Chelmsford City Apprentices

Chelmsford City Apprentices play in the Football Conference Youth Alliance under the guidance of Kirk Game and Stuart Slater, and all home league games kick off at 2pm on Wednesdays at Melbourne Park.

Apprenticeship Programme Information 

City have formed a partnership with Chelmsford College and together have started a new football and coaching scheme. The club and college have recruited twenty-one boys as full-time apprentice football players.

The 'SOCA' programme (soccer opportunities and coaching apprenticeships) is designed to simply stop talented young footballers from falling through the net, to give them a chance to progress with their football and to educate them with top quality coaching skills to back up their playing careers.

The club believes the scheme will be a huge success over the coming years and hopefully lead to many of the players representing the club at senior level.

If you would like to have the chance to be part of these exciting programmes please call: 01245 29 30 31 or email:information@chelmsford.ac.uk

 

Also check out our news section for further details.

 

Match Reports

 

Wednesday 16th May 

Waltham Abbey 4 – 3 Chelmsford City Apprentices 

We arrived at the ground having not played for nearly a month and our training routine having been affected with other activities involving the players’ education courses. The lads are in the final stages of their College course and have just completed their FA level 2 coaching certificates, so everyone went into this fixture feeling a little under prepared.

Stuart and I rallied them to give one last push, but still maintain a way of playing that had seen us achieve some great success in recent matches.

The game kicked off on a pitch that looked like cattle had been feeding on it over night. We knew it would not be a great spectacle for anyone watching, and the encounter would end up being more a battle of strength than skill.

Waltham Abbey by far the quicker out the blocks took an early lead after just five minutes. A simple ball down the middle and over the top caught our rear guard asleep and under little pressure their striker passed the ball into the net.

Stuart and I gave some sideline instruction to try and muster the lads and ignite their performance. Fortunately this and some sloppy play from our opponents saw us convert three opportunities in quick succession. Sam Mead scored a delightful free kick, Ross James struck a superb diagonal shot into the far corner and Chid Onokwai got on the end of a ball into the box to head over their advancing keep.

We told the lads the score line was not a true reflection of the game, but we would take it at that point. There were three main points that were discussed, but the lads knew they were below par and they alone could raise their game.

Straight from the restart we never looked entirely comfortable in holding on to our two goal lead, and sure enough some indecision between the defenders and keeper allowed them back in it.

Moments later Michael Dunn was bundled over when running onto a ball over our defence, the referee waved play on when the ball fell to Joe Wise at right back. He was now under pressure to clear and the ball struck against their on-coming player to fall into the path of the striker who committed the initial foul. Michael Dunn who now laid injured on the floor was in no fit state to challenge the free player who struck the ball into the corner.

Our players remonstrated with the ref as there seemed little advantage from that phase of play. This just fell on deaf ears, but really unsettled the whole team and allowed Waltham Abbey to seize the chance to score a winner five minutes from time.

Squad: Langenhan, Wise, Dunn, King, Mead, Densham, Mensah, James, Harris, Ward, Onokwai, Duke, Swann, Chester, Parkinson, Downey.

 

Friday 09th April 

Tilbury P – P Chelmsford City Apprentices 

We arrived at Tilbury and were changed and waiting on the pitch with the officials to start the game. However the opposing manager approached us all to confirm the game would not proceed as he did not have sufficient numbers to proceed.  The league has been informed and without enough available dates to rearrange the fixture we await news as to whether we will receive the points.

Our final match of the season is away on the 16^th May against Waltham Abbey.

 

Friday 20th April 

Bishop’s Stortford 0 – 2 Chelmsford City Apprentices

This fixture was re-arranged having previously been postponed earlier in the campaign due to bad weather. The short journey saw us arrive at the ground with plenty of time to spare, giving us plenty of time to go over our game plan for the day. Our warm-up took place under clear sky and sunshine; however by the time we kicked off the rain was teeming down. This added to the brisk pace the game was being played at and volume of tackles being made.

The first ten to fifteen minutes was a real test of will and each and every player was committed to try and earn the right to play. As time passed we gradually got the upper hand and were rewarded with a superbly worked goal that saw Chid Onokwai score.

Towards the end of the first half the ground was really starting to cut up, making even more difficult to play our expansive football. Credit to the lads they stuck to the task and continued to shift the ball early and at pace. Once more the possession paid dividends and Onokwai found himself clear to add to his tally.

At the interval we highlighted that good players always try to do the simple things well, and reminded them how good they were. We continued by encouraging each player to dig deep and find that little bit extra for the second period in order to secure a positive result.

Bishop’s Stortford changed their formation in an attempt to threaten our offensive set-up; however the lads were playing some fantastic football and there was little chance of knocking the lads out of their stride.

The opposition had several attempts at our goal, but Joe Langenham only had to see them rise high and wide. Conversely his opposite number along with his defence was becoming increasingly busy trying to prevent us from putting the game out of sight.

With fifteen minutes remaining a tiring Bishop’s Stortford tried desperately to regain possession, but the lads retained the ball with a quality that simply allowed them to run the clock down.

The referee brought the game to a satisfactory end and we left the ground in the knowledge that the three points will see us move up the league one more place.

Our next match is at home on Wednesday 25^th April against Tilbury. 

Squad: Langenhan, Wise, Dunn, Spriggs, Mead, Densham, Mensah, James, Harris, Ward, Onokwai, Duke, Swann, Chester, Parkinson.

 

Wednesday 18th April 

Chelmsford City Apprentices 2 – 0 Halstead Town 

This game saw us return to Melbourne Park on what turned out to be a really blustery day to play football. The lads were looking to avenge a one nil loss earlier in the season when we should have won all three points.

We set out playing three at the back with the remainder of the team organised to go out and attack our opposition. We knew they were quite a big side and expected a physical encounter; however having planned for such a threat and having placed certain personnel in key areas of the field we knew we would nullify their play and go about our work.

After ten minutes we took the lead with a very well-worked goal.  Sam Mead and Billy Densham linked up with some quick passing, and having played through Chid Onokwai in the box the ball fell to Joe Ward who hammered the ball home.

Halstead continued to try and intimidate our lads, but the referee pulled up quite a few infringements and this gave us confidence to continue playing the game the right way. Once again we had the lion’s share of possession and were a little disappointed we finished the half without adding to our lead.

The interval allowed us to go over key points from the first half and set out the strategy to gain a bigger advantage which would see us seal the victory.

The early stages of the second period followed that of the first; however we were dealt a blow when the referee sent Ricky Spriggs off. Halstead went on an attack down our left side and having side stepped one of our defenders hit the ground without any contact. A number of our players stood over the player whilst also remonstrating to the referee that they clearly were not happy with the antics. Unfortunately Spriggs took it a stage further and using somewhat explicit language towards the individual the referee decided it was worthy of a red card and gave him his marching orders.

Stuart and I quickly discussed our options and reorganised to try and keep as much control of the game as possible. With players now having to raise their performances to compensate for our lack of numbers we were once again rewarded for such endeavours with a goal. Sam Mead delivered a superb corner which was met at the far post by Fraser King. With the ball crashing against the crossbar it fell amongst a group of players and Chid Onokwai reacted quickest to stab it over the line.

The opposition now looking very deflated and tired seemed to have very little in way of a response, and now getting ever more space and time we calmly passed the ball around and wound the clock down.

