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DISMAL CITY
EASILY BEATEN Dartford
3 Chelmsford City 0
CITY HIT THE
GOAL TRAIL AGAIN Raunds
Town 0 Chelmsford City 6 CITY LACK
GUILE Chelmsford
City 1 Fisher Athletic 2 A somewhat toothless display from Chelmsford City allowed their no-nonsense Docklands visitors to edge closer towards the Eastern Division championship at Billericay yesterday afternoon. Fisher were just that bit stronger in most departments although City’s cause wasn’t helped by a first-half injury to Ben Fuller and a missed penalty from fellow striker Ollie Berquez. A positive start by Fisher was rewarded after ten minutes when Hamid Barr freed Ray Powell who buried his shot into the far corner of the net. City’s response was immediate but Gary Bennett was foiled by Maurice Munden at the foot of the post. In the 25th minute Fuller was upended just inside the box and again Munden came to his side’s rescue, producing an incredible one-handed save to push Berquez’s fierce spot-kick over the bar. City huffed and puffed after the break but rarely looked capable of grabbing an equaliser and Athletic sealed the points on 86 minutes, Barr being allowed ample time to blast home from close range following a long throw. Chelmsford snatched a consolation deep into stoppage time, Berquez stabbing the ball past Munden from 12 yards after Bennett had created what was no more than a half-chance. CITY BACK IN
THE GROOVE St.
Leonards 2 Chelmsford City 4 They may have left it late in the day but at least
Chelmsford City eventually came up with the goods to claim a morale-boosting
victory following several dismal results. With just fifteen minutes left City
looked to be on their way to another ignominious defeat but a quick-fire double
from Ollie Berquez put them ahead before Shane Bailey sealed matters with
virtually the last kick of the match. A reasonably dull opening 45 minutes burst
into life just before the interval when Peter Baker had the simple task of
netting from close range after goalkeeper Paul Catley struggled to deal with
Paul Ruddy’s lofted cross from the left. However, City still found time to
begin the second-half on level terms, Benson Miyoba stealing in at the far post
to smartly convert Shane Wardley’s teasing centre. The Sussex side hit the bar
via a Baker snapshot upon the restart but they soon restored their advantage, in
the 49th minute, when John Bishop’s header fell short of Catley and
John Rattray nipped in to put St. Leonards in front once again. Further
noteworthy action was at a premium until the 75th minute when City
drew level after Gary Bennett set up Berquez who coolly caressed the ball home
from 14 yards to register his 24th goal of the season. With
proceedings just three minutes from the close Berquez was crudely scythed down
by Ruddy on the edge of the box, and when the referee deemed the offence to be
inside the area up stepped Chelmsford’s top scorer to bury the resultant
penalty into the bottom corner. Deep into stoppage time Bailey made absolutely
sure of the points by finishing off a slick move involving Berquez and
substitute Ben Fuller, the former Braintree midfielder slotting past the
advancing Graham Bannatyne to put the lid on a much brighter display from the
Clarets.
CITY OUT OF
IT V.S.
