As of 8.30am this morning, although surface water still remains on the pitch at the Wessex Stadium, the ground staff at Weymouth are confident this can be corrected in time for kick-off, therefore this match will go ahead as scheduled.
Head Coach Glenn Pennyfather says his Chelmsford City players are desperate to get a game under their belts against bottom club Weymouth at the Wessex Stadium this Saturday, kick-off 3:00pm, as the Clarets hope to end their barren spell without a match since they met Thurrock away on 2nd January.
Rain and snow ruined City’s chances of facing Aveley or Crawley Town since a 1-1 draw at Ship Lane in the New Year and, although a pitch inspection is due for early on Saturday morning, each player and member of staff has their fingers crossed for the fixture to get underway. Chelmsford sit in fourth place and bid to continue their eleven-match unbeaten run, having lost just twice in their last 20 competitive encounters.
Training has been disrupted during these difficult weather conditions, but Glenn revealed the squad has been able to get by, claiming: “We’ve not been able to train on grass apart from last Saturday but local schools have been good enough to let us use their facilities. We have had the usual problems everyone has experienced recently and a couple of lads have been unable to get in for training so they’ve done their own bits and pieces elsewhere. Apart from that, though, we’ve been at near to full attendance.”
Pennyfather explained Sports Therapist Ken Steggles has had “one or two in for treatment” this week although he expects to have a near full-strength side to select from in Dorset on Saturday. Based on recent results, he will need as much talent on the pitch as he can muster against a Weymouth side who collapsed to the foot of the Blue Square South table early in the season but have revived their prospects recently thanks to four points against fierce rivals Dorchester Town over the festive period.
“The players can’t wait to get back out there again and it’s been frustrating kicking our heels,” Glenn continued ahead of a two-game test against the Terras then Crawley Town in the FA Trophy on Monday night. “Weymouth won’t be an easy game to come back to as they’re on a resurgence. It would have been better to play them at the start of the season when they were being beaten by four or five. They’ve got a new chairman and management team and a few new players so we’ll have to be at our best to beat them.”
