful cause.

We are lucky to be sponsored by Douglas Allen, a local estate agents who have helped provide us kit to play in and offer us ongoing support in our fundraising journey.

We are actively looking to find more sponsors to help us on our journey so people can get in touch to join us on our journey.

Our charity tournament is back for a second year this year and will be on June 17th with all proceed going to charity. Last year we raised £1200 for charity and hope to beat it this year!

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Essex Women’s Walking Football League

How it all started,

Back in September 2022 Debbie & Jenny were asked to help form a women’s walking football league under the umbrella of the Essex men’s WF league. We formed a sub-committee. Unfortunately, this did not lead to fruition.

After a lot of wasted time, we then called a meeting back in December 2022 and formed our own committee. This only gave us three months to get everything in place and set the league up in its entirety.

Our main aim was to develop women’s walking football in Essex. To give women’s teams a chance to play competitively and on a regular basis without incurring lots of travelling, as this is the case in women’s walking football. We also felt it would be good to form a league in our own right and not be in the shadow of a men’s league.

From December onwards we met regularly, right up until the first match day on 11th March 2023. Lots of blood, sweat and tears were shed…. We continually met with the Essex FA to update rules, laws and discuss the day to day running of the league.

I would like to personally thank Jackie Wood – Fixtures/Results Secretary who has helped drive this forward. Thanks also go to Simone Lyons – Chairperson, Heather Osborne – Equipment Officer, Jenny Hill – Referee’s Officer, Anita Hammond –Treasurer who have all taken an active part in this project. A special mention to Sarah Gilbert-Murphy who has been working with our Treasurer.

We’d also like to thank specifically Emma Burden and Karl Sear and the rest of the team at the Essex FA for helping get this off the ground.

We currently have an open position on the committee for a social media/PR person to join the committee and keep all our social media platforms up to date. We are actively looking for committee members who would like to join the league and help continue the good work that has already been done. If you are interested contact Debbie –EWWFL2023@hotmail.com.

We have started the league with six teams as follows:

Great Wakering – Greens, Paringdon Pirates, Leyton Orient, Billericay Town,Great Wakering – Whites and Clacton Rhinos.

We have interest from a further four teams who weren’t quite ready for the start of this season but will be ready for the new season. Matches are played at: Melbourne Park, Salerno Way, Chelmsford CM1 2EH

Link to our page on the Essex FA website: https://www.essexfa.com/news/2023/mar/13/essex-womenswalking-football-league-launched

We are the first women’s league to affiliate to the Walking Football League Alliance (WFLA)

https://wfla.uk/member-leagues-contacts/

TEAMS

Paringdon Pirates

Great Wakering

Clacton Rhinos

Leyton Orient

Great Wakering

Billericay Town

Concord Rangers U13s Girls

Grassroots Magazine would like to congratulate Concord Rangers U13s girls on winning the Southend Boys League 22/2023 season. They are only the 2nd girls team in Britain to ever win a boys league with a game in hand.

They are holding trials for all positions for the 2023/24 season.

Pathway to women’s football opportunities, with FA qualified coaches to support the girls football journey.

Please contact Safe for more details: 07842676834

Safe-d08@hotmail.com

Broomfield Lions U12’s

The Lions U12’s are looking for a sponsor for next season, if you would like to sponsor the Lions please contact them thorough their Website: www.broomfieldfc.com

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Grassroots Magazine would like to support Essex Charity FC with their CLUB APPEAL!!

Unfortunately, all of us at Essex Charity Football Club have been rocked by some sad news about of club Chairman Dave Neill.

For those who are not aware Dave has unfortunately been battling cancer for a while now that returned after 7 years and has been going through extensive treatment to cure him from this horrible disease. Unfortunately, Dave and is family have been given the sad news that his treatment has failed, and the NHS have advised there is nothing they specially can do, and the only option now is to try private treatment.