Rugby 2 Chelmsford City 1 A fiercely determined V.S. Rugby side took it upon
themselves to finally put Chelmsford’s promotion hopes to rest in what proved
to be a thoroughly frustrating afternoon for the Clarets. But the match will be
remembered most for the incredibly low level of refereeing which at times saw
the contest deteriorate into an ugly scrap. City’s overall performance
didn’t create too much to shout about either, although all looked well after
twenty minutes when Gary Bennett nicked the ball away from keeper Paul Beresford
on the edge of the box and from a difficult angle he managed to chip his shot
just under the bar despite two covering defenders. Within a minute Tesfaye
Bramble appeared set to increase City’s lead only to be unceremoniously pulled
back but to everyone’s amazement no penalty was given. This spurred Rugby on
and they levelled after 26 minutes through skipper Jason Woodley whose low
12-yard drive was too good for Paul Catley. There had been a suspicion of a foul
in the build-up to that goal but the winner, in the 37th minute, was
fairly straightforward. Shane Wardley’s careless pass let in Chris Evans and
his cross enabled Darren Towers to again leave Catley without a hope. The
second-half developed into something of a battle and further astonishment
followed when Bennett was sent crashing to the ground by Steve Shea, but again
no penalty transpired. City continually pushed for a way back and should have
equalised after 65 minutes only for substitute Ben Fuller to slam the ball over
the bar when putting it in the net seemed the easier option. Fuller’s miss
basically summed up the visitors’ fortunes on a day when no-one emerged with
much credibility, least of all the totally inept man in charge who even incurred
the wrath of one of his assistants! City are at home tonight (Monday) when they entertain
St. Leonards, kick-off 7.45 at Billericay. Chelmsford
City 1 Spalding United 3 A fairly abject performance from Chelmsford City did
nothing whatsoever to assist their promotion hopes, although it must be said
that a lively Spalding side never allowed them to really dictate matters. It
will now take a major slip-up from the leading trio to let the Clarets back in
after their defence had a rare show of benevolence. It all began to go wrong
after 31 minutes when Spalding, with six straight wins under their belts, set
about extending that run via a short corner on the right which caught the hosts
napping and James Campbell easily volleyed in. Only a further four minutes
elapsed before Campbell was again left unmarked from a flag-kick and he rose to
firmly nod past Paul Catley. City did threaten a comeback, aided by Ben
Fuller’s goal seconds before the interval when he followed up to score after
Keith Newby’s free-kick cannoned back off the upright. Fuller had squandered
an easier chance during the early stages and he did likewise in the 46th
minute with the net begging to be hit. Moments later Spalding should have been
reduced to ten men after Paul Langford trampled all over John Girling but
instead of a sending off he got away with just a ticking off. The visitors
enjoyed another escape when Ollie Berquez was clearly tripped in the penalty
area during a spell of sustained pressure. But on 73 minutes the visitors made
sure Chelmsford surrendered maximum points at New Lodge for the first time in 25
matches following a swift counter attack. Catley saved well from Craig Wilson
but the loose ball hit the covering John Bishop who watched in agony as the ball
deflected back off his shins and into his own net. City supporters are reminded that Wednesday’s
scheduled game at Dartford has been postponed.
Chelmsford City 5 V.S. Rugby 1 City were long overdue to dish out a good thrashing to someone, and it was V.S. Rugby who suffered to the tune of a 5-1 defeat. Boss Gary Bellamy made four changes to the starting line-up, two of them enforced, as his side set about their task. Ben Fuller got things underway by nudging in the opener on 32 minutes after newcomer Ben Lewis had helped on Keith Newby’s swirling corner. And just two minutes later City were in virtually unchartered waters, Ollie Berquez smartly putting them two ahead having exchanged passes with Kevin Dobinson. The Midlanders had their moments without seriously testing Paul Catley, but they did reduce the deficit after 73 minutes when a cleverly worked free-kick let in Ian Pearce to finish in style. City then stepped up a gear and in the 81st minute Gary Bennett clinically volleyed home after Fuller had robbed Marvin Marston and sixty seconds later it was 4-1. Fuller was again the instigator, freeing Benson Miyoba who marked his full debut with a classy finish on the run. Newby wrapped things up two minutes from time with a low 20-yard drive, thanks once more to Fuller’s unselfishness.
