A fourth away league game in a row sees The Bridge make the 50-mile trip up the A12 and A120 to the outskirts of Harwich to face Little Oakley.

The Acorns, as they are known, are currently in 12th place and have 23 points from their 18 games, 3 more than the Bridge but they’ve played 5 games less! 6 wins, 5 draws, and 7 defeats have produced 30 goals for and 33 against for a -3 GD. From their 8 home matches, they have 3 wins, 3 draws, and 2 defeats, with a GD of +3 (14 for and 11 against) which is 12th for the ESL. The Bridge away are 2 wins and 8 defeats, with 16 scored and 26 conceded (-10.)

Here’s what The Acorns have been doing in their last six matches…
Little Oakley – season 24/25 – The Last Six
(most recent results first)
Romford 0 Little Oakley 0
Peter Butcher Memorial Trophy Quarter-Final
A 0-0 draw goes to penalties and The Acorns win it - see celebrations below!

Athletic Newham 4 Little Oakley 0
An emphatic 4-0 home victory for Athletic Newham and a bad day at the office for The Acorns. Hassan Saleh Togba with 2, Julian Sarmiento-Ramirez and Victor Ferrini are the scorers.

FC Clacton 1 Little Oakley 4
A good away day for Oakley in what could probably be classed as a derby of sorts. 4-0 up thanks to a Darren Mills hat-trick and one from Daniel Rowe, Clacton get a 75th-minute Glory Longi consolation.

Waltham Abbey 2 Little Oakley 0
Essex County Cup Fourth Qualifying Round
A red card for Ollie Fernandez for Abbey doesn’t stop them from progressing against The Acorns in the County Cup. Nicholas Brown and Luke Deslandes are the scorers for the step 4 side who are 4th in the Isthmian League North.

Little Oakley 1 Ilford 1
Michael Adu puts Ilford ahead and Nathan Rowe salvages a point for Oakley with a 94th-minute equaliser.

Little Oakley 0 Romford 1
Just the one goal needed to settle this one and Romford get it thanks to Joe Paxman.

First Team Squad & appearances:
Player Appearances
1 Rory Harman 20
2 Jack Ladbrook 20
3 Darren Mills 20
4 George Davis 19
5 Nathan Rowe 19
6 Daniel Smith 18
7 Bobby Badham 17
8 Adrian Cant 17
9 Luke Hipkin 17
10 Daniel Rowe 17
11 Lewis Wood 15
12 Michael Bett 14
13 Jordi Papple 14
14 Bobby Rea 12
15 Liam Riley 10
16 Reece Keating 8
17 Blake Keogh-Kedar 7
18 Billy Lawlor 7
19 Mohammad Amir 6
20 Noah Asterlind 6
21 Oakley McNair 6
22 Harry Boon 5
23 Rauf Kabangu 4
24 Marcus Russell 3
25 Connor Tucker 3
26 Max Brownsdon 2
27 Sam Cheetham 2
28 Jack Cosby 2
29 Dominic Alexandru 1
30 Samuel Cooke 1
31 Booby Rea 1
32 Daniel Titilola 1

Last Season:
Little Oakley finished 8th in the ESL last season with 55 points. The Bridge finished in 12th with 49.

The teams met twice during the season.
Game one was on the 9th of September 2023 and was a 2-1 win for The Bridge at the Memorial Ground with Michael Agboola and Michael Osei scoring the Bridge goals and Rory Harman was on target for the visitors.

Game Two on the 22nd of February 2024 was a 1-1 draw. Oliver Hart put The Acorns one up and Derek Asamoah levelled it in the 90th minute.

This Season:
Saturday is the first meeting between the two teams this season.

Club Facts:
Founded: 1947
Ground: Memorial Ground, Little Oakley
Chairman: Michael Good
First Team Manager: James Good

Club History
A Brief History of Little Oakley FC
There is evidence of a football club in Little Oakley just before and after the First World War, when an informal team played friendlies on a field behind the village school. However, the current club was formed at the Memorial Club, as Little Oakley War Memorial in 1947, the main instigators being Nat Seaborn, Ted Messenger, Bill Wright, the AA man, and Arthur Rush, the Club's first Secretary. In those early days the teams changed in Bank Manager, Mr. Ingle's barn behind Foulton Hall, accessing the pitch via a gate in the top left hand corner of the field.

They joined the Harwich & District League Junior League in '49-50, and entered a Reserve side in the B Section of that League a year later. After two seasons in the Tendring Hundred League, from '53-54, they were elected into Division One of the Colchester & East Essex League, when the 1st Team's place in the THL was taken by the Reserves. Topping the Colchester table, in '56-57, the 1st Team were promoted to the Premier Division, but although they dropped back to Division One in 1960, they finished third two seasons later.

On the strength of this, and their facilities at the War Memorial Sports Ground, they were accepted into the Border League Division One in '63-64, lifting the Divisional Knock-Out Cup, that very season, when they beat Brightlingsea United 5-1. The season was completed when they also took the Harwich Junior Charity Cup with a 5-2 win over Ramsey War Memorial.

A year later, they were, once again in the Division One Knock-Out Final, losing 4-3 to Clacton North End and saw another Harwich Junior Charity Cup Final appearance but losing this time 3-2 to Parkeston Railway in '67-68. The Reserves had reverted to the Harwich League in 1957-58, but they returned to the THL in '62-63, also competing in the North East Essex Coastal League between '65-66 and '68-69.

The Club withdrew from the Border League and in '69-70 they replaced the Reserve Team in the Coastal League with just the one team for more than a decade. They won the Coastal League in '72-73, and regained their Division One slot in the Border League the following season.