We are sure you can imagine that private treatment is extremely expensive but what we can tell you is that this man is a fighter and along with the support of us and his loved ones will do everything we can to try and get him the treatment he so badly needs and deserves.

With that said a GoFund me page has been set up below for anyone who would like to donate. Now we appreciate that time are tough for everyone so if you are unable to donate, we would massively appreciate it if you could share the page so we can spread the message fare and wide throughout the community.

Dave, we love you man, and we are all behind you and with you in this fight.

Fundraiser by David Neill : Help Dave Beat His Cancer (gofundme.com)

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Local referee around Basildon area

Charlie Forrest TEL: 07377999847

All youth sides are £20 a game

And over 18's are £40 a game

Happy and willing to commute to surrounding areas

CLICK HERE: For my Facebook page 'FFR’ (Forrest footballing referee’)

IF YOU ARE A REFEREE AND WOULD LIKE TO ADVERTISE PLEASE CALL 07752 178637, OR EMAIL: grassrootsmag@btinternet

Unbelievable Jeff: Sky Sports legend Stelling set for another Marathon March for Prostate Cancer

UK

• Jeff is inviting fans to join him on the one-day fundraising marathon march to Adams Park on September 17

• Join Jeff Stelling’s Football March here

Sky

The long-time football anchor, who sports Prostate Cancer UK’s iconic ‘Man of Men’ badge on Soccer Saturday each and every week, has helped raise around £1.4m for the leading men’s health charity, and immeasurable awareness about a disease that kills one man every 45 minutes, on a series of epic marathon marches since 2016.

And on September 17th 2023 Stelling will spearhead a special one-day fundraising march from Wembley to Wycombe in tribute to fellow broadcaster Turnbull, who sadly died of prostate cancer in August last year.

Stelling will set off from the home of football en route to Buckinghamshire and the picturesque Adams Park, home of the League One Chairboys –and you can sign up to join him or sponsor him and raise crucial funds at prostatecanceruk.org/jeffsmarch

Following stints in regional radio, both Stelling and Turnbull cut their reporting teeth at LBC before going onto become household names in the broadcasting field, Bill, the doyen of breakfast television Monday to Friday and Jeff as the face of Soccer Saturday for more than two decades.

Jeff said: “Bill was a legendary broadcaster and most importantly a superb human being. But his life was cruelly cut short by prostate cancer.

“Although our paths crossed fleetingly, we shared so many similar values and we trod similar paths in our careers. We also embraced true underdog spirit in the teams we passionately followed, me with Hartlepool United and Bill with Wycombe Wanderers.

“Bill’s support for not just Prostate Cancer UK but for everyone affected by this awful disease, was incredible. Those people he touched with his story, and those lives he saved by going public, that’s the legacy he leaves.

“Sadly for Bill he was diagnosed too late. His subsequent mission was to inform men and their families about this disease and ensure others don’t go through what him and his family did. Walking to Wycombe in honour of him is the perfect way to continue his legacy, and for those other men lost to this disease.

Wycombe Wanderers will mark a 105th UK football club visited by Jeff since departing his beloved Hartlepool United on his first march in 2016. He’s trekked a whopping 864 miles in the process.

He continues to proudly wear Prostate Cancer UK’s ‘Man of Men’ badge each and every week on Soccer Saturday, and earlier this month signed up for Prostate FC, the biggest team in football, taking on the most common cancer in men.

Prostate FC is the home of Prostate Cancer UK activity within the beautiful game. The team brings people together, surpasses rivalries and unites them behind a disease which is killing their teammates. Fans can sign up and take on the march here.

Jeff added: “This will be my 34th walk for Prostate Cancer UK, a brilliant charity who do so much to help men and their loved ones affected by this disease. By taking part, people can help Prostate Cancer UK’s quest to raise crucial funds to save and improve the lives of men affected by prostate cancer through funding research and supporting men and their families.

