Match Preview: Takeley v The Bridge
It’s back to the ESL Prem after a very quick sojourn in the Essex Senior Cup and a visit to a team that have started the season pretty well. Here’s how the last few games have gone…

Takeley – season 24/25 – The Last Six
(most recent results first)

Takeley are currently 5th in the ESL with 15 points from 9 games (4 wins, 3 draws, and 2 defeats). Goal difference is +8 (13 for and 5 against).

Buckhurst Hill 2 Takeley 1
Last time out was a fairly surprising defeat at Buckhurst Hill where Takeley were 2-0 down before Lanre Balogun got the consolation in the 64th minute.

Barking 0 Takeley 3
A convincing FA Vase 2nd Qualifying Round win at Barking with goals from Jack Mitchell (2) and Lanre Balogun again.

Halstead Town 0 Takeley 6
A thumping away win against struggling Halstead. Jaden Marzell, Jack Mitchell, Lanre Balogun, Coby Miles, Connor Clarke and a Harrison Tweddell penalty did the damage.

Takeley 1 West Essex 0
Takeley with 10 as Jamel Obeng saw red but still winners with a Lanre Balogun goal (who else!).

Saffron Walden Town 1 Takeley 1
A rare draw as the visitors lead with a, yes, you’ve guessed it, Lanre Balogun goal before SWT equalise in the 52nd minute.

Woodford Town 1 Takeley 0
Just the one goal needed for high-flying Woodford and a rare defeat for Takeley. Even Lanre Balogun couldn’t save them this time.

In addition, Takeley beat Basildon Town 6-3 in the BBC Essex Senior Cup 1st Round on Tuesday.

Goalscorers:
Main goal scorers this season have been, of course, Lanre Balogun with 5, Jack Mitchell with 3 and Bryn Thorpe with 2.

First Team Squad & appearances:
Player Appearances
1 Coby Miles 12
2 Jarvis Monk 11
3 Lewis Powell 11
4 Thomas Massey 10
5 Jordan Wescott 10
6 Lewis Wicker 10
7 Jaden Marzell 9
8 James Thomas 9
9 Jamal Obeng 8
10 Charlie Allum 7
11 Lanre Balogun 7
12 Aaran Thomas 6
13 Freddie Taylor Coghill 5
14 George Powell 5
15 Bryn Thorpe 5
16 Charlie Wardle 5
17 Connor Clarke 4
18 Jack Mitchell 4
19 Louis Monk 4
20 Kieran Daniel Southgate 4
21 Michael LaRonde 4
22 Jack Bull 2
23 Glenn O'Hanlon 2
24 Harrison Tweddell 2
25 Hodje Almeida Joaquim 1
26 Alfie Attrill 1
27 Darvill James 1

Last Season:
Takeley finished 15th in the ESL last season. The Bridge finished in 12th.
The teams met three times during the season.

Game one was on the 5th of August 2023 in the Emirates FA Cup and The Bridge won 4-1 with goals from Harry Brown (2), Charlie Heatley, and Kevin Toualeu. Aldis Aliu replied for Takeley.

Game two was on the 7th of October 2023 and was another 4-1 win for The Bridge, this time at Takeley. Solomon Ofori (2), Jason Banton, and David Luzolo were The Bridge scorers and Caoilan Mcgettigan got Takeley’s one.

Game three on the 13th of April 2024 saw Takeley gain some revenge with a 2-1 victory at Lower Road. Scorers were Jamal Obeng and Glenn O’Hanlon for the visitors and Zayshaun Asamoah for The Bridge.

Club Facts:
Founded: 1903
Ground: Full Vision Stadium, Station Road, Takeley
Chairman: Andrew Silvester
First Team Managers: Alex Martin & Kieron Amos
Physio: Lauren Phillips

CLUB HISTORY
Takeley Football Club historically believed they were formed in 1903 as little was known about those early times. However, a local sports reporter from Bishops Stortford recently discovered an historical news article from November 1900 which uncovered the fact that Takeley were playing at that time – 3 years earlier than they thought!! The club became affiliated within the Bishop's Stortford, Stansted and District Football League (BSS & DFL) at the end of the First World War. The original pitches were in Hatfield Forest, moving to Station Road opposite to their present home ground. Additional Pitches for the club at the Recreation Ground just past Takeley Park have been arranged by the food office of Takeley Parish Council. The club is well looked after by local businessmen: Andrew Silvester, our President, Pat Curran, Chairman and Nick Rabey, Secretary together with local volunteers and active committee members.

Honours
Essex Intermediate/Olympian League
Division One champions 1987–88, 2001–02
Division Two champions 1993–94
Essex Premier Cup
Winners 2006–07

Records
Best FA Cup performance: Preliminary round, 2012–13
Best FA Vase performance: Second round, 2012–13

Matchday:
It’s not difficult to work out who the favourites in this game will be but when does football do what you expect it to do? A quick look at current form below points massively to a home win but it would also be a good time for The Bridge to start on their road to recovery.

However bad things seem at the moment, an away win for The Bridge would put them only 2 points behind their hosts and with a game in hand, so the season could change very rapidly.

So, let’s hope that Lanre Balogun has finished scoring goals for a bit and Freddie Moriaty can find the target for the second league game in a row and The Bridge can keep a clean sheet and I win the Sky Super Six…OK, maybe the last one is asking too much!

If you’re going, I’m sure the lads will appreciate your support, if you’re not, send them your good wishes on X and sit nervously watching your phone all afternoon. As Billy Ocean once sang…when the going gets tough…we all get behind the team in Blue & White. OK, he may not have sung that last bit but as always….