Radio Goals

Chelmsford City 2-5 Farnborough (National League South)

Welcome to Chelmsford. Birthplace of radio. A road sign I pass in the pouring rain, for the first time properly noticing the bragging rights to this cities wonderful history.

Apparently in 1899 an Italian inventor named Guglielmo Marconi set up the world's first wireless radio factory in Chelmsford. Improving communication for everyone, which is a sore subject as whilst parked up off Salerno Way I'm on hold to Virgin Media in the hope that they might pick up the phone and help me downgrade my TV package. No such luck. The big bully broadcasters don't like to 'communicate' when it comes to attempting to spend less with them. I'll try again tomorrow.

Back to football. Chelmsford City have started their season well under Angelo Harrop. In the National League South playoff places they have eleven points from six played and have lost just once.

Farnborough are the 'entertainers' of the division. Can't defend, they can certainly attack and drew their last game at Tonbridge 3-3. In the bottom half after three defeats two draws and one win they have netted nine times but conceded 12 in their six games. I'm expecting goals tonight.

The Venue

The rain has stopped and the sun is back out. It was bucketing for moments during my journey south down the A1 & M11. Much needed September showers are here after months of warmth and sunshine but my walk up towards Melbourne Stadium is a dry one as I enter the car park to this purpose built athletics arena situated in the north of the city midst many houses mostly semi-detached.

I'm through the turnstile, scanned on entrance with my matchday pass ahead of walking past the modern clubhouse, around the back of the pitch which feels a mile away behind the huge hammer throw netting and a small raised area behind the goal for some fans with flags to congregate closer up to the action.

The 'big' Main seated stand is behind a coffee truck and a pizza van which smells of burning dough. Homage perhaps to transfer deadline day as I read on my phone Alexander Isak has joined Liverpool for £125m.

Up to the seated area which is high up and set back, I find a quiet end of aisle pew back row and start writing down tonight's teams, just thirty minutes or so to kick off, the venue filling nicely, panoramic surrounds, across the way is the quirky Leisure Centre which has a roof attached for fans to park themselves under, a clock face in white is very noticeable high up, behind both goals are temporary standing areas for fans, the running track circling behind below the cloud covering an orange sky, as the two teams come out on my left, Chelmsford in claret and white, Farnborough fetching in pale lemon and blue.

The Game

The track suited Hemel Hempstead Town management team are here, scouting, back row with clip boards. Marc White of Dorking Wanderers is here too, customary baseball cap, chatting to locals. The action underway seems far away, but a set back pitch perfect view offers at least some guesses of shape as the early blows are traded across the running lanes, Chelmsford lively down their right as Archie Tamplin causes problems for young Charlton Athletic loanee Toby Bower at left back.

Chelmsford are the enforcers early doors as they terrorise the divisions worse defence down the flanks, they've had a succession of corners but are undone on 18 as Bloomfield counter attacks. He's sent through with a straight low ball and races in on the keeper before slotting home.

At the other Turner is called into action with a smart point blank save, but City keeper Haigh wants in on the action too. He's raced out to another slide rule pass that exposes the flaky Chelmsford defence, he tackles Collis but the ball falls to Ryan Huke who's at least 40 yards from goal. No problem for the young Farnborough midfielder recently signed from Charlton, as he lofts the ball into the empty net for a second.

The Score

Chelmsford to their credit hit back almost immediately when Castiglione is played in by Grimwood before chipping the goalkeeper exquisitely, but in a crazy five minutes Farnborough restore their two goal advantage when the lively Dominic Poleon sets aim from a ridiculous angle and powers one in past Haigh who might have done better, had he even seen the bullet like blast coming from wide left.

That leads to a number of people getting up off their seats around me, for their pre-half time pisses and pints, and as the second half plays out slowly to defence v attack, Farnborough looks settled to protect what they have before a trio of substitutes for the home side at least add more impetus. That attacking threat however plays one too many passes with often stale and ineffective possession, Lyle Taylor, fresh off the bench with bleach blonde hair, recently signed to add Football League experience, he gives the ball away. Farnborough immediately go up the other end and score again, as Huke slides in a second to put the Yellows 4-1 up.

Former Forest and Charlton striker Taylor does make amends, when Turner is punished for bringing down an opponent on the edge of his area, Taylor steps up confidently by walking towards the ball on the penalty spot and blasting it home, but it's all in vain as Farnborough score again, Bloomfield adding his second in injury time. This time the fans leave their seats, and don't come back.

The Stars

It's a weird one as Farnborough don't have that much of the ball, they are clinical in attack and have probably only had five shots on target, scoring them all, but in Dominic Poleon they have a striker, a wide man, with Football League experience, who now 31 is a real handful, pacey, powerful, he scored over 70 goals in five years at Ebbsfleet before moving to Cherrywood Road in the summer, the goal he scored brilliant, one run in the second half saw him carry the ball for thirty yards whilst weaving in and out of challenges.

Other impressive performances from Farnborough, Mason Bloomfield as the 'number nine' wearing 23 got his two goals, a target man of 'more clubs than Sandy Lyle' sought but with talent aged maturing at 28. Ryan Huke was a busy runner from midfield and took his two goals brilliantly, only 20 years old he has a lot of potential, but behind him, Renny Smith sat in the holding role and kept everything ticking winning tackles along the way.

Chelmsford didn't actually play badly, they just defended badly, and in Archie Tamplin, they have a good young footballer through the academies of West Ham and Arsenal, who has natural ability and an urge to make things happen.

Tamplin tall and solid looking, technical with talent, appeared mostly on the right but was substituted in the second half to the annoyance of some supporters which suggests I'm not on my own in thinking he was the stand out star of a bad night at the office.

Others to impress, Dominic Odusanya in midfield was the one knitting it all together when in possession, which they had plenty of, whilst Ricky Holmes was busy trying to push his team forward from a similar central position, a second half sub in Shiloh Remy added some extra pace, slightly lacking some end product, the former Spurs and QPR youngster now 24, was at least positive in play when running at defenders down the left.

The Verdict

As I walked back to my car I overheard a fan saying "I still don't know what we are" as another replied "a playoff team at best". That's probably my feeling towards Chelmsford City too, who cross off some bad defending and some terrifically taken goals, just met Farnborough on a night they needed, a night when they were clinical, after a run of poor results for the Hampshire based outfit.

At this early stage, tables do lie, Farnborough aren't as bad as their position suggests, they'll let plenty in, but they'll score some too, perhaps Chelmsford aren't as good as their stats states? A long way still to go though, many twists and turns assured, I'm sure both teams will be ok this season and will give it a real go, but I'm not sure if either will taste promotion? I have, however, been wrong plenty of times before.

The Teams

Chelmsford City: Chris Haigh, Harry Barbrook (Ben Tompkins 83), Joe Grimwood, David Longe-King, Josh Castiglione (Junior Nkeng 65), Dominic Odusanya, Ricky Holmes (Shiloh Remy 65), Louie Kudiabor, Archie Tamplin (Lyle Taylor 65), Taylor Clark, Kai Corbetts (Jack Barham 55).

Farnborough: Jack Turner, Luciano D'Auria-Henry, Ollie Robinson, Lachlan Byrd, Connor Harris, Dominic Poleon, Renny Smith, Toby Bower, Ryan Huke (Dan Bradshaw 74), Teddy Collis (Harry Clout 76), Mason Bloomfield.

7:45pm Kick Off. Monday 1st September 2025, Melbourne Stadium, Chelmsford (att 1,451).