“Wycombe are a brilliantly run club, who continue to punch above their weight among some heavyweight teams in League One, and long may that continue under their new manager, Matt Bloomfield, who is very much part of the furniture at Adams Park.”

Bloomfield, who made more than more than 500 appearances for Wycombe across an 18-year spell at the club, before returning to take charge in February, joined Jeff at the launch, and said: “Bill was such a kind, lovely man, and we all miss him greatly. He was such a big fan of this football club, so its wonderful we are able to continue to remember him, and help raise funds and awareness at the same time.

“The stats about prostate cancer are shocking. One in eight men will get it, one in four if you are black. That’s why I wear my badge, to show solidarity with anyone affected by this disease, men, and their loved ones.

“Huge respect to Jeff for taking on yet another challenge and I’m urging all Chairboys fans, football fans, and fans of Bill to join him for something really special.”

One in eight men are affected by prostate cancer, the most common cancer in men. That’s thousands of dads, grandads, brothers, partners, uncles, sons and mates.

Sports broadcasting legend Jeff Stelling will take on a 34th marathon Football March for Prostate Cancer UK, from Wembley to Wycombe Wanderers, in honour of the late Bill Turnbull.

• Soccer Saturday presenter Jeff Stelling marching from Wembley to Wycombe in honour of broadcaster and Chairboys fan Bill Turnbull

Bill’s wife Sesi said: “All of us in the family are so grateful to Jeff Stelling for paying tribute to our beloved Bill by taking on another epic marathon march this year for Prostate Cancer UK. Bill knew Jeff from early in their broadcasting careers, and they shared a love of smaller football clubs with great spirit - in Jeff’s case Hartlepool United. Jeff has done so much exceptional work to raise money to help all those affected by prostate cancer, and we admire his determination and unwavering support for Prostate Cancer UK.

“The whole family is delighted that Jeff has chosen to finish his marathon walk at Bill’s club, Wycombe Wanderers. Bill’s years spent supporting The Chairboys gave him great happiness. It is such a special club and it was like a family to him as he faced up to prostate cancer. I know that the love and support from the management, players, staff, the Couhig family and fans at Adams Park held us all up in some tough times. Bill would be so pleased that Jeff has the backing of the mighty Wanderers supporting this event.

“We all miss Bill so much. It meant a great deal to Bill that he had helped others get treatment for prostate cancer by sharing his story. By supporting Jeff’s marathon march together with Wycombe Wanderers, Prostate Cancer UK and the football community we hope that his legacy will live on and save even more lives.”

Prostate Cancer UK Chief Executive Laura Kerby said: “We’re absolutely delighted that Jeff Stelling will dust off his walking boots again to take on yet another epic marathon march for Prostate Cancer UK.

“For more than seven years now, he has played a huge part in helping us raise crucial awareness throughout football, and money to fund lifesaving research to diagnose men sooner and improve the lives of men affected by prostate cancer. We can’t thank him enough for that. But there is still work to do. That’s why Jeff is back, and its why we want as many fans as possible to join him and help us raise those crucial funds.

“It’s also incredibly poignant that we will be finishing this march at the home of Wycombe Wanderers, the club our supporter Bill Turnbull followed so loyally.

“Bill defied his own diagnosis to inspire thousands of men at risk of, or affected by, prostate cancer making countless lifesaving interactions. We remain forever grateful for his support and know this march will continue his wonderful legacy.”