Having won this game we now have a chance to climb the league to a respectable position that matches our style of play.

Our next match is away on the 20^th April against Bishop’s Stortford. 

Squad: Langenhan, Dunn, King, Spriggs, Mead, Densham, Mensah, James, Harris, Ward, Onokwai, Duke, Swann, Downey, Wise, Chester, Parkinson.

 

Wednesday 4th April 

Redbridge 3 - 2 Chelmsford City Apprentices

Our recent encounter was away to a team sitting comfortably at the top of league, so there was no doubting this was going to be a really tough game and our preparation had to be spot on.

From the start the lads hussled and pressed Redbridge to the point where we took an early lead after just five minutes. A long through ball utilised Joe Ward's pace and with an advancing keeper he cooly lobbed it over the top into the net.

Our shell-shocked opponents had little to offer in way of a response, and for a long period we dictated the play. After a further fifteen minutes the excessive pressure told and again Joe Ward got onto a similar kind of pass to score our second.

As the time elapsed and with us having a few more chances to extend our lead the opposition's players and staff started to debate as to what was going wrong. Just before half time this discontent gave us the opportunity to score a third, only to have a dubious off-side flag raised to disallow it.

Back in the changing room our half time teamtalk was all about keeping the discipline and intensity of performance going, and there was no room for any sixty minute performances with everyone having to focus for the full ninety minutes.

Back on the pitch and with Stuart and I not having made it to the technical area we conceded an easy goal from a corner. For the next ten to fifteen minutes it was like another team had stepped on the pitch and our opponents could not believe their luck.

We made a quick substitution to indicate to the players that there might be another very soon if they did not raise their performance; however with little effect they equalised with another very sloppy goal.

Looking like we had run out of steam we changed formation and made another change to personnel, but that just cemented over the cracks as the opposition were now far too strong for us to stop from scoring the winner.

This was the second game in recent weeks that we had got our necks in front having played some fantastic football and shown some real desire to work hard. Unfortunately our demise seems to always come from a lack of fitness to go the full distance. We have always stressed that apart from having decent footballing ability their conditioning will always play a major part of the development if they wish to perform at a much higher level.  Sadly this is something they constantly chose to fight against and will most certainly be a reason certain individual's careers will stall.

Our next match is at home on the 18^th April against Halstead. 

Squad: Langenhan, Swann, King, Mensah, Densham, Spriggs, Mead, Ward, James, Harris, Onokwai, Duke, Swann, Downey.

 

Wednesday 28th March 

Chelmsford City Apprentices 1 - 2 Thurrock

We were at home again this week in which turned out to be the hottest day this year. Having drawn to Thurrock the last time we played them it was our aim to go one stage further against what we considered one of the strongest outfits in the league. 

Although we won last week we felt the lads did not give a good account of themselves physically with many not winning the battle with their opposing player. This game turned out to be an even tougher test with three of their players having recently played for the senior team.

The game commenced with both sides getting the ball on the ground and trying to take control of the game. Thurrock lived up to their reputation as being athletic, which we tried to overcome with quick passing and plenty of movement off the ball. Both teams in their own way fought tooth and nail to gain an advantage; however it was referee who played an influential role in breaking the deadlock. Thurrock were given a freekick wide on the right which they struck diagonally over our central defenders to hit their furthest striker. He was supposedly being marked by Billy Duke who unfortunately got caught ball watching and in turn did not get goal side enough. Luckily the striker miscontrolled which enabled Billy to take up a more favourable position, but in his excitement to rectify his mistake got very close to the rear of the player who fell to the ground too easily. We felt that a referee having officiated at a very high level might have given the defender the benefit of the doubt and waved play on; however without a moment to think he blew the whistle for a Thurrock penalty. From the resulting kick Joe Langenhan made a fantastic save, but the ball fell to the taker and without any reaction from our defence he was left unopposed to strike home.

Moments later the half time whistle sounded and back in the changing room we told the lads we needed to squeeze up and release someone more often from the back to allow our midfielders greater opportunities to support the forwards who for large portions of the first half were dropping deeper to try and get the ball. We encouraged that we continue to play quick and early, especially at restarts where both Stuart and I felt our opponents were slow to take up good starting positions.

The team got underway with several good moves that saw Thurrock drop ever deeper and get more and more players behind the ball to protect their lead. Now pressing harder to get back in the game it was a real sucker punch when a punt up the field resulted in Thurrock stretching their advantage. Sadly once again it was down to a couple individual errors of judgement that punished the rest of the team, and now as a group they would have to re-group to really dig themselves out of a bad situation.   

With plenty of time left Stuart and I felt it was time to make a substitution, move a few players around in key positions and change our formation. In doing so it could have really backfired, but we were really pleased how the group as a whole responded and their attitude to keep chipping away was fantastic. To be fair it would have been really difficult for anyone walking into the ground at that point to make out that we were the team trailing. It was therefore no surprise when we got a goal back when Billy Densham went on a tanacious solo run and struck the ball into the top corner from 25 yards.

At this point we dropped Abed Mensah back into midfield, put fresh legs upfront and went three at the back in a real push to draw level and even win the game. Unfortunately once again the referee had a pivotal role to play in most our attempts to seize an opportunity and turn our fortunes around. This was never more evident when a blatent handball and cries for a penalty were turned down in the last five minutes. Thurrock were now pinned in their half and although we had a couple of more attempts going fairly close the clock ran down and the whistle brought the game to an end.

Our next match is away on the 4^th April against top of the league Redbridge who we lost to earlier in the season.  So here's looking forward to giving a good account of ourselves and trying to reverse the result.

Squad: Langenhan, Duke, Wise, King, Mensah, Densham, Spriggs, Mead, Ward, James, Harris, Onokwai, Parkinson, Swann, Downey.

 

Wednesday 21st March 

Chelmsford City Apprentices 3 - 2 Tottenham Hotspur

This was our first home game at Melbourne Stadium in over two months and with a good result under our belts and great weather to play football the lads were really looking forward for a chance to get another three points. 

Once again Stuart and I stuck to our beliefs of trying to play entertaining football and structured the week’s training around maintaining possession and working hard to win the ball back.

The early exchanges saw us looking by far the better team and having greater goal scoring opportunities. Unfortunately against the run of play Tottenham took the lead having broken down the right side and crossed what should have been an easy ball for our rearguard to deal with; however the ball looped over Joe Langenhan in goal who from the sideline seemed to have taken up a poor position.

Instructions from the bench were everyone to continue moving the ball at pace and provide more options to those in possession.  Again the lads stuck to the game plan with good passing and movement, and looking the more technically superior side they were rewarded with a well converted Billy Densham goal.

Half time gave the lads a well earned break and an ideal opportunity to quench their thirst on what was turning out to be a very warm day.  Stuart and I set about instructing the team so that we could satisfy our hunger to go get all three points as a reward for our week’s endeavours.  Before setting foot back on the pitch we identified that too much possession had been given away from our own throw-ins, certain individuals were not giving their team mates enough information and others were not working hard enough to help someone else.   

The game recommenced and the opposition were set up slightly different to the first half. Having played the first half with a lone striker we had seen our fullbacks gain a lot of possession out wide and join our midfield in attack.  Now with an extra attacker and packing out the midfield the game became a more evenly fought contest.