CITY STILL ON COURSE Stamford 0 Chelmsford City 0 Despite their failure to claim maximum points this wasn’t such a bad result for Chelmsford City after all. Defeats for Fisher and Newport actually enabled City to make up ground in the promotion race, and victory from tonight’s (Monday) home clash with V.S. Rugby, kick-off 7.45 at Billericay, would put them nine points behind second-placed Fisher with two games in hand. New signing Ben Lewis enjoyed a solid debut in the centre of defence and looks to be a more than useful addition to the side. Nowadays a scoreless draw for Chelmsford tells its own story and it was no different this time, with the visitors carving out a string of good chances and Stamford putting up a dogged rearguard performance throughout. Stamford keeper Glynn Clyde was the main reason City didn’t win, his first-half acrobatics proving unbeatable, John Bishop, Tesfaye Bramble and Ollie Berquez all being foiled by Clyde. He was beaten on 25 minutes when Gary Bennett’s crafty chip looked to be floating in but Martin Hardy somehow got back to miraculously head off the line. After the break Stamford continued to live dangerously, although they enjoyed more possession, but still the points should have come back to Essex. In the closing stages Bennett looked a certain scorer only for his close-range drive to hit team-mate Ben Fuller and deflect over the top, and eight minutes into stoppage time City missed a fantastic chance to grab a win but Daniel Reeve wildly blazed a shot over the bar with the goal at his mercy. BRAMBLE BACK WITH A BANG
Chelmsford City 1 Newport IOW 0 The enigmatic Tesfaye Bramble’s impressive and timely return from injury proved to be just the boost Chelmsford City needed to stay in the promotion race. Bramble, 19, has spent much of this season in the doldrums following a loss of form, coupled with a niggling groin problem that had restricted his appearances to just one this year prior to Saturday. But the fit-again striker answered his critics in no uncertain terms with an all-action display that he capped by smartly scoring the only goal of the afternoon on 25 minutes. Another welcome returnee was midfielder Daniel Reeve and he too showed no ill-effects following two months on the sidelines with a broken ankle. Both sides were desperate for the points to stay in contention for a Premier Division spot come May and with the two stingiest defences in the Eastern Division on show it was always going to be a close affair. The Islanders started strongly and were unfortunate to see Keith Newby and then Brett Girling both scramble the ball off the line within the opening five minutes. Bramble could have netted after ten minutes when Newby played him in but his effort narrowly evaded the crossbar. City’s clincher owed much to the persistence of Gary Bennett who nicked the ball away from Newport skipper John Price before setting up Bramble to place his angled shot beyond Chris Tardif and into the bottom corner from eight yards. Just on half-time Bennett provided Ollie Berquez with a great opportunity to make it 2-0 but Tardif’s double save kept things on a knife edge. Paul Catley was equal to Newport’s only clear-cut chance of the match, his flying stop to deny Steve Leigh’s crisp volley two minutes into the second-half enabling the City keeper to record his fifth successive clean sheet. Tardif again rescued Newport after 68 minutes when Bramble put Berquez through and the upright kept out Bennett’s follow-up. City now go to Witney Town on Tuesday night in search of three further vital points.
MATCH REPORTS WHEELER PUTS UP THE SHUTTERS Chelmsford City 0 Baldock Town 0 Baldock goalkeeper Adam Wheeler was the central figure in this frustrating draw that did very little to aid Chelmsford City’s push for the Eastern Division summit. Time and again the excellent Wheeler foiled City who peppered his goal all afternoon in a bid to keep in touch with the Eastern Division leaders. But the turning point of the match arrived midway through the second-half when the keeper handled outside his area and Gary Bennett put the loose ball into the empty net. But quite astonishingly the referee instead awarded City a free-kick and just a yellow card to Wheeler, who made the most of his extreme fortune with another string of quality saves. The dour Hertfordshire side troubled Paul Catley on just the rare occasion, the most notable being on 70 minutes when Simon Dunlop’s volley was smartly pushed aside for a corner. Two