Sign up atprostatecanceruk.org/jeffsmarch

About Jeff Stelling’s Football March

o Prostate Cancer UK have launched Jeff Stelling’s Football March, the charity’s latest walking challenge on Sunday 17 September, 2023.

o Sky Sports Soccer Saturday broadcasting legend Jeff Stelling has raised around £1.4m and huge awareness for Prostate Cancer UK during four walks in 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2021

o He walked 10 marathons from Hartlepool to Wembley and 15 from Exeter to Newcastle in 2016 and 2017 respectively, and in 2019 completed four marathons in four countries in four days. In 2021 he took on four walking marathons in four regions.

o Jeff has visited 104 football clubs since departing his beloved Hartlepool United on his first march in 2016 and has visited clubs in all four UK nations. He’s trekked a whopping 864 miles in the process – or 1.8 million steps – and has been joined by more than 1,900 football fans and supporters in that time.

o Get sponsored and raise money to fund lifesaving research to diagnose men sooner and improve the lives of men affected by prostate cancer

o For more information, visit prostatecanceruk.org/jeffsmarch

About Prostate Cancer UK

o Prostate Cancer UK has a simple ambition – to stop prostate cancer damaging the lives of men and their families

o Investing into finding better treatments and tests that could save thousands of lives.

o Working with the NHS to make sure men get access to breakthrough tests and treatments.

o Spreading the word about who is at risk of prostate cancer, especially to those at higher risk.

o Supporting people dealing with prostate cancer and providing health information

o Visitprostatecanceruk org now to help beat this disease @ProstateUK

About prostate cancer

o Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men

o More than 52,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year on average – that's 143 men every day

o Every 45 minutes one man dies from prostate cancer – that's more than 12,000 men every year.

o 1 in 8 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime. This raises to 1 in 4 for black men.

o Around 475,000 men are living with and after prostate cancer

o A 30-second online risk checker is available at prostatecanceruk org/risk-checker

o Prostate cancer mainly affects men over 50 and the risk increases with age But the risk is higher for black men or men with a family history of prostate cancer, so they may wish to speak to their GP from age 45

o Prostate cancer often has no symptoms so men shouldn’t wait to see changes before they act.

o Anyone with concerns about prostate cancer may contact Prostate Cancer UK's Specialist Nurses in confidence on 0800 074 8383 or online via the Live Chat instant messaging service: www.prostatecanceruk.org.

Grassroots is proud to be supporting Farleigh Hospice

Grassroots Magazine is delighted to be supporting local charity, Farleigh Hospice. In each edition, we will be sharing with you their latest news along with upcoming events that you can get involved in!

Farleigh Hospice has been a cornerstone of our local community since 1982 when, following the death of a lady called Audrey Appleton from cancer, her friends Glenda Lance and Dr Gill Collier launched an appeal to establish hospice services in and around Chelmsford.

Since its creation later that same year, Farleigh has provided hospice care to thousands of people affected by life-limiting illnesses and bereavement across mid Essex. The hospice, which is celebrating its 40th birthday this year, continues to help people to live as actively as possible from the point of diagnosis to the end of their lives, by providing physical and emotional care, free of charge.

As a charity, Farleigh relies on the generosity of the local community to raise the £6 million it needs every year to care and support those who rely on its services. One of the ways that Farleigh engages with the community is through the range of fundraising events it organises throughout the year, which are listed on its websitewww.farleighhospice.org/events

Here we take a look at some of the exciting events coming up… the Annual Quiz, Sponsored Doggy Walk and Autumn Shopping Extravaganza!

Get muddy for Farleigh this summer!

Midsummer Mudness is an exciting new evening event on Thursday 22 June at Wild Forest in Brentwood, which is the home of the Nuclear Races obstacle course. If you’ve ever wanted to try the infamous course, you will love this shorter 2km version with a variety of obstacles - including the death slide and zip wire – and plenty of mud!

It starts at 5.30pm so it’s the perfect after work team building event. You can also sign up with your friends and family for an unforgettable evening or take part on your own for a unique personal challenge, while raising money for Farleigh!

Once you are in the forest, you’ll be faced with an adventurous 90 minute obstacle course as you walk, run, climb and wade through woodland bogs and obstacles, finishing with zipwires into water and the famous death slide.

It’s not about how quickly you do it - it’s about taking on the challenge as a team and, of course, getting really muddy!

