Match Preview: Stanway Rovers v The Bridge
The Bridge run of form continues and in a bad way, despite better performances in their last two games. Just the time to visit the team that’s top of the table and unbeaten in their last six then!

Stanway lead the way with 27 points from 12 games, winning 8, drawing 3, and losing just 1. A positive goal difference of 12 consists of scoring 28 and conceding 16. Home form is, not surprisingly, good with 2 wins and 2 draws and a +3 goal difference (5 scored, 2 conceded).

Stanway Rovers – season 24/25 – The Last Six
(most recent results first)
Buckhurst Hill 1 Stanway Rovers 2
Nathaniel Mardell and Tom Maycock make it 3 away wins in a row for Rovers who lead 2-0 before The Stags get one back but it’s not enough to stop Stanway taking the 3 points.

Frenford 1 Stanway Rovers 3
Red cards for Frenford’s Henry Day and Rovers Harrison Chatting and goals from Joe Debell, George Okoye, and Reece Conway and it’s 3 more points for Rovers. Jordon Elongo with a late consolation for the home side.

Ilford 1 Stanway Rovers 2
Harrison Chatting & George Okoye score the goals as Rovers win at Ilford who get one in the 79th minute from Joel Appiah but it’s not enough to save them.

Colney Heath 0 Stanway Rovers 0
Colney Heath win 4-3 on penalties
FA Vase 2nd Qualifying Round defeat for Rovers against Conley Heath, from the Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division, Step 5, Level 9 on the pyramid. A blank 90 minutes is settled by 4-3 pens in favour of the home side.

Hullbridge Sports 0 Stanway Rovers 3
Ominously, Rovers take the 3 points at The T.J.Cottis with a convincing 3-goal victory. Reece Conway and two from Joe Debell do the damage.

Stanway Rovers 1 White Ensign 0
Rovers leave it late to win this one, with a 95th-minute winner from Nathaniel Mardell just enough to see them to victory.

In addition, Rovers were knocked out of the BBC Essex Senior Cup, 2-1, in round one by Ilford.

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Goalscorers:
Main goal scorers this season have been, George Okoye with 8 and Harrison Chatting and Joe Debell with 4 each.

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First Team Squad & appearances:
Player Appearances
1 Harry Thomas 16
2 Joe Debell 15
3 Henry Barley 14
4 Jamie Bennett 14
5 Tom Maycock 14
6 George Okoye 14
7 Ricky Tarbard 14
8 Jordan Barnett 13
9 Reece Conway 13
10 Freddy Cooper 13
11 Callum Robinson 13
12 Harrison Chatting 12
13 Milo Grimes 12
14 Nathaniel Mardell 8
15 Max Sherlock 8
16 Christian Frimpong 7
17 Reece Harris 6
18 Joe Turpin 6
19 Reiss Oteng 5
20 Ellis Girling 4
21 Callum Boylan 3
22 Ben Dixon 3
23 Usman Adeniji Temitope 2
24 Rob Weller 2
25 Ryan Lees 1

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Last Season:
Stanway finished 7th in the ESL last season. The Bridge finished in 12th.
The teams met twice during the season.

Game one was on the opening day of the season, 29th of July 2023, and The Bridge visited The Hawthorns and took away the league points with a 1-0 victory courtesy of a Charlie Heatley winner on 25 minutes.

Game two on the 18th of November 2023, saw Rovers more than gain revenge with a thumping 5-0 victory at Lower Road. Scorers were Reece Conway, Jack Johnson, Jack Madley, Nathaniel Mardell and Joshua Hughes.

This Season:
As mentioned above, the two teams met this season at Lower Road and Rovers won 3-0.

Club Facts:
Founded: 1956
Ground: The Hawthorns, Stanway, Colchester
Chairman: Steve Blake
First Team Manager: Jamie Shaw
Assistant Manager / Coach: Anthony White
First Team Physio: Callum Gough

CLUB HISTORY
The modern club was established on 10th July 1956, although records show that another club by the same name had been playing in the early 1900s, including winning Division II B of the Essex & Suffolk Border League in 1927-28. The new club joined Division Two of the Colchester and East Essex League, and by 1960 had reached the Premier Division. They won the Premier Division in 1967-68 and again in 1973-74. The following season saw them reach the final of the Essex Junior Cup, where they lost 1-0 to Takeley.

In 1975, Stanway joined Division One of the Essex & Suffolk Border League and, in 1978, were placed in the new Division Two. The 1978-79 season saw the club finish third and win promotion to Division One. They were later relegated to Division Two, which they won in 1981-82 and again in 1985-86 after another relegation. However, in 1986-87 the club won Division One and were promoted to the Premier Division. In 1990 and 1991 the club reached the final of the Essex Intermediate Cup, but lost both matches 3-1. In 1991-92, they were Premier Division runners-up and were promoted to Division One of the Eastern Counties League. In 2005-06 the club won Division One and were promoted to the Premier Division. They went on to win the League Cup in 2008-09, beating Leiston 4-2 on penalties in the final. They won the cup again in 2011-12 with a 2-1 win over Norwich United in the final.

At the end of the 2017-18 season, Stanway were transferred to the Essex Senior League. However, after a single season in the Essex Senior League, they were moved back to the Eastern Counties League Premier Division.

The club was initially based at the King George V playing fields in Lexden (more commonly known as Clairmont Road) before moving to The Stanway School in 1961. In 1979 the club agreed a 99-year lease with the local council for a 4.6-acre (19,000 m2) plot of land. On 18th November 1982 the new clubhouse was opened, and named The Hawthorns.

Honours
EASTERN COUNTIES LEAGUE
- Division One Champions: 2005/06
- League Cup Winners: 2008/09, 2011/12
ESSEX & SUFFOLK BORDER LEAGUE
- Division One Champions: 1986/87
- Division Two Champions: 1981/81, 1985/86
COLCHESTER & EAST ESSEX LEAGUE
- Premier Division Champions: 1973/74

Records
Best FA Cup performance: Second qualifying round 2008–09, 2015–16
Best FA Vase performance: Fifth round, 2007–08, 2014–15
Record attendance: 575 vs Saffron Walden Town, FA Vase fourth round, 17 January 2015

This is where we all hope that football has one of its unpredictable days and The Bridge take the points against the odds. That top-of-the-table position is even more impressive when you see that Rovers have played only 4 of those 12 games at home and The Bridge will be attempting to be the first team to win at The Hawthorns in 24/25. A quick look at the current form below doesn’t do much for the confidence and, as we know, The Bridge are in something of a change period with new players coming in and probably needing time to settle.

An away win is desperately needed if we are to break that run of red L’s and you never know, when you think things are set in stone, in this game, sometimes the unexpected happens.

Anyway, it would be a good place to start turning The Bridge season around, so if you fancy a quick trip up the A12, I'm sure the lads will appreciate your support. Fingers and everything else crossed, for a shock result and as ever…