early stops to deny Bennett set the trend, with Ollie Berquez and Kevin Dobinson also going close before the interval. Ben Fuller, Gordon Barr and Shane Wardley then brought the best out of Wheeler as City probed for a way through. The visitors’ goal continued to lead a charmed life right up until the final whistle. In stoppage time John Bishop thumped a header inches past the upright and Fuller saw his top-corner bound drive spectacularly tipped over, thus leaving City as no more than outsiders for promotion. BENNETT THE SAVIOUR Chelmsford City 1 Wisbech Town 0 Gary Bennett’s 25th-minute opportunist strike proved sufficient to keep his new club in with a good shout for promotion. In all honesty though the Fenmen, whom City had beaten by an identical scoreline seven days earlier, should have been buried out of sight on an afternoon when City yet again squandered a hatful of chances. Much of that was down to the heroics of Wisbech keeper Ian Pledger, and the refusal of three worthy penalty claims didn’t help. Bennett pounced after the visitors struggled to clear their lines, swivelling to crack the ball home from just inside the area. Both Ollie Berquez and Keith Newby were foiled by Pledger, whilst Paul Catley in the City goal was equal to a Peter Munns bobbler and Paul Hill’s well-struck free-kick. Bennett was combining well with Steve Morris up front but Wisbech were content to soak up the pressure and rely on the occasional breakaway. Newby and Shane Bailey went close to extending the advantage, while Catley’s only anxious moment of the second-half arrived deep into stoppage time when Jason Sedlan drove his shot inches past the top corner from inside the six-yard box. But anything other than a Chelmsford victory would have been a complete travesty, and there was further joy after the final whistle with the news that the top two of Folkestone and Fisher had both suffered shock home defeats. City have re-arranged their postponed home game with St. Leonards for Monday 10th April, kick-off 7.45pm at Billericay. SPARKLING CITY OWE IT TO BAILEY Wisbech Town 0 Chelmsford City 1 The overall opinion from the home camp was unanimous. Chelmsford City were by far the best side seen at Fenland Park this season and should have won by a landslide. Wisbech supporters, officials and players alike acknowledged that the narrow margin of victory completely flattered them. That in itself was a massive compliment considering the hosts possessed a quite daunting home record, winning their eight previous league fixtures. That didn’t deter City who brought in star striker Gary Bennett from AFC Sudbury for his debut plus loanee midfielder Gordon Barr from Kingstonian. Fellow newcomer Benson Miyoba was on the bench having joined from Burnham Ramblers and City got on with their task straight from the opening whistle. However, the pattern of play was set as early as the second minute when Keith Newby’s pass split the Wisbech defence wide open but Ollie Berquez lost out to keeper Ian Pledger who was to be a constant barrier to the visitors. Even when Bailey struck the decisive blow after 20 minutes the goal was long overdue, the former Braintree midfielder firing a low shot into the net from 12 yards following good work from Barr and Newby. Little was seen of the Wisbech attack as City’s miserly defence snuffed out any potential problems. It was a different tale at the other end as Pledger pulled off half-a-dozen vital saves to keep his side in contention. The only major scare for Chelmsford came when Dan Ruscillo made space for himself midway through the second-half only to drive the ball just beyond the far post. Substitute Ben Fuller was amongst those denied by Pledger, his stinging drive on 80 minutes being expertly beaten away. But there was no injustice on the day and Bailey’s first strike for the Clarets keeps their dreams of promotion alive. CITY LACK A CUTTING EDGE Chelmsford City 0 Hastings Town 0 The only real beneficiaries from this result were the three other promotion hopefuls who all further distanced themselves at the top by chalking up notable victories. Chelmsford are now a daunting sixteen points behind the leading pair of Fisher and Folkestone whilst Hastings are not much better off. Chelmsford are the lowest scorers amongst the top 13 sides in the Eastern Division, 37 goals in 25 matches, and their problems were again highlighted during a frustrating afternoon at New Lodge. On the balance of play City should have wrapped