At this point the game was toing and froing with neither team getting hold of the ball for any real length of time.  Either team could have taken the lead and fortunately that opportunity fell to us with a fine piece of individual skill from Joe Ward that saw him cooly slot the ball home.

Our opponents to their credit kept going and we never really regained the tempo or quality seen in earlier periods of the game.  Billy Densham came off with a back injury and as a result the hard working Abednego Mensah slotted back into midfield; however the ball was now coming back far too easily and our midfield players seemed to stop working so once more we shifted personnel around to try and fix the problem.  Abed went back up front to re-inject some enthusiasm to our attack and both our midfield and back line tucked in to become more compact.

Still trying to play one and two touch football we mixed it up a little by instructed the lads at the rear to hit the channels and utilise our front runners pace against Tottenham’s tiring back line.  Under pressure our opponents conceded a corner and from a training ground move Ricky Spriggs at the back post volleyed the ball in to secure the win.

Back in the changing room there were mixed emotions.  The lads were happy with the points, but displeased with the way we went about it.  Both Stuart and I stated that many a game in their careers would be lost having played well and vice-versa a game won having played ugly.

Our next match is at home on the 28^thMarch against Thurrock who we drew with earlier in the season.  So let’s hope we can take it one stage further and make it three wins on the bounce.

Squad: Langenhan, Dunn, Wise, King, Mensah, Densham, Spriggs, Mead, Ward, James, Harris, Onokwai, Duke, Parkinson, Swann, Downey, Chester.

  

Wednesday 14th March 

Winchmore Hill 0 – 1 Chelmsford City Apprentices

In comparison to last week we travelled away to Winchmore Hill on what turned out to be a beautiful day and one that was ideal to play football. 

The past seven days had seen us work on a number of things to ensure we had every chance of overturning last week”s poor result. We knew the game was going to be very tough as our opponents were sitting in fourth spot, and having been beaten by them earlier in the campaign we knew they had a mix of good football and physical strength that would be a real test.

We arrived at the ground with plenty of time to spare so got straight to work giving a team talk that would set the tone for the first half. The lads were quick out the blocks making sure they were first to the ball and certainly let their opposing number know they were in for a tough match.

We were very expansive in possession, and there was a real improvement in recovery and positioning whenever we lost the ball. Our restarts from throw-ins, free-kicks and corners were sharper and our one and two touch play was so much better than previous weeks. Therefore there was little surprise when we took a well deserved lead with some great interchanging play down the left. The resulting cross was laid back into the path of Sam Mead who cooly fired the ball home. 

At this point the opposition became really flustered. Our movement and passing was perfectly balanced with a more physical approach to our play, and the Winchmore players lacked ideas on how to change it.

Half time was fast approaching, but with the balance of play in our favour we would have been quite content to continue right the way through. Once in the changing room we reminded the lads that previous games had seen us being in a strong position, but had also seen us commence the second period a shadow of our former self. We encouraged them to keep playing at a fast tempo, moving the ball at pace and generally stick to things that had seen us gain an advantage. 

We noticed that games we had previously lost during the second half an evident pattern was forming. Some of our key players were doing far too much and over compensated for others not putting in a shift. One problem was our forward line not holding the ball up or bringing others into play enough, so this week we tweaked with the personnel, chose a different formation and had a game plan that as long as the team stuck to it would give us a far greater chance of success.

The opposing coaching staff made a few changes which certainly made the game a more even contest. The lads found less space and time, but this could have also been down to them taking an extra touch than they actually needed. Stuart and I became more vocal from the sideline as we started to see a few bad habits start creeping back into our play and that Winchmore were getting ever closer to an equaliser. We decided not to sit on our lead and made a couple of changes to inject fresh legs to help us over the finish line.

However before the final whistle there was still enough time on the clock for both sides to add to the score sheet, but we dug in to finally take three well deserved points.

Our post match analysis was full of praise and covered many of the positive aspects of our play. Our focus now is to take this success into next week’s home game against Tottenham Hotspur, and put a good run of games together.  

Squad: Langenhan, Dunn, Wise, King, Mensah, Densham, Spriggs, Mead, Ward, James, Harris, Onokwai, Duke.

Wednesday 07th March 

Romford 2 – 0 Chelmsford City Apprentices

We left Chelmsford with the weather once again taking a turn for the worse, expecting a phone call throughout the journey to inform us the game had been postponed.  Fortunately we arrived at our destination and although there was some excess surface water it was not deemed dangerous enough to stop the game from proceeding.

After last week’s result we decided to change our attacking players, as we certainly lacked desire to defend from the front. Added to this were their very poor movement and not bringing others into the game by holding the ball up.

We therefore opted to move Abednego Mensah from left back to striker knowing that as the fittest lad in the team he would run and chase everything until he dropped.  He was partnered by Ross James who missed the previous game through injury and from the offset the pairing looked sharper than anything we had seen in our last two or three games.

By this point the rain was teeming down and it was touch and go whether we would see the game out.  At the half time whistle we spoke to the opposing coaching staff and officials and decided to proceed with the second half, as we still felt the state of the pitch did not pose a threat to the safety of our players.  Also at this stage we wanted the game to continue as we were far the better team and felt it would not be long until we took an opportunity to take the lead.

Back on the pitch the lads had been instructed to keep playing one and two touch, but also play to the conditions. The ground was better on the flanks and with the wind now against us felt that over hitting the ball into the channels occasionally would see us capitalise even further on our superior possession.

We were now approaching that point in the game where for the majority of our season we had seen certain individuals’ performances start to deteriorate, and his fixture turn out to be no different.  Abednego Mensah took a heavy knock and had to come off, a few others were running out of steam and the discipline to see the job through was ever in decline.  As with every team we have played this season Romford needed no invitation to seize the initiative and take the lead.  At this point we made a few changes and shifted the team about a little, and for a brief moment this injected a little more energy into the proceedings. Unfortunately this was short lived and with no real quality coming from our play an equaliser looked very unlikely. 

At this stage having the game called off would have done us a real favour as each ball played forward came back far too easy and it was inevitable that Romford scored their second to sew the game up. 

Back in the changing room we decided not to elaborate further on should of and could of reasons for the end result, instead allowing the lads to get out of the sodden kit, shower and get on the coach to return home.

Stuart and I had our usual post match analysis and will certainly look at each and every aspect of the teams play and the options available to us as far as playing staff is concerned.  We again will work tirelessly both on the training ground and in the gym to give these lads every opportunity to improve and be successful, however we are realists and acknowledge that from the start of our campaign the raw materials (players) we had to work with might not have been good enough to compete at this level.

The lads are generally a fantastic group and amongst them we do have some very talented players.  Unfortunately we are talking about football here and in doing so some fall way short of the mark where effort is concerned and on match day this certainly shows itself when trying to overcome some very strong opposition in our league.

Our main aim now is to recruit further it time for next season, add some fresh faces that add strength and quality to our squad, and in turn giving us an ever increasing chance of developing lads and progressing into the senior ranks at the club.

Squad: Downey, Dunn, Wise, King, Mensah, Densham, Spriggs, Mead, Ward, Moss, Onokwai, Harris, Downey, James, Parkinson, Duke.

Wednesday 29nd February

Dagenham & Redbridge 5 – 2 Chelmsford City Apprentices   

Having had two very positive performances of late we travelled to play Dagenham & Redbridge in bouyant mood, and wanting to go one further having drawn against them earlier in the season.

