The Ambers travel down to Canvey Island to face bottom of the table Concord Rangers on Tuesday night. This is an early six pointer for both sides who are looking to climb up the Isthmian Premier League table. This will be the first time the clubs have met since both were relegated from the National League South last season.
Concord Rangers Manager Sam Collins and his assistant Curtis Ujah are both former Cheshunt players who played under Craig Edwards at Theobalds Lane. Edwards said: “I’m sure they will do well; they’ve turned things round over there and it will be a tough game. It’s always tough going to Concord.”
This game was originally supposed to take place last month on December 9th; however, it was called off due to a waterlogged pitch at The Aspect Arena. Both teams will be hoping for good news about the pitch on Tuesday evening so they can get this game played, there will be a pitch inspection at 12:00 midday on Tuesday.
The Visitors – Cheshunt
Cheshunt come into this game 19th in the table with four defeats in as many games. Despite the defeat to Hastings on Saturday, the Ambers should not be disheartened by their performance. The home side were banging on the door of the U’s and were one late block away from stealing a late point at Theobalds Lane. There were some impressive performances on Saturday, Solomon Baugh was a constant threat on the wing and goalkeeper Joe Rose made some crucial saves. They will be looking to continue this form going into this huge fixture.
Earlier this week, Craig Edwards was quick to shut down rumour of a lack of effort from the players. “If you would have seen those boys in the dressing room after (the defeats) they were gutted. I know they give everything, it’s not always the best as there is a lot of young players but they run their hearts out.” Edwards was disappointed with the Hastings defeat, but very much encouraged by the spirit & fight in the team to fight back in the second half. This combined with the efforts to comeback in the previous games will give Ambers fans hope that they can turn the results around.
The Hosts – Concord Rangers
The Beach Boys have had another tough season this time out, due to weather and pitch conditions. Concord have played at least three games less than any other club in the division and a huge seven games less than some teams. This means their position at the bottom table will be highly unlikely to remain once they catch up with games played.
Concord’s most recent match was the Canvey Island derby on New Years Day, where they were defeated 1-0 at The Prospects Stadium to Canvey Island. Despite a very poor start to the season with just one win in their opening 16 fixtures (including cup matches) . The Beach Boys have won three and drawn two in their previous seven games.
Harrison Day is a player to look out for the hosts this weekend. December was a great month for the attacking midfielder. He scored eight goals in four games including hat-tricks against Lewes in the League and Grays Athletic in the fourth round of the Essex County Cup. He capped the month off with a brace against our previous opponents Hastings United.
Head-to-Head – Cheshunt vs Concord Rangers
The two sides have faced each other six times in the past. Cheshunt have won just one of the six, Concord have won three and there have been two draws. On average, It is a low scoring fixture with Cheshunt averaging 1.0 goals a game and Concord averaging 1.33 per match.
Despite the usual lack of goals, it was a different story the National League South last season. Cheshunt went undefeated against Concord despite finishing below them in the table. Cheshunt were 4-2 victors at home. Raul Da Silva was on the scoresheet for the Ambers, and has recently returned to the club. He will be looking to get off the mark for the first time since coming back to Craig Edwards’ side.
This fixture last season was played on New Years Day, Cheshunt took the lead midway through the first half through Rowan Liburd. However, they were denied the double over the Essex side when Ricky Modeste equalised in stoppage time. The Ambers will be hoping for a different result this time out and for their second ever victory in recent times against the Beach Boys.
It’s quite a long journey down to The Aspect Arena in Canvey Island but we hope the Ambers fans will be able to make the trip down to support the team. COYA!
Aspect Arena, Thames Road, Canvey Island, Essex, SS8 0HH
Updates on the Pitch Inspection will be available via X & Football WebPages.
