The Blues are back on the road on Saturday, and with renewed optimism, after two solid results. First a draw against Hendon on Saturday, where the Blues fought back from 2-1 down to take a 3-2 lead before an equaliser in the last minute from our visiting neighbours saw the points shared. On Tuesday, we secured our first win since November with a gritty performance against Cray Wanderers, the scoreline ending 1-0.
Our Opponents
Chichester City finished in 5th place last season in the Isthmian South East division, which saw them secure the final playoff spot in that division, alongside Ramsgate, Sittingbourne and Three Bridges, while Cray Valley PM were promoted as champions. In the playoffs, Chichester beat Ramsgate 1-0 in the semi-finals, which would have come as a shock to some, with many fancying 2nd placed Ramsgate to win the division altogether after their FA Cup exploits. This win set up a playoff final at Three Bridges where Chichester City secured a resounding 5-0 victory, settling any nerves with a goal inside the first minute, adding two further goals in each half.
Chichester City in its current form was established in 2000, with the previous Chichester City dating back to 1873, before its merger in 2000 with Portfield FC. In 2018/19, the Lilywhites were promoted from the Southern Combination Premier Division as champions (step 5) into the Isthmian South East, where they stayed for a few years either side of the pandemic, before securing their playoff promotion in 2023/24.
This season, Chichester City may have surprised some with their solid start to life in their new division. After 27 matches, Chichester have 44 points (W13 D5 L9) which puts them in 6th place, just one place outside of the playoff places. Saturday's hosts are seven places and nine points above the Blues going into the weekend fixture. Highlights of the season so far include doing the double over local rivals Bognor Regis in front of a bumper crowd of over 1,300 fans both home and away.
Head to Head
Our clash earlier in the season was our first meeting since Chichester City's formation in 2000, and it ended in a 1-1 draw. Jimmy Wild gave the Lilywhites the lead in the second half, but Ayo Tanimowo levelled the scores with a rocket in extra time at the end of the second half, to ensure the Blues earned a point on a sunny September afternoon.
Last Time Out
Chichester City come into Saturday's game in a rich vein of form, unbeaten in their last eight matches, with six consecutive wins before Saturday. It is this form that has propelled Chichester up into 6th place, having been down in 17th place before this excellent run. The most recent wins have been home wins over Chatham Town and Bowers & Pitsea (2-0 and 1-0) before a 2-1 win over Dulwich Hamlet at a sold-out Champion Hill; Lloyd Rowlatt scoring in the 97th minute to steal all three points in front of over 3,000 fans.
The Blues are starting to see a turnaround in recent weeks, after a narrow defeat to high-flying Dartford, we drew with Hendon, and then on Tuesday night secured a 1-0 win over Cray Wanderers.
Players To Watch
It is hard to look past frontman Jimmy Wild - he has 24 goals in all competitions this season, including 20 in the Isthmian Premier League which puts him top of the golden boot race at the time of writing ahead of George Nikaj of Dover and the Blues very own Ogo Obi on 19 goals apiece. Wild is a tall striker, and he has four goals in his last six games coming into the weekend. When Jimmy Wild isn't scoring, it tends to be Ethan Pritchard who has six league goals to his name from midfield.
For the Blues, midfielder Benjamin Watt got his first goal for the club on Tuesday night, making him the 14th different goalscorer for the Blues this season; Watt has slotted nicely into the Blues squad since joining from Concord Rangers earlier this month.
Photos courtesy of Martin Addison.
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