 

The game could not have gone any more to plan as we took a two goal lead within the first twenty minutes. The opposition were very slow to react at corners, freekicks and throw ins which we had been working on during training. Generally we were a lot more sharper and were rewarded from a very well struck freekick from 25 yards by Sam Mead, and again for our second Sam placed a ball into the danger area which Fraser King pounced on to strike home.

 

At this point you would have thought all was well; however the score line flattered us as our defence started to come under ever growing pressure. Playing three upfront we had loads of attacking options yet all of them made poor decisions, had poor touches on the ball and all in all were not working hard enough for the team. The half time whistle could not come quick enough to make them aware of how unhappy we were with their display.

The second half got underway at the same frantic pace as the first, and it was our opponents that took full advantage of our decreasing effort with two quick goals to draw level. We decided to make a couple of changes and move some personnel around; however the lads seemed to have their brakes on and could not take their performance up to the next level and gain an advantage.

Whoever we placed up front and in whatever formation we decided to adopt our play dwindled out in the final third. Now looking like a wounded animal Dagenham & Redbridge went for the kill. Their striker who had already scored both their goals helped himself to another two with little resistance. The game was fast becoming an embarrassment and what can only be described as a really bad day at the office our lads gift wrapped them a fifth to send us back to the changing room licking our wounds. 

 

Once back inside many would have given the team the hairdryer treatment, but instead we wanted to hear from those on the field what went wrong. We agreed that the ideas and things we had worked on in training were the right ones; however some of the leading players in the squad reckoned some were not training at the intensity that mirrors that of our matches and therefore can not raise their level on the day.

 

Stuart asked the group who thought were good enough to play at a higher level and it was interesting to see a number of individuals lift their hand that in the past ten months had clearly not put in the level of effort required to get any where near it.  

 

Emotions were understandably high as no one naturally wants to lose, yet at their age the lads have to start being a little more honest with themselves and realise they possibly will not reach the heights they once dreamed of. Some do lack the technical ability, but that's why we train every day to try and improve. We ask them every time they put their boots on that they themselves drive the sessions; however on many occasions both Stuart and I seem more motivated and have to work really hard to keep the momentum of the sessions going. 

 

We do acknowledge that our first season was never going to go all go our own way, but one thing is for sure it has help us recognised the individuals we wish to work with next season. We are now in the process of recruiting to strengthen the squad so they can all give a true account of themselves and in turn a better representation of Stuart and my hard work and standards.

 

In the meantime we will hit the training ground again and prepare for next weeks encounter away to Romford on Wednesday 7th March, and hopefully the lads can regain some pride in themselves.

 

Squad: Langenhan, Dunn, Wise, King, Mensah, Densham, Spriggs, Mead, Ward, Moss, Onokwai, Harris, Downey, James, Parkinson, Duke, Swann.

Wednesday 22nd February

Chelmsford City Apprentices 0 – 0  Boreham Wood  

After a long layoff caused by bad weather the lads returned to action for the first time in just over three weeks. With a dip in temperature and some heavy snow we must thank Virgin Active in Chelmsford for the use of fantastic facilities and support from their fitness team in making sure our squad were best prepared once the games recommenced.

 

The fixture had to be moved away from Melbourne Stadium at the last moment due to 1st Team and Reserve Team commitments that had taken its toll on the pitch. Instead we played on 3G astro-turf, and although not the most ideal choice was more suited to our passing game than that of our opponents on the day.

 

By the time the game had kicked off the wind had picked up somewhat and any advantage from playing on the surface was lost. The pace of the game was frantic as the ball zipped off the damp ground, yet we encouraged the team to get to the ball early and using one or two touch look to pass with good tempo.

As with many of our recent games we had the majority of the possession which restricted our opponents to only a few scuffed attempts at goal. Playing the first period against the wind our own opportunities were few and far between, but it was evident we were getting more and more on top as time went by. 

Half time allowed us to recap on the game plan we had been working on for this fixture, and to remind them of the tactics now required to play in the direction with the wind. It was not very long before a number of good attempts on goal came our way; however as time gradually passed we began to think it might be one of those days. 

 

Our plight was not helped with some below par officiating that allowed our opponents to play the man before the ball on numerous occasions. This obviously started to spoil what up until then had been a football spectacle from our lads and was giving those watching so much entertainment. To add further insult to injury two blatant penalties were flagged by one of the linesman, yet the referee chose to ignore the assistants better view point and waved play on. This most definitely contributed to us not leaving the ground with all three points. 

 

It was good to see the whole team continue to push on for the win, and even more pleasing was the fact they remained focused and disciplined throughout which left us in no doubt that we would ever concede a goal.  

 

The lads were clearly upset at the final whistle and understandably felt they were robbed of what should have been a well-deserved victory. However there were so many positives to take from the game and once in the changing room we told them how proud we were of their display, and how pleasing it was to see us achieve so many of our pre-match objectives.

 

Hopefully the squad can take a lot of heart from the performance, and get some quality training under their belts in preparation for our next game away to Dagenham & Redbridge on Wednesday 29th February.

 

Squad: Langenhan, Dunn, Wise, King, Mensah, Densham, Spriggs, Mead, James, Chester, Ward, Harris, Downey, Moss, Mead, Duke.

Monday 30th January

Halstead Town 2 – 1  Chelmsford City Apprentices  

Having won our previous match we wanted to go on a roll, but unfortunately we had the disappointment of having last weeks game against Romford cancelled at the last minute due to a waterlogged pitch. So the lads once again got back on the training pitch and together we devised our plan of attack to get the points away to Halstead Town.

 

We arrived at their first team's ground in buoyant mood and the team set off at a really good tempo, taking the game to the home side. With twenty five minutes played we already had fourteen corners and numerous attempts at goal that were fantastically saved by the home keeper. It was therefore a real sucker punch to concede from what can only be described as a hopeful ball that in turn found an unmarked opponent in our six yard box to simply head home. It was pleasing to see that it did not affect the team who just got straight back into their stride and continued to dominate possession.

Half time served a greater purpose to the opposition who at this stage were simply holding on. We just took stock of what was a brilliant display and to reassure that if we remained focused and disciplined in our work the right result would come.

Ten minutes from the restart they got their reward when Ross James collected a decent delivery from the left, swept past three defenders and scored in one swift move to equalise. 

 

At this point we should have drove on and really punished Halstead; however the lads pulled the proverbial reins, stopped doing the things that had led to our success and gradually began to give away possession which allowed them to get back into the game. This strange turn around gave them increasing confidence and it came as no surprise when they started to get a few more goalscoring opportunities. 

 

This has been our main concern and focus for the majority of the season, and we have been working tirelessly on the training ground to eradicate this from our play. This endeavour was starting to reep rewards and we were seeing some positive signs that they had finally started to turn the corner. It was therefore a real body blow to see them revert back to bad habits that can only be associated with Sunday park players. There was little surprise when Halstead seized their opportunity and regained the lead.  

 

We tried to make a number of substitutions the moment we took the foot of the gas; however all them had little impact. Sam Mead who is one of our better ball players was introduced to keep the ball, but unfortunately having just come back from injury found the ground heavy and tweeked his hamstring once more. We introduced Dan Parkinson who had looked really sharp in training to try and inject further energy upfront, but unfortunately a high challenge from a Halstead defender caught him on the thigh and he himself had to be substituted moments later. With little time left James Moss was thrown into the mix to try a salvage the points, but it was not to be.