All sponsorship money raised from this challenge will help Farleigh to continue providing physical and emotional care to local patients and families living with a life limiting illness or bereavement.

A limited number of places are available, so don’t miss out. Please book by 31st March to secure your Early Bird Discount on tickets.

For more information and to book your place, please visit www.farleighhospice.org/mud

Please note, this event is not suitable for wheelchair users. For accessible events, please visit www.farleighhospice.org/events

If you have any questions, please contact our Fundraising Team 01245 457411 or events@farleighhospice.org

The bathroom is a place we all visit on regular basis. Whether it is to answer nature's call or just freshen up, we somehow end up developing a special relationship with our bathrooms. There is no other place on earth where we can find so much peace with nobody to bother us. And we can create this excellent place right for you!

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It is a well-known fact that bathrooms sell houses. They also add a touch of indulgence to your home. With this in mind, choosing your bathroom is a long-term investment; it is important that you choose wisely. Our years of experience have helped us to gain a good understanding of what works and what doesn’t. We take the time to listen to our customers’ needs and make recommendations to them based on their requirements and our extensive experience. We are proud of our team of bathroom fitters and guarantee a friendly, clean and tidy service; we always aim to exceed your expectations, which is why we have gained the reputation as one of Essex's finest local bathroom installers.

We take a personal approach to every bathroom fitting we complete and ensure that every bathroom delivers on quality, value, functionality and appearance. If you would like a free, no-obligation consultation and quote please contact us.

For more information about our bathroom installation services and to take a look at some of the work done by our friendly, professional bathroom fitters.

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After a week without a game, but 2 training sessions, the Clarets were prepared for the visit to second placed Dartford. With the Clarets in 4th, it was set up to be a good clash as Dartford were seeking revenge from December, where Louis Dunne’s late goal won Chelmsford the 3 points. Dartford took the lead late on in the first half, but it was late late action in the second half. A wonder strike from Ody Alfa late on seemingly got the Clarets a good point on the road. However, up stepped Giovanni McGregor was a superb winner deep into injury time sealing all 3 points. Once again, pure pandemonium.

After a superb win last Saturday, a few changes came the way of the Clarets. With Eddie Beach away on international duty, Jacob Marsden was in between the sticks. Along with Eddie, Jazzi Barnum-Bobb has also gone away with the St. Vincent and the Grenadines squad. Two other changes saw Tom Blackwell and Giovanni McGregor drop to the bench, with the super subs from last week, Freddie Hockey and Callum Jones, making their way into the starting squad. With Dave Winfield serving his final game of suspension today, Frankie Terry and Ade Oluwo were once again joined by Ben Brookes defensively as the trio looked to build upon a good performance last week.

The game got underway, with the Clarets kicking off at Princes Park. The opening minutes was played in the air before Ben Brookes was able to get the ball down and play an excellent ball to Freddie Hockey. He outpaced Connor Essam and got into the box before he hit a low ball across the box. Folivi and Alfa were both stretching for it, but neither managed any clear contact, as an amazing opportunity was missed. Chelmsford would hope to continue the quick start with Freddie Hockey causing early problems for the Dartford defenders. It was Robbie’s other unenforced change pulling the strings as Callum Jones was finding space just behind the 2 strikers and being able to drive. The Clarets looked to get a chance to attack, but a foul was given away, right down in the corner of Dartford’s half. The free kick saw possession given away, and a corner was won from the attack. Oluwo rose highest and got his head to the ball, seeing his effort blocked and penalty claims waved away. The early stages saw Chelmsford dominate as joy was found playing the ball over the top of Dartford’s backline. A great ball picked out Folivi, as he went 1 on 1 with Essam. He cut inside and looked to reverse his shot to the near post but was only able to scuff an effort wide of the post.