up a vital success but several bouts of dithering with the target in their sights proved costly. The main culprits were Steve Morris and Ben Fuller who both failed to even get a shot in when bearing down on the Hastings goal. Either side of half-time Ollie Berquez went mightily close, forcing Tony Kessell into a smart save from Brett Girling’s telling cross and then crashing a header against the bar having been set up by Morris. Hastings weren’t exactly ambitious in going for the win, although Paul Catley’s handling had to be pristine throughout to cope with several shots from distance. Chelmsford just couldn’t find their sharpness when required but a tremendous last-minute effort by Shane Wardley looked to have changed the outcome. The popular full-back strode forward and unleashed a fierce drive that arrowed towards the top corner only to scrape the wrong side of the post. It was agonising stuff and despite the well-placed Paul Jones failing to beat Catley in the dying seconds, this can definitely be classed as two dropped points for Chelmsford rather than one gained. CITY LET IT SLIP Erith & Belvedere 2 Chelmsford City 1
A combination of missed chances, sloppy defending and the ‘Manager of the Month’ curse brought City’s twelve-match unbeaten run to a shuddering halt against a fiercely determined Erith side. Based on the visitors’ first-half display they should have sewn up the points by the interval having taken a fifth-minute lead through Steve Morris. The former Wrexham striker stole in to nod the ball home from a couple of yards after Dean Lee failed to hold Brian Sutton’s stinging drive from the edge of the area. The crossbar then denied Ollie Berquez his 21st goal of the season with Lee clutching Tesfaye Bramble’s follow-up. It was all City at this stage as Ben Fuller, Brett Girling and Berquez all went close to extending the advantage. Shortly after the restart Lee was at it again, brilliantly turning aside a Berquez free-kick. But City were caught out on 53 minutes when no-one took responsibility to clear the ball and Steve White was able to steer his shot past the advancing Paul Catley. Five minutes later John Bishop unleashed a tremendous drive from fully 30 yards but once more Lee’s heroics saw City gain just a corner. Erith’s equaliser had obviously given them the scent of victory and they were certainly in no mood to let parity slip, a fact underlined by a succession of yellow cards as Chelmsford searched for a way through. And with five minutes remaining there was a shock in store when Daryl Apps crossed from the left for the ever-impressive Aaron Barnett who rose at the far post to put a dent in City’s promotion hopes.
CITY SCRAP PAST RAUNDS Chelmsford City2 Raunds 1 31/01/2000 Perseverance was the key word on Monday
night when City overcame visitors
CITY PUSH LEADERS ALL THE WAY Folkestone Invicta 1 Chelmsford City 1 29/01/2000 A measure of just how well City acquitted themselves in this hot-blooded Eastern Division clash was the look of relief on the Folkestone players’ faces after they had rescued a point. Despite the absence of 20-goal marksman Ollie Berquez, along with several other key men, City took the game to the Eastern Division leaders and created a number of good first-half chances. Midfield powerhouse Kevin Dobinson, later to be sent off in controversial circumstances, plus Steve Morris, Ben Fuller and Scott Darton all forced keeper David Wietecha into fine saves, Darton’s top corner-bound shot being the pick of the bunch. There wasn’t too much quality on show from the hosts whose only real opening fell to Nicky Dent but Gavin Kelly was equal to his low drive. The initial 45 minutes also saw Invicta’s Carlton Wynter and Dent escape red cards, for a blatant elbow on Dobinson and a two-footed lunge at Brett Girling respectively. City’s reward for sticking to their football came on 53 minutes when Morris was chopped down just outside the area, and Keith Newby curled home a stunning free-kick that Wietecha could only touch onto the underside of the bar and down into the net. Inevitably, the Clarets then came under a spell of pressure and the Kent side drew level after 73 minutes. Billy Manuel’s corner fell nicely for Dent who scooped the ball out of the mud and past Kelly from close range. Dobinson’s afternoon began to fall apart moments later when he inexplicably headed Grant Strong’s cross wide from six yards. With eight minutes remaining Dobinson, already booked for dissent, appeared to win