 

With all the hard work easily undone we now have to regroup and get about setting things straight in our next fixture away to Bishop's Stortford on Wednesday 1st February.

 

Squad: Langenhan, Swann, Wise, Dunn, Mensah, Densham, Spriggs, Chester, James, Ward, Onokwai, Harris, Parkinson, Moss, Mead, Duke.

 

Wednesday 18th January

Chelmsford City Apprentices 4 – 1 Waltham Abbey 

This was our first league game in nearly five weeks, and the lads could not wait to get the second half of the season off to a flyer having put a fantastic display in a 1-1 draw against Seevic College the previous week who play two tiers above our lads. 

 

The pitch was in good condition and the weather ideal to play some really attractive football, and the starting eleven did not disappoint the coaching staff or those who had turned up to watch. The ball was passed around with a lot of zip and accuracy, and the movement had much improved from previous matches and allowed for better ball retention. 

 

Our opponents sat mid-table and although having scored loads of goals they also had a reputation for conceding quite a few too. It was therefore no surprise that our superior possession led to an early goal. A Ross James freekick from the right found Chid Onokwai who made a fantastic run accross his marker and smashed it into the roof of the net at the near post.

 

Five minutes later we conceded a freekick in a central area just outside our box. The Waltham Abbey player struck a fierce shot that was too hot for Joe Langenhan to hold on to and they reacted quicker to the rebound to tap home. 

 

A further five minutes elapsed when Matt Chester found space behind their left back. He got on to a long pass over the top and attempted to cross the ball to our on-coming strikers. The ball however was not struck cleanly, and fortunately for us it became a shot looping over the keeper into the far corner. 

 

Although everyone watching would have seen our goal as lucky they could not deny our lads totally deserved the lead. The opponents earlier goal was very much against the run of play and for the majority of the early play we were in total control. The remainder of the half followed the same pattern and half time whistle gave Waltham Abbey some much needed restbite and allowed us to take stock and devise a plan to kill the game off.

 

The secong half got under way and Waltham Abbey showed little sign of getting back into the game. This allowed us the perfect opportunity to make a few changes, giving some much needed game time to those not making a regular start or coming back from recent injury.

 

You can imagine that wild horses could not have dragged Chid Onokwai off the pitch seeing as he was going for his hatrick, and to be completely honest their were very few reasons why we would have wanted to. It did not take long before he got his chance to find the net once again, and with a nicely placed ball into the six yard box he calmly headed home from close range.

 

At this point the lads were really enjoying themselves. With fresh legs on the pitch and the fact our passing remainded at a high standard Waltham Abbey were now truely camped in their own half. It was therefore no real shock to see Chid Onokwai latching on to another through balll, which having received out wide he drove in toward the opposing right back. With what can only be described as a 'Ronaldo' like piece of skill he skinned the defender and struck a sublime ball into the far corner of the goal.

 

The game was concluded in the same fashion as started with the lads dominating the play and fully deserving the three points that now takes them one place up the table. Hopefully this is the catalyst for the rest of the season and a sign of things to come.

 

The next week sees us travel to Romford, followed by two games in one week away to Halstead and then Waltham Abbey once more.

 

Squad: Langenhan, Swann, Wise, Dunn, Mensah, Densham, Spriggs, Chester, James, Ward, Onokwai, Harris, Parkinson, Moss, Mead, Duke, Downey. 

 

Wednesday 14th December 

Chelmsford City Apprentices 2 – 3 Dover 

This week saw us back on home soil playing a league cup 1^st round match against a team that were two divisions above us and sitting 5^th in their respective table, so we knew this would be a tough contest. 

 

For the first time in quite a few weeks we had a decent surface to play on, ideal weather conditions and some key players back from injury, so we had near perfect preparation going into this match. 

 

From the whistle Dover piled on the pressure; hitting the bar, the post and a goal line scramble in the first couple of minutes. The lads looked a little shell-shocked, but having ridden the storm they soon got into their stride and played their way back into contention. 

 

We started seeing a lot more of the ball and soon got our reward, taking the lead after 15 minutes. Sam Mead received the ball in an advanced position, took a shot from outside the box and Ricky Spriggs was on hand to tuck away a spilled save from the opposing keeper. 

 

The game became quite feisty with a number of crunching tackles in the middle of the park; seeing both Sam Mead and Michael Dunn receive yellow cards. The team were totally on top at this stage and we camped in their half for the remainder of the half. We knew however that the advantage should have seen us take a greater lead. 

 

Both Stuart and I praised their performance, but reminded them the job was only half done.  We re-assured them that our success had come from working in small packs in all areas of the field and never allowing any teammate to become isolated in their play. We also highlighted the change of half would now see us play against an ever increasing wind, so it was important the back line focus on their general starting positions and make sure they get on the half turn as much as possible. 

 

The start of the second period was more of an even affair with Dover going close with shots brushing the post and clipping the bar. At the other end Ricky Spriggs hit their post and a driven shot across the goal went close from Chid Onokwai. At this point either team could have scored, but fortunately we got the break to take a 2 – 0 lead.  A superb cross from our left side found Ricky Spriggs in ample space and time head into the top corner. 

 

We again went through a long period of good possession; however some of the lads who had recently come back from injury started to show signs of fatigue. This obviously started to have some serious affects on the overall team shape and play, and Dover seized the opportunity to get back into the game striking two goals in quick succession to draw level. 

 

With the game entering its final stages Stuart and I thought hard about making a few defensive changes to prevent us conceding another, but we still felt we could go on and win the game so decided to put on another striker. The addition of Daniel Parkinson to the pairing of Joe Ward and Chid Onokwai really injected a lot of pace upfront, and saw us have a few more good attempts on goal and once more look the more dominant force.

 

However with time now running out a draw looked ever likely, and without any extra time being played both teams looked like they had settled for penalties. This would have been the case if not for an individual error that was to be so costly. In the dying moments Dover found a little space beyond the advanced Hayden Swann at right back, their winger crossed and what looked to be an easy save by Ryan Downey was fumbled for their striker to tap in. 

 

There was just enough time for the retake and one last attack. The ball was punted forward to Chid Onokwai who got the better of two Dover defenders, but having gained the room for the shot it lacked any real power or conviction to cause their keeper any problem. 

 

The whistle brought the game to a close and having lost once more the lads were obviously dejected.  The only consolation was the fact they had got the better of a team that were a few tiers higher and their all-round play should have seen us win the tie.

 

Squad: Downey, Swann, F. King, Dunn, Mensah, Mead, Densham, Spriggs, Wise, Ward, Onokwai, Parkinson, James, Moss, Harris, Duke.

  

Wednesday 7th December 

Tilbury 4-3 Chelmsford City Apprentices 

Normally we play our opponents on their 1^st team pitch; however this game was switched to alternative facilities.  The surface was not ideal for a footballing team such as ours and the gale force winds only added to the problem.

We kicked off and straight away tried to go about our usual way of playing by keeping the ball on the ground, and it took only eight minutes to be rewarded for our overall possession. Some good inter-passing between Ricky sprigs and Chid Onokwai down the left resulted in a corner that Billy Densham crossed for Joe ward to head home.