With early stages of Chelmsford domination over, Dartford had a fantastic chance. Samir Carruthers was allowed to cut inside, onto his favored right foot and swung a great ball in. Alex Wall was free at the back post but did not get enough on his header and sent it wide. The hosts came forward once again, and Carruthers was dictating the play again. He played an excellent give-and-go allowing him to have a shot on goal. The effort was deflected, wrong footing Jacob Marsden but slowing the shot down. Trotter was composed, and cleared in the nick of time, with several Dartford players rushing in to try and hound him. With the 30-minute-mark approaching, Chelmsford continued to be on top and won yet another free kick. Ben Brookes was once again the architect as another good ball was delivered. It was cleared by the Darts, but only out of play to put them back on the backfoot. Dartford were managing spells where they had possession, but it had been one way traffic so far. Alex Wall’s chance seemed to be the only threat which had come towards Jacob Marsden’s goal. Yet another great chance cane the way of Chelmsford, with juts under 10 to play. The ball was played up to Michael Folivi, who brought it down and sent Callum Jones through. Jones was closed down and unable to hit the target, sending his effort over the bar. Folivi was involved again just minutes later. Alfa picked him out, and he was in on the keeper. Once again, it was the wrong side of the post as his shot whistled just past and out of play.

With just their second real chance, Dartford took the lead. Carruthers found Coulson who managed to cut inside and fire past Marsden. A goal massively against the run of play, with the Clarets having been in control for almost the whole half. After conceding, the Clarets looked to commit forward in the final few minutes, with seconds of the 45 to play Dartford had an even better chance. Carruthers and Coulson were 2 on 1 with Ben Brookes with Chelmsford players racing back. Carruthers cut in then out but allowed defenders to track back. He was put under pressure and could not apply the finishing touch as it went just wide of Marsden’s post. The added 1 minute was up with Farai Hallam bringing the half to a close.

HALF TIME: DFC 1-0 CCFC

The second half started with some brilliant work by Ody Alfa, despite the Dartford kick off. He ran rings around Tom Bonners, subsequently winning a corner. The first was taken short and only gave another to the Clarets. Freddie Hockey fizzed it in, with Luke Allen slicing his clearance and almost turning into his own net. The third was almost a Taylor Miles repeat, as it was delivered deep and just went wide of the goal. Chelmsford maintained possession and did eventually find a breakthrough. Krasniqi found Johnson in behind and he put the ball into the box to Callum Jones. Jones struck his effort goalwards, where it was blocked off the line. The follow ups lacked quality, and Dartford could clear. Much like the first half, it was chance after chance for the visitors, with Johnson testing the keeper this time. Ody Alfa latched onto the ball wide and fizzed the ball across. Tyreke was at the back post and managed to volley goalwards for a rather easy save. Dan Wilks was down and made a comfortable save. After having the chance, Johnson created one. Some fantastic play saw Folivi let the ball through his legs and Hockey could spread the ball wide. Johnson delivered the ball in, and Tom Bonner sliced the ball out for a corner. Hockey delivered the corner, only to go straight out of play. That would be his final act of the game, a Tom Blackwell replaced him just minutes later. Then, Dartford had their first chance of the half. Samir Carruthers found Alex Wall who played the ball to Luke Coulson on the edge. His effort cannoned off the post before Frankie Terry was in to clear the danger. Coulson was involved once again, finding Jack Smith as Dartford flooded forward. Smith was brought down by Oluwo and a good shooting opportunity arose. It was Luke Coulson who took charge and stood over the free kick. His initial effort smashed straight against the wall, before his follow up went way over Jacob Marsden’s crossbar. With the minutes ticking away, and the score still at 1-0, Giovanni McGregor was introduced as Michael Folivi made way. As we ticked into the final 10, Ben Brookes won a free kick and Tom Blackwell stood over it. The free kick was straight into the keepers’ hands and saw Dartford come forward. It brought nothing, as they were disposed by Liam Trotter and Giovanni McGregor took over. He ran through multiple players before looking up and picking out Ody Alfa.

