Saturday 24th September 2022, 3 PM
THE BRIDGE v GREAT WAKERING ROVERS
ISTHMIAN LEAGUE NORTH
LOWER ROAD, HULLBRIDGE

About Great Wakering Rovers

Nickname Rovers
Founded 1919
Ground Burroughs Park, Great Wakering
Capacity 3,000 (250 seated)
Chairman David Patient
Manager Iain O'Connell
League Isthmian League North Division
2021–22 Isthmian League North Division, 15th of 20

The club was formed in 1919 by soldiers demobbed after World War I and finding employment in the local brickfields. They joined the Southend & District League, dominating it during the 1960s and 1970s. In 1982 they switched to the newly formed Southend & District Alliance Football League, but this league folded in 1989. At this point, the club decided to make the step up to intermediate level and were founder members of the new Division Three of the Essex Intermediate League.

In 1990–91 Great Wakering were Division Three champions, earning promotion to Division Two. After winning Division Two the following season, the club successfully applied to join the Essex Senior League. They went on to win the league in 1994–95 and finished as runners-up three times in the next two seasons. They were runners-up again in 1998–99, but as champions, Saffron Walden Town failed to meet the ground grading requirements for a place in Division Three of the Isthmian League, Great Wakering were promoted in their place.

The 1999–2000 season saw Great Wakering finish as runners-up in Division Three, earning promotion to Division Two. League restructuring resulted in them being moved to Division One North in 2002, and in 2004 they were transferred to the Eastern Division of the Southern League, where they remained for two seasons before being transferred back to Division One North of the Isthmian League. In 2011–12 the club finished bottom of the division and were relegated back to the Essex Senior League. In 2013–14 the club were Essex Senior League champions and were promoted back to the Isthmian League. After finishing bottom of the division in 2016–17, the club were relegated to the Essex Senior League. However, they went on to win the league at the first attempt, earning promotion back to the renamed North Division of the Isthmian League.

Recent results & form
Great Wakering Rovers are currently 14th in the table with 4 points from 6 matches. This includes 1 win (against The Bridge) 1 draw and 4 defeats. They have a minus 6 goal difference, scoring 8 and conceding 14.

Last season
Sat 16 Oct 2021
Great Wakering Rovers 1 (Nzala)
The Bridge 0
GWR took the three points with the only goal of the game coming after 8 minutes from Ashley Nzala.

Sat 12 Feb 2022
The Bridge 1 (Gregory)
Great Wakering Rovers 1(Mavinga-Kithambo)
As the Great Escape began to gain momentum, The Bridge equalised with a Joe Gregory 90th-minute header to save the points after GWR had taken an early 4th-minute lead with a goal from Darnell Mavanga-Kithambo.

This season
Sat 3 Sep 2022
Great Wakering Rovers 3 (Hernandez 2, 1 pen, Cossington)
The Bridge 0
GWR took the three points despite a good start by The Bridge. A disputed penalty sent them on their way to victory but 3-0 was hard on The Bridge who were in the match for most of it but couldn’t convert their chances.

Watch out for:
Alexander Hernandez, top scorer with 4 goals including 2 against The Bridge in the away fixture, and Eusebio De Silva Ca who has 2 goals this season so far. Also, the various connections between the two clubs, which are many and probably a lot more than I know about!