The Bridge should go into this game full of confidence after the last two victories on the road and they return to the T.J. Cottis Stadium looking to keep the run going as we enter the latter part of the 2024/25 season.

Our opponents Ilford are currently 14th in the ESL table. They have 28 points from 27 matches with 7 wins, 7 draws, and 13 defeats. Goal difference is -9, with 35 scored and 44 conceded. Away form is average, with 2 wins, 5 draws, and 7 defeats from their 14 matches. 14 for and 23 against gives Ilford a -9 away GD.

Here’s what Ilford have been doing in their last six matches…
ILFORD– season 24/25 – The Last Six
(most recent results first)
Ilford 2 Great Wakering Rovers 0
A surprising win for The Foxes that probably alleviates any lingering relegation worries as they move well clear of the bottom two. An early goal from Mo Nur Habib and a second-half Greg Akpele penalty see the home team through to a win and three vital points.

Ilford 3 Sawbridgeworth Town 4
With both teams in the lower reaches of the ESL, this was a vital 3 points if one of them could get the win. Ilford struck first on 28 minutes through Joel Appiah and then went further ahead when Emmanuel Wazola made it 2-0 after 33’. Sawbo fought back though, and Elijah Grant scored a quick-fire hat-trick to put Sawbo in front. The home side thought they had secured a point with a 92nd-minute second goal from Appiah but Sawbo weren’t finished yet and won it with a 94th-minute winner from Austen Garrod.

White Ensign 0 Ilford 0
A good point for Ilford as they hold Ensign at Burroughs Park. Michael Utazi is sent off for Ilford but it’s too late to affect the game as he received a quick-fire yellow and red in the 91st minute.

Ilford 0 Saffron Walden Town 1
Ilford keeper William Boateng is sent off after 29 minutes and SWT’s Jason Chalk gets a red card in the 50th. Prior to that, Jean Baptiste Fischer had scored for SWT in the 25th minute and that was enough for SWT to take all three points.

Ilford 2 FC Clacton 1
It’s 1-0 to Ilford when Greg Akpele nets after just 9 minutes. Stuart Zanone makes it 1-1 after 51’and FC Clacton think they have a point, but Mo Nur Habib has other ideas and wins it in the 94th minute.

Halstead Town 3 Ilford 1
A decent gate of 238 cheer Halstead to victory in another lower league table clash. Joel Older grabs a couple for Halstead and a Dean Ager pen is their 3rd. 2-0 down at half-time, Greg Akpele reduces the deficit before Older nets his second and Halstead’s third.

First Team Squad & appearances:
Player Appearances
1 Wilkinson Boateng 30
2 Abdul Shobowale 30
3 Emmanuel Wazola 27
4 Michael Okafor 26
5 Joel Appiah 25
6 Greg Akpele 24
7 Nik Ahm Adi 21
8 Kaan Junior 21
9 Ahmed Dousa 15
10 Michael Olatunji 15
11 Mo Nur Habib 14
12 Jabir Adam 13
13 Muamar Osman 12
14 Michael Adu 11
15 Saikoutijan Jatta 11
16 Kofi Appiah 10
17 Jacques Leurs 9
18 Lawrence Ade Olorunfemi 8
19 Somfechi Ukonu 8
20 Michael Adu 7
21 Daniel Emmanuel 7
22 Jake Godfrey 6
23 Jeff Ldemudia 6
24 Michael Utazi 6
25 Chris Barbosa 4
26 Daniel Izekor 4
27 Daayan Salifou 4
28 Jeremy Arthur 3
29 Andy Greenslade 3
30 Adama Konate 3
31 Babs Sonupe 3
32 Amari Davis- Stephenson 2
33 Louis Hiobi 2
34 Phelan Matheson 2
35 Joshua Owootomo 2
36 Gideon Ssonko 2
37 Kwame Amevor 1
38 Benjamin Eboh 1
39 Bogdan Erdei 1
40 Abdul Fujah 1
41 Phillip Hayford 1
42 Nickal David Luzolo 1
43 Razvan Marcu 1
44 Delphin Moorat 1
45 Youssef Moumen 1
46 Kai Peters 1
47 Mekhi Roberts 1
48 Tobi Tinubu 1

A closer look…where we take a closer look(!) at past meetings and the Ilford season so far, but first, the facts…you’re welcome!

Club Facts:
Founded: 1881 (original club),1987 (modern club)
Nickname: The Foxes
Ground: Cricklefield Stadium, Ilford (Capacity 3,500, 216 seated)
Chairman: Adam Peek
First Team Manager: Chris Davis
First Team Assistant Manager: Ray Bartlett
First Team Coach: Kwame Kwateng
Physio: Charlie (That’s what it says in their programme!)

Honours
FA Amateur Cup
Winners 1928–29, 1929–30
Isthmian League
Champions 1906–07, 1920–21, 1921–22
Division Two Champions 2004–05
Essex Senior League
League Cup winners 2002–03
London Senior Cup
Winners 1900–01, 1904–05, 1913–14, 1921–22, 1928–29, 1929–30, 1953–54

Records
Best FA Cup performance: Second round, 1925–26, 1927–28, 1974–75
Best FA Trophy performance: Third round, 1974–75
Best FA Vase performance: Second round, 1999–2000, 2004–05, 2020–21

Ilford have spent most of their recent history in the Essex Senior League Premier, dropping out of the Isthmian League Division 1 North at the end of the 2013-14 season. They are now in their 12th successive season in the ESL. Their highest-placed finish was in 2015-16 when they finished 5th.