Arjanit Krasniqi ran the overlap, and Alfa had time to unleash a wonder strike. Right footed, 25 yards out, in off the post. Dan Wilks had no chance, as Alfa got his first league goal for Chelmsford, and brought the game level.

After levelling, it was once again the Claret domination, much like we had seen in the first half. A final 4 minutes were added on, with both sides in search of the winner, but Chelmsford first to everything. Giovanni McGregor was everywhere, as he danced through the Dartford defenders. Ultimately, it was the McGregor show after he was introduced. Liam Trotter won the ball high up the pitch and McGregor latched onto it. The rest? History. Left footed, McGregor bent his effort round Wilks and into the back of the net to seal all 3 points. Pure pandemonium in the away end unfolded as a superb goal secured a superb win. Once again, staff and players everywhere and mass celebrations. 2 goals in the final 15 minutes saw a Claret turned around after their constant domination. Everyone calmed down and the game was restarted. An extra minute was played and that was that. The referee brought the game to a close and Chelmsford had beaten Dartford for the second time this season. It well and truly has happened again, 2 late goals bring 3 points back to Essex.

FULL TIME: DFC 1-2 CCFC

Chelmsford City:

Marsden (GK), Trotter (C), Oluwo, Johnson, Folivi (McGregor 73’), Jones, Alfa, Hockey (Blackwell 62’), Brookes, Terry, Krasniqi (Blanchfield 88’)

Unused subs: James, Jackson

Goals: Alfa 83′, McGregor 90+3′

Cautions: Krasniqi 45+1, Oluwo 66’

Dartford:

Wilks (GK), Carruthers, Essam (Murtagh 75’), Bonner (C), Coulson, Allen, Wall (Bradbury 84’), Statham, Smith, Fonkeu (Napa 62’), Odaudu

Unused subs: Chin, Dudzinski (GK)

Goals: Coulson 40′

Words by Josh Lowe

National League South April 1st

Chelmsford City FC are

delighted to announce the

signing of Midfielder James Blanchfield

Blanchfield, 25, has previously played for Ipswich Town, Aldershot Town and Dagenham and Redbridge before signing for his most recent club Concord Rangers in 2019. Blanchfield has amassed a number of games for Concord Rangers in the Vanarama National South so brings that with him as he signs for the Clarets.

Manager Robbie Simpson shared his thoughts on signing Blanchfield “Obviously with Trotts [Liam Trotter] and Arj [Arjanit Krasniqi], they’re our only two recognised central midfield players so we were looking to bring another one in with Ernaldo [Krasniqi] going back to Huddersfield”

“Blanchy is someone that Adam Drew knows really well, he was his first signing at Concord, and he speaks really highly of him. We’ve played against him a few times with Concord and he’s an all-round midfield player who can do a bit of everything.

“He’s good technically and I know he knows a couple of the boys already. As soon as we’d played Concord, although we knew he wasn’t getting game time at Concord probably down to the way they’re playing which isn’t necessarily suited to his game. But the way we play is more suited to his game and we think that we can get the best out of him.”

“We’re delighted to welcome him to the Clarets and look forward to watching him play and give his all for the club.”

Blanchfield will be in contention to be involved in tomorrow’s squad for the visit of Worthing to the Melbourne Community Stadium as we hit the season run in. We look forward to seeing Blanchfield in a Claret shirt over the coming weeks!

CITY!!

COME AND SUPPORT THE CLARETS!!

2022/23 TICKETS FOR AS LITTLE AS £9 PER GAME

Matchday ticket purchases

Anybody not in possession of a season ticket or complimentary matchday pass can either purchase their matchday tickets in advance online or supporters can also buy their tickets from the turnstiles on matchday.

The process to purchase online is explained if you follow the links below but should you require any help, please email enquiries@chelmsfordcityfc.com or call us on (01245) 290959.

To buy your online tickets in advance for upcoming games, visit our ticketing website

"Photo Credits: Roger Robinson Photography"