the ball in a challenge with Andy Morris but the referee, egged on by the Folkestone bench, produced another yellow card. And just to confirm the official’s extreme incompetence, he ignored Dent’s deliberate elbow on John Bishop in the final minute. However, City got the point they would have settled for prior to kick-off, and will be in good heart for tonight’s (Monday) home clash with Raunds Town, kick-off 7.45 at Billericay. CITY WIN AGAIN – JUST! Chelmsford City 2 Stamford 1 Jan 22nd 2000 Chelmsford City were indebted to young goalkeeper Gavin Kelly for the continuation of their unbeaten league run, which now stretches back ten games. The gifted 18-year-old Tottenham Hotspur loanee pulled off a quality last-minute save to claw Matt Carmichael’s swirling shot from under the crossbar. Twelve minutes earlier Kelly had been beaten in similar fashion when Martin Hardy’s shot, crisply sidefooted goalwards from all of 25 yards, curled into the roof of the net to bring the Lincolnshire outfit back into contention. Stamford’s well-drilled defence spent much of the opening period restricting City’s front-line to half-chances, whilst a free-kick by Carl Tallents represented the visitors’ only notable chance, his effort clipping the top of the bar. The second-half had much more to offer and Grant Strong’s teasing cross soon after the restart was spectacularly tipped away by Stamford’s Lee Crane. City went ahead on 65 minutes, relatively early by their recent standards. Kevin Dobinson ploughed through several challenges before crossing low for Ben Fuller, who netted easily after his presence forced Crane to spill the ball at his feet. Only a further eight minutes elapsed before City went into what appeared to be a comfortable lead. Scott Darton, playing his first league match since picking up a knee injury on the opening day of the season, was the instigator this time. His threaded pass into Berquez left him with just one defender to beat, and this he swiftly managed before sliding home his 20th goal of the campaign past the advancing keeper. That should have been that, but Hardy had other ideas and City needed Kelly’s brilliance to see them through a tense finish. In the dying seconds Stamford’s Robbie Blowers was sent off for a quite disgraceful challenge on Shane Wardley, leaving the referee no leeway whatsoever. A reminder that City’s proposed visit to Dartford tonight (Monday) has been switched to April 3, while the home game with Fleet on Saturday February 5 has been postponed due to Billericay’s F.A. Trophy tie against Rushden & Diamonds.
THE BERQUEZ LATE SHOW ROLLS ON Bashley 0 Chelmsford City 1 15/01/2000
Scoring late winners is fast becoming something of a speciality for Chelmsford City, and in particular leading marksman Ollie Berquez who grabbed his 19th goal of the season with a wonderful free-kick after 86 minutes. Once again City had dominated without finding the net but Berquez ensured a third successive 1-0 victory with his stunning late strike. It had promised to be a gruelling and niggly contest, and there was no failure on that score but City held their nerve to eventually put Bashley in their place. Chances were at a premium in the first-half although City had sufficient to be in front. Berquez was twice denied by Geoff Sim in the home goal and on 42 minutes 18-year-old Gavin Crane lobbed over the towering keeper but also just over the bar. Bashley’s best effort came from Marcel Cullers whose skimming drive was safely held by the immaculate Gavin Kelly. The Bashley midfielder was certainly a man on a mission, and his escapism in not receiving a red card for several crude fouls was something of a mystery. However, team-mate Peter Kydd did see red in the 53rd minute following an altercation with City’s Keith Newby who was booked for his part in the incident. The visitors continued to probe away and both Fuller and Kevin Dobinson were foiled by the agility of Sim. Bashley did enjoy a purple patch midway through the second-half, when a succession of inswinging corners had City struggling. But with the rock solid pairing of John Bishop and John Girling mopping up everything, the basis was still there for Chelmsford’s sixth away league win of the season. And it duly arrived after Newby was chopped down right on the edge of the area. Whilst all around him bickered, Berquez swiftly hammered the ball towards the top corner where Sim could only help it into the net.
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