This pressure continued for a further twenty minutes until some poor control in midfield allowed Tilbury to equalize against the run of play.  Billy Densham was caught on the ball and with others committed forward in support our opponents found space down their right to cross. Joe Langenhan could only palm the ball out to the penalty spot where their on-coming midfield player smashed it into the net.

Both Stuart and I encouraged the lads to continue what we had been doing; however in a trance like state the lads did not switch on quickly enough and they gladly took opportunity to punish us once more. They found space on the right yet again and with a whipped in cross and their striker getting across Fraser King the ball was headed home to take the lead within a minute of the retake.

By this stage the adverse wind conditions were becoming a leveller and for large portions of the game with no barrier around the pitch the ball travelled some 50 to 60 yards each time it went off. This obviously affected the tempo and flow of the game, but seeing as both teams had to deal with it, there was no excuse for conceding a third.

It was a relief to finally reach half time so we could discuss matters, and again there were two key factors. The first is we seem concede most of our goals through individual mistakes and the second players are not doing their duties when not in possession, which is of course a large percentage of the game.

The second half commenced and having sorted a few issues the lads got back to playing. This however was soon interrupted when a tackle that caused a mass brawl between the two teams and resulted in two of their players being sent off. To our lads credit they remained united as a team, and none of them got involved to any degree that resulted in being spoken to, cautioned or sent off.

Once the game restarted we pressed forward and got a penalty having seen Billy Densham hacked down after a mazy run into the box.  He in turn decided to take it, but with the ref adamant that the ball should be placed in a crater where the spot should be, the shot had no alternative but rise and hit the bar. From the rebound the ball was pumped up the field to give the opposition another reprieve.

With time running out we pressed for the equaliser, leaving Tilbury only one option to smash the ball up field.  In the dying moments and another long ball Michael Dunn got caught under it, and with him chasing back towards his own goal took a heavy touch to allow the striker to nip in around the on-coming Joe Langenham to score and seal our fate. 

Squad: Langenhan, Swann, F. King, Dunn, Mensah, Densham, Mead, Wise, Spriggs, Ward, Onokwai, Harris, Parkinson, James, Moss, Downey.  

 

Wednesday 23rd November 

Chelmsford City Apprentices 2-3 Romford 

The lads had to play on 3G Astroturf this week as we had to switch the fixture due to the big FA Cup match versus Macclesfield this Saturday.  This was not a problem as we like to try and pass the ball so the change in surface would suit our style of play.

We asked the lads to restrict themselves to one or two touch as much as possible, as the previous game had seen many of them playing far too slow and getting caught on the ball. It seemed to pay dividends as we had three decent attempts on goal within the first ten minutes. This included a fantastic solo run from Hayden Swann who started of deep in his own half, took on several players before cutting inside for a left footed shot.

From a very bright start both Stuart and I thought that Romford were there for the taking and to our surprise and disappointment we conceded a goal against the run of play with the opponent’s very first attack.  It took twenty minutes for them to open their account with a direct ball over the top of our defence which was then lobbed over a stranded Joe Langenhan.

This put us back on our heels and the game became more of an even contest.  A little later Romford seized upon some really poor defensive work to score a second.  Having cleared the ball comfortably we all charged out with no real shape and with the ball coming straight back our now lone defender played three on-side to give them an easy finish.

Just before the half time whistle we received a free-kick wide left and instead of thumping it into the box Billy Densham and Sam Mead worked the ball to provide a decent cross for Fraser King to convert after making his way from a fairly deep position.

During the interval we reminded the lads that whether we had the ball or not our greater success had come from constant movement off the ball.  They all knew that there were far too many occasions where we had switched off or become lazy, and in turn gave the opponents a lifeline.  Having had a much needed pep talk they all increased their overall tempo from the restart and started to regain greater control of the game.

Football however can be so cruel and although we were playing the better stuff Romford got another goal when they no longer seemed a threat and were now running out of ideas.  They smashed yet another ball over the top and although everyone thought Joe Langenhan would comfortably strike the ball back down the pitch, he took a heavy touch which was pounced upon for their striker to roll the ball in the net. 

With fifteen minutes remaining and the game slipping away we got ourselves back in it once more.  The ball was picked up in the midfield from a throw in and slipped through to Ricky Spriggs who in turn threaded it through to Joe Ward.  With a fantastic piece of individual skill he took the pass and skinned the defender all in one stride.  Now faced one on one with the goalkeeper he coolly slipped the ball down his left side to find the back of the net.

For the remainder of the game we were camped in the opponents half, peppering their goal, but with time now a premium we had finally run out of chances.  The whistle drew the game to a very disappointing end for all those in maroon, but we now have to regroup and take all the positives from the match in preparation for next week’s game against Tilbury.

Squad: Langenhan, Swann, F. King, Spriggs, Mensah, Densham, Mead, James, Moss, Ward, Harris, Wise, Downey. 

 

Wednesday 23rd November 

Tottenham 2 - 0 Chelmsford City Apprentices 

After a fantastic display last week we travelled to Tottenham full of confidence knowing that chalking up a few more points would see us sitting nicely in the top half of the league.

We had prepared well leading up to the game with all the lads putting in some good work, but once again our entire endeavour was wasted as most of them left what we had discussed and planned on the coach having arrived at the ground.

A large percentage of our training had a theme of shift the ball quickly, with good movement off the ball and concentrating on condensing the play when out of possession to make our opponents play the long way around.  We knew the pitch we were playing on was small and with the lack of space felt our preparation was ideal for the occasion. However the lads once again thought otherwise and chose their own way of going about the job in hand and yet again the results went against them.

Having spoken to other teams that had already played Tottenham we knew they were quite a big and strong side, but were informed that they lacked any real tactical awareness. With that in mind we worked on patterns and phases of play that would give us the edge; however they were much quicker to the ball, more decisive and had far the greater desire to win, and that is something that comes from within the player and cannot be coached.

It was no surprise to concede the first goal as the pressure we were under at this point was overwhelming.  Joe Langenham pulled off some superb saves and if it was not for him we could have come in at half time 8 or 9 goals down. We got the lads to run into the changing rooms once the whistle was blown and unlike Stuart and me they got the full hairdryer treatment.  At this point we did not think it appropriate to mince our words; this was an appalling display by any standards and they needed to know the exact expectations of any full-time player that gets paid to perform. Having got that out of the way we quickly set about regrouping and going over our action plan for the second period.

The first ten minutes was a little more encouraging, but we definitely were no match for our opponents on the day. It was inevitable that we were going to concede again and five minutes later the ball was once more in the back of our net.  Having lost the ball deep in their half, certain players committed themselves forward trying to get back into the game, but unfortunately others decided not to cover and with a blink of an eye the ball was played through us like a knife through butter. The ball was now bouncing around our box and with no one putting a name on it a total mix up trying to clear saw us concede an own goal.  At this point the final whistle could not come quick enough and when it finally did there was little more to say, but to tell the lads to shower, get on the coach and get away from there as quick as possible.

We now have to lick our wounds and plan for next week where we return to Melbourne stadium to play Romford.  I know that both Stuart and I will do everything in our power to rectify the problems that led to such a humiliating display; however some things cannot be coached and the whole squad need to look at themselves and change their entire attitudes to knuckling down and working hard at all aspects of their game including the not so nice bits.

