I think GWR are our closest rivals, mileage-wise (it’s 11 ½ miles according to Google Maps), and it’s always good to have a derby and all the friendly rivalry that it brings with it!

GWR have started the season well and are currently 3rd in the table with 22 points from 10 matches (7 wins, 1 draw & 2 defeats). Goal difference is 22 v 10 for a +12.

GWR – season 24/25 – The Last Six
(most recent results first)
Woodford Town 3 GWR 1
Last time out was a defeat at the team just above them in the table. GWR took the lead in this one with a Perry Dunn goal before Woodford staged a second-half comeback to win 3-1.

GWR 5 Halstead Town 1
A big win in the end, although bottom of the table Halstead led at half-time before Harry Brown, Callum Boylan, Harrison Toplis, and a late double from Harry Talbot (one a penalty) saw GWR comfortably take the 3 points.

Sawbridgeworth Town 1 GWR 2
A tougher-than-expected away victory at Sawbo Town who levelled the score after Bradleigh Rowland had given GWR a 14th-minute lead. A 76th-minute red card for Sawbo didn’t help their cause and Raheem Gray settled it in the 86th minute.

GWR 3 Athletic Newham 1
A tough-looking encounter was settled in GWR’s favour by a Harry Brown hat-trick with GWR going on to win after Newham had made it 1-1 just before half-time.

White Ensign 2 GWR 1
A rare defeat for GWR and against their tenants at Burroughs Park with Ensign comfortably 2-0 up before a 93rd-minute consolation by Thomas Barton.

Little Oakley 2 GWR 4
Another Harry Brown hat-trick and Harrison Toplis on target for GWR who take the win despite Oakley scoring just before and just after half-time.

In addition, GWR won at Frenford 3-0 in the BBC Essex Senior Cup 1st Round on Tuesday 30th September.

Goalscorers:
Ex-Bridge man Harry Brown with 9, Harry Talbot with 4, Harrison Toplis with 2, and lots on 1 each.

First Team Squad:
Player Appearances
1 George Martin 12
2 Ben Search 12
3 Danny Cossington 11
4 Max Gnandi 11
5 Raheem Gray 11
6 Shaye McKenzie La-Rose 11
7 Harry Talbot 11
8 Thomas Barton 10
9 Harry Brown 10
10 Bradleigh Rowland 10
11 Alfie Whiteaker 10
12 Craig Ferguson 8
13 Harrison Topliss 8
14 Perry Dunn 6
15 James White 6
16 Kingdom Dawson 5
17 Jack Dickinson 5
18 Tony Martin 5
19 Michael Freiter 3
20 Joe Poxon 3
21 Sonny Noble 2
22 Callum Boylan 2
23 Hafeez Elegushi (Demi) 1
24 Billy Johnson 1
25 Ryan Scougall 1

Last Season:
Rovers finished 6th in the ESL table, just 3 points outside the playoff places (The Bridge finished 12th).

The two teams met twice, the first on 15th August 2023 at Lower Road. The game ended in a 2-2 draw. Jay Leader and Harry Brown scored for The Bridge and Ben Search and Jay Nash for GWR.

The second meeting took place at Burroughs Park on the 9th of April 2024 and GWR won 4-1 with goals from Dominic Locke, Harrison Toplis, Jake Gordon, and Tony Martin. Jon Evans scored for The Bridge.

Club Facts:
Founded: 1919
Nickname: Rovers
Ground: Burroughs Park, Great Wakering
Chairman: Steve Swain
First Team Manager: Marcus Bowers
Assistant Manager: Lee Bunn
First Team Coaches: Aron Peters & Scott Keys
Physio: Steve Newman

CLUB HISTORY
The club was formed in 1919 by soldiers demobbed after World War I and finding employment in the local brickfields. Not much in memory remains of the early years of the club although the club do possess some wonderful pictures from around that period.

We first played in one of Southend's oldest leagues, the Southend & District League, where the Rovers stayed until 1982. Rovers were the league's most dominant club, especially in the 1960s and 1970s and to this day remain so on record. The switch in 1982 saw the club move to the newly formed Southend & District Alliance Football League, but sadly this league folded in 1989 leaving Rovers with a decision to move back to the Southend & District League or take a step up in standard. With what most Rovers feel to be the best squad amassed by a manager, in this case, Eddie Nash, Rovers took the decision to step up to intermediate level and joined 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.

In 2022–23 Great Wakering finished third-from-bottom of the North Division, resulting in them facing an inter-step play-off with a club from the division below. After being beaten 5–0 by Quorn they were relegated to the Essex Senior League. In 2023–24 the club reached the final of the FA Vase, where they lost 3–0 to Romford.

CLUB HONOURS
Essex Senior League
Champions 1994-1995, 2013-2014 & 2017-2018
Runners up 1995-1996, 1996-1997 & 1998-1999
Essex Senior Challenge Cup
Champions 2013-2014 & 2017-2018
Runners up 1998-1999
Essex Senior Cup
Runners up 2006-2007
Essex Senior Trophy
Runners up 2001-2002
Isthmian League
Division Two Runners up 1999-2000
FA Vase
Finalists 2023-2024
Essex Thameside Trophy
Runners Up 2000-2001
Essex Intermediate League
Division Two champions 1991–92
Division Three champions 1990–91

Records
Best FA Cup performance: Second qualifying round, 1998–99, 2006–07
Best FA Trophy performance: First round, 2002–03, 2004–05
Best FA Vase performance: Runners-up, 2023–24
Record attendance: 1,500 vs Southend United, friendly match, 20 July 2021
Most appearances: John Heffer 511
Biggest win: 9–0 vs Eton Manor, 27 December 1931
Heaviest defeat: 1–7 vs Bowers United, Essex Senior League, 1 April 1998

The two teams have been having very different seasons as can be seen from the ESL table where GWR are 3rd and The Bridge 13th.

Current form also points in favour of Rovers as we all know that The Bridge are in the middle of a poor run at the moment and Rovers form is pretty good, although there are two defeats in there…

Hullbridge/GWR matches always have a bit of an edge to them, even I’ve noticed that in the short time I’ve been watching matches between the two sides. Add in the various connections between the two clubs and you’ve got a proper local derby and when you also add in the need for points for the team in Blue and White then you’ve got a bit of a cracker coming your way on Saturday.

The Bridge are a new-look side again after the latest additions and will take heart from a good performance at Takeley where they should have had a point at least. GWR will be keen to keep up their challenge at the top end of the table and will be aiming for the three points and that away win at their local rivals home…it’s ‘gonna be a good one and the boys will need all the support they can get, so as always…