Match Preview

Always happy to give you a choice, Google will take you via A127 and M25, Via A13 and A406, or Via A127, M25 and A112. The choice is yours and there’s an 8-minute difference, which makes all the difference, er…

Oh, and here’s the Rolls Tea Bar, which probably sells rolls and Tea (or not).

West Essex Football Club is a football club based in Highams Park in the London Borough of Waltham Forest, England. They are currently members of the Essex Senior League and groundshare with Walthamstow at Wadham Lodge in Walthamstow.

History
The club was established in 1989 by West Essex Cricket Club member John Spinks in order to give the cricket club members a winter pastime.

They joined Division Two of the Ilford and District Football League and won the league's Spartak Cup in their first season. They also finished as runners-up in Division Two and were promoted to the Premier Division. The following season they were Premier Division champions and Fenton Cup winners. After finishing as runners-up in the Premier Division in 1991–92, the 1992–93 season saw the club win the Premier Division title and the League Cup.

They then switched to the Essex Business Houses League. The club won the league's Senior Cup in 1996–97. After finishing bottom of the league's Premier Division in 2002–03, they were relegated to Division One. However, a third-place finish in Division One the following season saw them promoted back to the Premier Division. The club were relegated to Division One again at the end of the 2006–07 season.

Despite finishing bottom of Division One in 2007–08, West Essex were not relegated, and went on to win the Division One title the following season, earning promotion back to the Premier Division. In 2010 the club switched to Division One Central & East of the Middlesex County League. They won the division in their first season in the league and were promoted to the Premier Division. They won the Premier Division Cup in 2013–14, and were Premier Division champions in 2015–16 and successfully applied to move up to the Essex Senior League.

West Essex FC provides affordable sporting activities for everyone in the local community. At the time of writing, we run semi-professional and development sides in the Essex Senior League, an U18 side in the Southern Counties Floodlit League, 19 boy’s teams, 5 girls only teams, a Kickers Soccer School and our SSE Wildcats activities. Our club coaches are also active in the LBWF wider schools’ community, providing football activities in schools across the borough in the Easter and Summer Holiday Activity Programme. Our playing membership across all these sections of the club stands at circa 450.

Ground
In 2021, West Essex entered a ground sharing agreement with Walthamstow to use Wadham Lodge as their ground. Prior to this, the club had been sharing with Barking at Mayesbrook Park in Dagenham.

Honours

Middlesex County League
Premier Division champions 2015–16
Division One (Central & East) champions 2010–11
Premier Division Cup winners 2013–14

Essex Business Houses League
Division One champions 2008–09
Senior Cup winners 1996–97

Ilford & District League
Premier Division champions 1990–91, 1992–93
League Cup winners 1992–93
Fenton Cup winners 1990–91
Spartak Cup winners 1989–90

Records
Best FA Cup performance: Preliminary round, 2017–18, 2018–19
Best FA Vase performance: First round, 2018–19

16/12/23 League Frenford 0
West Essex 4 (Ruben Bartlett-Antwi 2, Denzel Effah, Zak Oliver)

28/11/23 League West Essex 0
White Ensign 1

25/11/23 League West Essex 0
Takeley 3

11/11/23 League FC Clacton 2
West Essex 2 (Mitchell Arthur, Denzel Effah)

28/10/23 League West Essex 5 (Ruben Bartlett-Antwi 2, Denzel Effah 2, David Bell)
Ilford 0

25/10/23 League West Essex 2 (Tamas Amgbaduba, Ike Olaiya)
Great Wakering Rovers 3

________________________________________
West Essex are currently in 5th place in the Essex Senior League Premier. They have 35 points from 20 games with 10 wins, 5 draws, and 5 defeats, and have a +21 goal difference (49 - 28). Their record at home is won 8, drawn 1, and lost 3, scoring 33 and conceding 14.

In comparison, The Bridge are 9th, 4 points behind having played 21 matches.

In current form, they sit 12th out of 20, with 2 wins, 1 draw, and 3 defeats, scoring 13 and conceding 9. The Bridge are 18th out of 20 with 1 win, 1 draw, and 4 defeats, scoring 3 and conceding 12.

Luke Adams
Moyo Ajibade
Tamas Amgbaduba
Mitchell Arthur
Olamiji Ayoola
Ruben Bartlett-Antwi
David Bell
Darnell Bromfield
Reece Clarke
Jack Coker
Michael Corderoy
Harley Davison
Denzel Effah
Gregory Frederick
Jonah Gregory
Sanchez Hardy
Joel Harrison
Yousuf Hoque
Ben Joao
Billy Jones
Theo Jones
Joel Lamb
Serigne Lo Seye
Samuel McNally
Alexander Michaelides
Andre Odeku
Ike Olaiya
Zak Oliver
Emmanuel Oluwole
Ryan Ramsay
Kyle Roberts-Hutton
Emmanuel Wazola
Dillon Woods

A trio of goal scorers: Ruben Bartlett-Antwi has 10, Denzel Effah and Ike Olaiya have 8. One other to watch could also be Harley Davison, who is just a D away from being one of the fastest machines on the planet (sorry, couldn't resist it!).

Apologies Harley, I expect you’ve heard that one before!

Indeed, we have many times, the latest being on 16/9/23 in front of an attendance of 61 at The T.J. Cottis. The game finished 2-2 with goals from Bobby Badham after 20 minutes, before David Bell equalised just before half time (43’). Ruben Bartlett-Antwi (see, told you!) made it 2-1 to the visitors after 54 minutes and Jason Banton made it two each with a penalty on 72 minutes.

The last one of 2023 as we all take a break for that holiday thing that happens at this time every year. One last chance to freeze your most vital bits before settling down in front of the TV for all those holiday specials, Ho, Ho, Ho…Can The Bridge finish 2023 with an away win? You’ll have to be at Wadham Lodge to find out (or following on the X feed).
There remains just one thing left to say….and here’s the blue Santa to say it…