Squad: Langenhan, Swann, F. King, Spriggs, Mensah, Densham, Parkinson, James, Moss, Ward, Harris, Wise, J.King, Byford, Downey.  

 

Wednesday 16th November 

Thurrock 2 - 0 Chelmsford City Apprentices 

We arrived at Thurrock with a make shift team forced upon us with the recent injuries to our squad. Having said that the lads rallied round to give a very good account of themselves. 

After some really lack lustre performances in recent games the apprentices got straight down to business against one of the strongest teams in the league. It took only 20 seconds from the start to go a goal up with some Barcelona style football and a goal from Joe Ward that Messi would have been proud of. 

The team were playing a formation that they were not too familiar with, but we felt was the right way to restrict their opportunities at goal.  The great start was always going to be difficult to maintain against a very fit and strong Thurrock outfit, and for long periods of the half we were under a lot of pressure and although they had very few shots it still took two amazing saves from Joe Langenhan to keep us in the game.

We initially set up to play fairly narrow to try and force their play away from our goal. Unfortunately they were the areas they managed to put crosses over to score twice in quick succession.  Even though our fullbacks tried to get out to the opposition to put pressure on the ball they crossed and both our centre backs got drawn over too far, and in turn allowed the ball to find areas directly in front of our goal to give them an easy finish.

At half time we made a substitution and gave some much needed instruction, and straight from the off it seemed to have the desired effect.  We had better shape all round and started going about our work in groups rather than individuals. No longer isolated and giving loads of effort the lads were soon rewarded with goal opportunities of their own.

James Moss who was making a rare start was starting to show signs that the pace of game had finally caught him up, and he was just about to be substituted when he picked the ball from a blocked Billy Densham shot to strike a bending left footer into the corner of their goal.

The team started to believe they could now go on to gain all three points and now in contrast to the first half were applying severe pressure of their own. A final push saw an opportunity fall to Ricky Spriggs who had ventured forward for a free kick. A lovely flighted ball into the box from wide left found him open to volley home, but unfortunately the linesman had his flag raised.

The whistle blew to end the game and everyone in the ground knew we had given it a real go.  We have now drawn against two of the top teams when really we should have won both.  The players should now take a lot of positives from these games and in particular from the excellent performance this week from Hayden Swann who played his first ever game at right back. They should now use it as a spring board to better things this season.

Squad: Langenhan, Swann, F. King, Spriggs, Mensah, Densham, Chester, Parkinson, James, Moss, Ward, Harris, Wise, J.King.

 

Wednesday 2nd November 

Chelmsford City Apprentices 0 - 3 Winchmore Hill  

This was a must win first league game where three teams were beginning to create a gap in the table between the rest of the pack and our opponents Winchmore Hill only behind us by goal difference. 

The days leading up to the game were not ideal preparation with the squad spending more time completing part of their FA Level 2 coaching course. Like most of these courses there were long periods of time standing around with the whole process being very much stop-start in not the best weather conditions. 

Even so that was no excuse for the lads first half display which could only be described as abysmal. Winchmore must have thought it was Christmas come early when after just 3 minutes several of our players were drawn out wide and now committed they make several miss-timed tackles which made it that much easier to slip the ball back inside. Now in good possession they ran at our defence who in turn decided not to release to engage the on-coming player. With a simple one two they were in on goal to slot home giving Ryan Downey no chance. 

All in all the lads lacked passion. Our recovery runs and movement of the ball were poor, and basic things like passing, receiving and decision making were lacking throughout the first period. It was therefore no surprise when the second goal went in after 21 minutes. A nothing ball from out wide bounced in our 18 yard box, and with the ball in the air for such a long time our defence had plenty of time to deal with any potential problem. A lack of communication allowed their striker to take advantage and stab the ball in and once more left Ryan Downey stranded. 

Half time couldn’t come quick enough and once in the changing room some serious questions were asked. The display up until this point had little to do with tactics or how the team was set-up, and they were reminded that whatever system we adopted a lack of desire or fitness would result in the same dismal outcome. They were informed that as full-time footballers they are duty bound to take more ownership and responsibility for their training and match performances than just a kick about park player, and a few were certainly showing signs that they were not fit enough to wear the shirt. 

We made a couple of changes to personnel to hopefully inject more energy into our lack lustre performance, and although basic skill level was well below par we expected a better attitude and work ethic in the second half. 

Injuries to a couple of key players left us well short of firepower on the day and any further changes or moving players around would not have improved our chances. We decided to field our last remaining substitute Warren Byford who had just joined the squad purely to give him a run out. He looked quite sharp and certainly had a nice touch and good eye for the ball, but not even he could prevent a third goal being scored against us. Our midfield did not work hard enough to get back, leaving another simple through ball to expose our defence once more. Now under severe pressure both Ricky Spriggs and Ryan Downey tried to prevent the Winchmore striker from getting to the ball first, but with all three converging at once it was difficult to see who got the final touch which saw the ball roll into our net. 

The game petered out with us grateful to restrict it to a three goal deficit. The players did their normal cool down and with a mixture of emotions and depression we left any inquisitions until the next day. 

The apprentices got together the next morning to discuss the things we had done well, those we could have improved upon, and how as a squad we should work to achieve these objectives. However in the afternoon they had some serious fitness work with two Virgin Active trainers, as all the players recognised they owed a performance. 

Next week we are away to Halstead Town who sit below us with one point less and a game in hand. This is even more of a must win, as losing will see us plummet to near the foot of the table above Boreham Wood who have yet to register a point.   

Squad: Downey, Duke, F. King, Spriggs, Mensah, Densham, Wise, Dunn, Swann, James, Chester, Harris, Parkinson, Byford, Langenhan, Moss, Ward.

 

Wednesday 26th October 

Boreham Wood 0-3 Chelmsford City Apprentices 

This was our first league game away and was also a journey into the unknown as to whether our players would perform on the road away from familiar surroundings. We took a squad of seventeen with a few players returning from injury which made our team selection less of a headache. 

With hardly any traffic on the way we arrived with plenty of time to spare which gave us a good opportunity to talk to players individually and in small groups before giving the main team talk. In our eyes this was a must win game, seeing as our opponents were at the very bottom of the table. We spoke collectively as a team about how important it was to forget league positions and go about our work in a professional manner, doing the simple things well, minimising errors and generally keeping our discipline throughout the entire ninety minutes.

The pitch was a little on the small side and the surface was greasy from a sudden downpour, but we knew our one and two touch play would suit the conditions as long as we had plenty of movement off the ball.

Within the first two minutes we had a fantastic chance to open our account with a good combination of passes which saw the ball crossed from wide left to find Matt Chester open at the far post who unfortunately laced the ball high over the crossbar.

The now overwhelming pressure imposed by our play soon got its rewards. After six minutes Ricky Spriggs found Chid Onokwai with a direct pass down the middle, he held the ball up, squaring to Matt Chester who in turn attempted to cross the ball before a Boreham Wood defender raised his arm to obstruct its flight. The referee had little choice but to point to the spot and the resulting penalty was coolly slotted home by Billy Densham.