The Bridge and Ilford – recent meetings:

Season 2024/2025

Saturday 26th October 2024
Ilford 1 The Bridge 0
A fairly non-descript game at Cricklefields requires just one goal to settle the points and, unfortunately for The Bridge, that one goal came from Greg Akpele on 70 minutes. In a game of few chances, Greg took his and tapped home the winner, and The Bridge, who stretched their losing run to eight games with this defeat, had no answer.
Just 64 were in attendance and most of those probably cheered when Tobias Braney was sin-binned in the 11th minute of added-on time unless, of course, they had gone home already.

Season 2023/2024
Ilford finished 19th out of 20 in the ESL but escaped relegation as only Coggeshall Town went down. The Bridge finished in a more comfortable 12th. The Two meetings between the teams were:

Tuesday 31st October 2023
The Bridge 1 Ilford 2
On Halloween, this really was a night of terror as The Bridge slumped to defeat against The Foxes in front of 76 brave souls who had ventured out amongst the ghosts and ghoulies, and other scary stuff.
Solomon Ofori was The Bridge scorer and Oliseh Okuguni got two for the visitors, probably ghosting in at the far post or maybe not. Either way, it was a dagger to Hullbridge hearts.

Tuesday 5th January 2024
Ilford 1 The Bridge 5
Sweet revenge for The Bridge in this away thrashing of The Foxes who were outfoxed in every sense as Martin Tuohy with two, Jay Leader, Osaretin Otote, and Michael Dixon hit the target for Hullbridge and Evernage Nyahunda gets a consolation for the hosts.

Season 2022/2023
Ilford finished 16th out of 20 in the Essex Senior League Premier with 40 points from 38 matches. As The Bridge were in the Isthmian League North for 22/23, the two teams did not meet.

Season 2021/2022
Ilford finished 16th out of 20 in the Essex Senior League Premier with 41 points from 38 matches. As The Bridge were in the Isthmian League North for 21/22, the two teams did not meet ( is there an echo in here?!).

Ilford This season:
League positions in brackets are current position
Home: Won 5, Drawn 2, Lost 6 (F21, A21 = 0) ESL 12th
The Foxes have 5 home wins at Cricklefields this season:
Halstead Town (16) 3-1
Hullbridge Sports! (17) 1-0
Stansted (19) 3-1
FC Clacton (20) 2-1
Great Wakering Rovers (6) 2-0
Their two draws were against:
Barking (5) 2-2
Athletic Newham (9) 1-1
Leaving six defeats against:
Romford (7) 1-3
Stanway Rovers (1) 1-2
Woodford Town (3) 0-2
Frenford (13) 2-3
Saffron Walden Town (4) 0-1
Sawbridgeworth Town (18) 3-4
Away: Won 2, Drawn 5, Lost 7 (F14, A23 = -9) ESL 15th
The Foxes two wins on the road were at:
FC Clacton (20) 1-0
West Essex (15) 3-1
They’ve drawn quite a few:
Barking (5) 2-2
Buckhurst Hill (10) 2-2
Romford (7) 1-1
Little Oakley (11) 1-1
White Ensign (8) 0-0
And lost even more:
Takeley (2) 0-1
Benfleet (12) 3-6
Great Wakering Rovers (6) 0-1
Sawbridgeworth Town (18) 0-1
Saffron Walden Town (4) 0-3
Stanway Rovers (1) 0-1
Halstead Town (16) 1-3

Up for the cup!
In the FA Cup, Ilford exited at the Extra Preliminary Round Stage, losing to Newport Pagnell Town of the United Counties Premier South Division (Level 9, Step 5) 3-0 in a replay after drawing the original game 3-3.

In the FA Vase, The Foxes lasted one round, the First Qualifying Round where they were defeated 2-0 at Harlow Town from the Eastern Counties Division One South (Level 10, Step 6).

In the BBC Essex Senior Cup, Ilford beat Stanway Rovers 2-1 in the first round and won 4-1 at Coggeshall Town in round two. They went out in the third round losing 3-0 at home to Tilbury.

Buckhurst Hill knocked Ilford out of The Errington Challenge Cup Preliminary Round 5-4 on penalties after a 2-2 draw. In the Peter Butcher Memorial Trophy, Halstead Town won 2-1 at Ilford in the First Round.

The Bridge: 2 wins; 0 draws; 4 defeats; For 9; Against 13; GD -4; Points 6
Ilford: 2 wins; 1 draw; 3 defeats; For 8; Against 9; GD -1; Points 7

With last night’s home win over GWR, Ilford jumped up to 14th in the table, pushing The Bridge down one place to 17th in the process. That also swung the form guide in The Foxes' favour but thanks to those last two wins on the road at GWR and Romford The Bridge have a higher win percentage as Ilford have drawn more games than us. We’ve scored a lot more goals than our opponents (46 to 35) but conceded more too (64 to 44), so make of that what you will!

The ESL fixtures for Saturday are:

With the two away wins in the last two games and Ilford losing at home to Sawbridgeworth, I would go as far as to say that The Bridge should be favourites for this one but Ilford did win at home to GWR (admittedly out of form at the moment) so their confidence should have received a boost too. Anyway, this is football and this is Hullbridge so I’m not saying anything other than we go into this one with hope and confidence in the team and that…