Shedding the 'War Memorial' bit, in '74-75, they took a gap year in '78-79, returning to Division Three in '78-80. It was during the '80's that Little Oakley FC really came to the fore! They won the Harwich Junior Charity Cup in 1982, and in 1983 beating Dedham Old Boys on penalties and then Lawford Lads 3-2. Two Tommy Thompson Cup Finals brought victory over Parkeston Railway Reserves, in 1984, but saw a defeat against Donyland Swifts a year later.

Their Reserve side reformed in the Colchester League Division Four in '81-82 but joined the Border League in '82-83 after the 1st Team were promoted to Division Two. After three seasons in Division Two, the 1st Team were promoted to Division One in '84-85 and this saw the start of the Jim Warnes era. His team won Division One and the Premier Division title in '87-88. The Reserves were promoted in '87-88, they also won the Area pennant of the Essex Junior Cup.

A 3-1 against Stanway Rovers gave the Seniors the Essex Intermediate Cup in '89-90, and further League Championships, this time under Manager, Mick Felgate, followed in '92-93 and '93-94. There were also four back-to-back Harwich Intermediate Charity Cup successes between '89 and '92.

Having escaped relegation in 2002-03, Nigel Box was appointed as Manager for the '02-03 campaign, and his side winning the Championship for the fifth time that season.
A few dry years followed and with the appointment of Sean Tynan and Paul Sadler they won the Premier title in '16-17 after ending season '15-16 in second place. Season '15-16 saw the 1st Team reach the Essex Premier Cup Final but lost to 4-1 to Frenford Senior at Thurrock, but went on to winning the Essex and Suffolk Border League Knock-Out Cup in '16-17.

During '16-17 they applied to join the Thurlow Nunn Eastern Counties League. Their application was granted and by the end of August 2017 the Club would have invested around £300k in their facilities at the Memorial Ground. This included installing new floodlights, fencing, two 50-standing spectator stands, a small all-weather 3G pitch with floodlighting and access paths.

As part of the Football Association's League pyramid restructuring for Step 6 they moved across to join the new Thurlow Nunn Eastern Senior League First Division South from Season 2018/19.

In early November 2018, with the resignation of Sean Tynan as the First Team Manager the Club appointed Matt Carmichael who had previously been at Brantham Athletic and Harwich & Parkeston, as his replacement and they also took the opportunity to appoint Mark Sharp as the Football Club's Head Coach. Sean went on to manage Harwich & Parkeston in Season 2021/22.

Season 2021/22 saw the Club get promoted to the Essex Senior League Premier Division as part of Football Pyramid rationalisation, where they finished a very commendable 6th place.

At the start of Season 2022/23 the Club saw some movement in the Management team, when Michael Brothers moving to the Club Head and First Team Coach's roles, after a short period at the end of the previous season as a player, joining once again, Matt Carmichael, as they both previously had been at Brantham Athletic. Unfortunately the club saw Mark Sharp standing down as Head Coach due to other commitments.

Like most grass roots clubs they are totally dependent on volunteers. They are a large part of the local Harwich and Dovercourt community and are now well established as a much admired club. They have thriving Youth, Ladies and Junior sections, catering for all ages including the introduction of walking football into the Harwich area for the over 50’s during 2016.

But it does not stop there!
The Club launched a Full-Time Football Academy for 16-19 Year Olds starting Season 2019/20 from August 2019 and as from June 2019 the Club introduced Walking Netball sessions.

During Season 2021/22, they increased their 50-seater stand to a 100-seater, they installed a further 50 standing spectator stand, a vimeo video system and a matchday public address.

Honours
Essex Intermediate Cup Winners: 1989/90
Essex Premier Cup Runners Up 2015/16
Essex and Suffolk Border League Premier Division Winners: 1986/87, 1987/88, 1992/93, 1993/94, 2003/04, 2016/17
Essex and Suffolk Border League Premier Division Runners Up: 1989/90, 1994/95, 2014/15
Essex and Suffolk Border League Division One Winner: 1985/86
Essex and Suffolk Border League KO Cup Winners: 2014/15, 2016/17
Essex and Suffolk Border League KO Cup Runners Up: 1993/94
Essex and Suffolk Border League KO Cup Winners Division One: 1963/64
Essex and Suffolk Border League KO Cup Runners up Division One: 1964/65
Tommy Thompson Cup Winners: 1983/84
A V Lee Service Memorial Cup Winners; 1994
Essex Senior League Premier Division – Promoted 2021 (Football Pyramid rationalisation)
Highest FA Cup – 2nd Round Qualifying – verses Chelmsford City – September 2021 lost 1-2.
Highest FA Vase - 2nd Round Proper - verses Romford - 12th November 2022
Highest League Pyramid position - Finished 6th Season 2021/22 in the Essex Senior League Premier Division.

The Bridge are back in another run of defeats since the pre-Christmas home win against Benfleet. The run is now at 4 after losing at White Ensign, Frenford, Athletic Newham, and at home to Woodford Town in the Peter Butcher Memorial Trophy.

Little Oakley lost in the league last time out at Athletic Newham but did get through their Peter Butcher Quarter Final tie with Romford, winning on penalties. Previous to that defeat at Newham, The Acorns have had a mixture of wins, draws, and defeats, so form is a bit inconsistent.

Here’s the form guide for ESL matches only:
The Bridge: 2 wins; 0 draws; 4 defeats; For 10; Against 18; GD -8; Points 6
The Acorns: 2 wins; 1 draw; 3 defeats; For 9; Against 11; GD -2; Points 7

League position-wise it’s 12th v 16th and form guide-wise it’s 12th v 15th. I’m not sure what that tells us really, anything is possible!

At the moment, we’re not sure what performance you’re going to get from The Bridge but that’s all part of the fun, isn’t it? …no, seriously, isn’t it?
Oh well, I’ll let you decide but don’t forget…