We continued in this vain for a further ten minutes without actually increasing our tally; however in total control of the game it took a moment of madness to put us out of our stride. An opposing player collided with one of our defenders accidently but for some reason went in to a complete frenzy. It took several minutes to calm the player down and although Boreham’s manager had already decided to substitute the individual the referee brandished the red card which caused even more debate. It was a further couple of minutes before the individual was led from the field and the game at long last could commence. With an extra player we slipped into the usual trap most teams find themselves in when playing against ten men, and for the remainder of the half they had the greater possession.

At half time we reminded the lads of all the things we had worked on recently and whether they believed this led to greater success in our play. In unanimous agreement we continued to reiterate the importance of keeping our discipline to enable us to duplicate or earlier performance.

The second period got under way, but it was clear to see the lads who had returned so early from injury needed to be replaced. We made three changes in ten minutes which took a little time for the team to settle. Having become familiar with the readjustments we started to gain control of the game once more and Sam Mead who was instrumental throughout sliced their defence in two with a diagonal ball for Billy Densham to drive the ball low and hard passed the keeper. 

With the game dead and buried Dan Parkinson found loads of space to drive forward with the ball, and getting ever closer to shooting range he was dragged down from behind twenty five yards from goal.  Both Billy Densham and Sam Mead stood over the resulting free-kick deliberating who was going to take it, before Sam took control of the situation to curl the ball Beckham like into the bottom left hand corner of the goal.

Not long after the restart the ref bought the game to close and we left the field with a well earned win.

Squad: Downey, Duke, F. King, Spriggs, Mensah, Densham, Mead, James, Dunn, Chester, Onokwai, Moss, Wise, Parkinson, Harris.

 

Wednesday 12th October 

Chelmsford City Apprentices 1-5 Redbridge  

With seven injuries in our twenty player selection for this fixture was really difficult, and with key positions missing and with the replacements not familiar playing in those areas it was more a case of putting square pegs in round holes.

The lads have been working on two different formations that allowed us to be more compact in the midfield, and we’d been working on a system of play that would hopefully frustrate our top of the league opposition by lacking them any time and space.

The game kicked off at a frantic pace with both teams going to battle to earn the right to play. Our game plan was to make good recovery runs when out of possession and make Redbridge play the long way round at all times.

Having kept to our initial game plan the game had very few goal scoring opportunities; however after some very careless passing on our part we could have conceded after ten minutes.

It actually took a further ten minutes before Redbridge took the lead, when the referee gave a penalty for shirt pulling but couldn’t tell any of our players who the offender was.

Undeterred we plugged away with everyone working as a unit, and this was rewarded with a goal from a well delivered Billy Densham corner for Chid Onokwai to slot home.

After a very entertaining first half we took a well-earned break. The players were congratulated for their efforts, but were reminded how important it was to stick to all aspects of play that had led to their success.

Obviously this fell on deaf ears with a few individuals reverting back to their own way of playing, which obviously had a knock on effect throughout the side and lead to Redbridge finding the space that was such a premium earlier on. They took full advantage of this lack of discipline, which led to three goals being scored in the space of seven minutes.

Substitutions were made and would have been done much sooner if we had the right personnel on board; however the lads that came on actually steadied the team and we had a few opportunities to get back in the game.

We now had nothing to lose and felt with more opportunities coming our way we might as well press, but this left us open once more to concede a fifth goal that flattered the opposition.

The dejected players made their way back to the changing room where a forty five minute inquisition took place as to why we had such a Jekyll and Hyde performance.

Our next game is away to Boreham Wood on the 26th October, and every effort will be made to prolong all the good and eliminate all bad aspects of our play to go on and win the game.

Squad: Downey, Went, F. King, Spriggs, Duke, Densham, Mead, Mensah, James, Swann, Onokwai, Moss, Wise.

 

Wednesday 28th September 

Chelmsford City Apprentices 3-3 Bishop's Stortford   

Our second game turned out to be a real thriller with goals a plenty and player switching from end to end.  City have been working on moving the ball around much sharper in possession and re-gaining shape quickly out of possession.  It was evident after 20 minutes that the game plans were working with the Apprentices leading 2-0. The first came from a loose ball picked up by Sam Mead who sprayed it wide to Michael Dunn, and evading off-side squared it to Chid Onokwai to roll the ball home. The second came from a quick throw to Ross James who looped a ball over the top of Stortford's defence for Chid Onokwai to chase. He in turn placed pressure on their central defender who headed over his own keeper for Chid to calmly side foot another one in.

With several more chances to finish the game City reverted back to old habits and gifted the opposition with a goal from nothing. The ball was cleared from a corner and Stortford returned a diagonal ball between left back Abed Mensah and Joe Langenhan in goal, and with a lack of communication and poor positioning Mensah headed into his own net.

The Apprentices have been working on their fitness with staff at Virgin Active and never looked in danger of running out of steam; however a lack of desire saw the earlier pressure drop and Storford took full advantage of gaps that started to appair between our rear guard by sticking away the equaliser.

City at this stage looked second best, but were thrown a lifeline, and almost straight from the re-take Sam Mead hammered the ball in to give us a 3-2 lead.

By now the ball was going from end to end. Neither team had any real control of the game and seemed unable to get the ball down and play. At this stage we should have killed the game, but instead City allowed possession out wide and with a hopeful cross Joe Langenhan had what looked like a caught ball kicked out of his hands to be hit the back of the net.

With little time left both teams were happy to hear the final whistle and share the points.

Squad: Langenhan, Went, F. King, Spriggs, Densham, Duke, Harris, Ward, Parkinson, James, Mumbuluma, Chester, Onokwai, J.King, Downey, Dunn, Mead, Wise.

 

Wednesday 14th September 

Chelmsford City Apprentices 2-2 Dagenham & Redbridge   

The first league game of the season was great spectacle and a sign of things to come.  City showed a little inexperience from the start as nerves got the better of them.  It was obvious after 15 minutes when Dagenham scored their opening goal that this was going to be an uphill struggle.  City failed to play their passing game as pass after pass was intercepted as the City goal came under attack.  A long sweeping ball to right side found the feet of a speedy Dagenham player who easily brushed Mensah aside and the ball was whipped into the net for 2-0.

A very disheartened City team went into the break with much to think about.  City fans went away to buy their coffee with a faint muttering of “what was that!.”

The second half saw a rejuvenated City side with a suprising spring in their step.  A half-time team talk and a few changes seemed to have done the trick.  The Dagenham goal all of a sudden came under attack as the midfield trio of Densham,  Mead and  Harris forced the play and fed Mumbuluma ball after ball.  There was only one team in it!

Densham received the ball from a short corner, faded inside to beat his man and went down inside the box.  “Penalty” shouted the City team and the referee pointed straight to the spot.  Densham duly obliged.  At 2-1, City managed to keep the ball.  Their passing game as well as their fitness levels started to shine.  Once again, the Dagenham keeper was kept busy with constant pressure from the City players.  City got their reward when the ball was fed through to Mumbuluma who went passed the Dagenham keeper and was sliced down to the floor.  Or was he!  The referee again pointed to the spot and once again Densham slammed the ball home for 2-2.

After a disappointing first half but a much improved second half, both teams deserved a point and now look forward to meeting later on in the season. 

Squad: Langenhan, Went, F. King, Spriggs, Densham, Duke, Harris, Ward, Parkinson, James, Mumbuluma, Chester, Onokwai, J.King, Downey, Dunn, Mead, Wise.