If you fancy a trip to East, East, East London to follow the Bridge in action this coming Saturday, Google will get you there in 53 minutes (traffic permitting) after you’ve negotiated 35.3 miles. The Essex Boys v The Eastenders, it could be dramatic…Duff Duff (not quite the same without the music!)

Sporting Bengal United Football Club is an English football team from Mile End, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. They currently play in the Essex Senior League.

History
The club was formed in 1996 to encourage Asian football in London. They initially played in the London Intermediate League until they were granted senior status in 2003 by the London Football Association, following a tour to Bangladesh, where they played the Bangladesh national team. In the same year, Sporting Bengal joined the Kent League. In 2005, they were one of the first Asian teams to play in the FA Cup, along with London APSA of the Essex Senior League, whose roots are in the neighbouring borough of Newham.

The Sporting Bengal set-up is unusual in that it is operated by the Bangladesh Football Association (UK) and players are selected from (and retain their affiliation with) the Sunday league clubs which are affiliated to that organisation. In 2011 the club signed up ex Wycombe Wanderers and Wimbledon striker Shahed Ahmed. They were also unusual in being the only Kent League club to play their home matches north of the River Thames, outside the traditional borders of Kent.

In the earlier years most of their players would chew gua and paan during games until the FA banned a number of players from doing so.
In 2010, Sporting Bengal was targeted by the Bangladesh Football Federation for its players to represent the Bangladesh national squad. Sadiq Sarwar and Shahed Ahmed were selected to represent their country at the 2010 South Asian Games.

Ground
Mile End Stadium, also known as the East London Stadium, is a multi-sports stadium in Mile End and situated in the park of the same name, east London, England. The stadium comprises an athletics stadium and a number of floodlit Astroturf football pitches, tennis and netball courts.
The new sports complex with a 25m swimming pool was refurbished in 2019.
The stadium is home to Sporting Bengal United F.C. and Tower Hamlets F.C. of the Eastern Counties Football League and was formerly home to Leyton Orient Women of the FA Women's National League from 2004 to 2021.

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28/10/23 Essex Senior League Sporting Bengal United 0 Frenford 3
21/10/23 Isuzu FA Vase Round 2 Newhaven 1 Sporting Bengal United 1 (4-2 pens)
14/10/23 Essex Senior League Sporting Bengal United 1 FC Clacton 0
11/10/23 Essex Senior League Sporting Bengal United 3 Athletic Newham 1
07/10/23 Essex Senior League Sporting Bengal United 0 Woodford Town 4
30/09/23 Essex Senior League Sporting Bengal United 3 White Ensign 2

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After 15 matches, Sporting Bengal are currently in 5th place in the Essex Senior League Premier. They have 28 points from those 15 games – 8 wins, 4 draws, and 3 defeats. They have a +5 goal difference.
Home form is pretty good, but they have lost twice. The other results being 5 wins and 2 draws.

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Christian Adu Gyamfi
Tanvir Ahmed
Shermandin Artmeladze
Matthew Ball
Taylor Banks
Chaka Barnett
Ajani Bryan Wilson
Luke Burns
Steven Carvell
Steven Clark
Joseph Diomande
Modou Diop Gueye
Sam Edwards
David Etcheri
Liam George
Jake Godfrey
Sidi Haidara
Keanu Hill
Louie Maxwell
Alagi Juwara
Kevin Krans
Nikolozi Kurshavishvili
Murad Kutateladze
Alvin Kyeremeh
Isaac Long
Elliot Mcgovern
Salim Miah
Anthony Murray-Bruce
Daniel Okah
Damilola Olusesi
Rian Patel
Shakil Rahman
David Sangolo
Kachi Yassine
Yasin Zougui

Shermandin Artmeladze who is pretty prolific with 13 goals so far this season.

And here he is, on the 01/01/97 apparently!

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After such a good run the wheels have come off slightly for The Bridge, so time to get the jack out and put them back on again but this is not an easy one. Having said that, The Bengal Tigers lost 3-0 at home to Frenford last time out, so there’s encouragement there to stop their roar (I think that’s what Tigers do!). Time to get back on track…
There remains just one thing left to say….