Match Preview

Google Maps, as ever, gives you three options with the quickest being 43 minutes via the A13 option. 31.9 miles for a possible three points, that's not very much! Even if you fancy going via Southend Arterial Road/A127, it’s still worth the drive.

About Athletic Newham
Athletic Newham Football Club is a football club based in London, England. They are currently members of the Essex Senior League and play at the Terence McMillan Stadium in Plaistow.

History
The club was founded in 2015 as a youth team, then known as Lopes Tavares London, before moving into adult football the following season, joining the Premier Division of the Essex Alliance Football League.

They played at the Memorial Recreation Ground in West Ham. They finished eighth in their first season and fifth in 2017–18, before successfully applying to join the new Division One South of the Eastern Counties Football League for the 2018–19 season, but also keeping a side in the Essex Alliance League calling them Athletic Newham “A”.

On 27 August 2020, the club announced the renaming of the club to Athletic Newham. In 2021, the club were promoted to the Essex Senior League based on their results in the abandoned 2019–20 and 2020–21 seasons.

During the Pre-Season for the 2023/24 season the club was happy to announce that they would be having a Sunday side for the season ahead.

Ground
The club play at the Terence McMillan Stadium. The stadium has one stand with seats for 192 spectators. The stadium is named after the first Mayor of Newham. The club share the ground with Clapton.

Records
Highest league position: 6th in Essex Senior League
Best FA Vase performance: Fifth round, 2021–22

10/01/24 Essex Senior League Athletic Newham 2
(Christopher De Nguidjol, Andrew Greenslade)
West Essex 0

23/12/23 Essex Senior League Great Wakering Rovers 1
Athletic Newham 0

16/12/23 Essex Senior League Athletic Newham 3
(Joel Appiah 2, Daniel Izekor)
Coggeshall Town 1

09/12/23 Essex Senior League Frenford 2
Athletic Newham 0

06/12/23 Essex Senior League Athletic Newham 1
(Jacques Leurs)
Takeley 1

02/12/23 Isuzu FA Vase Athletic Newham 1
Erith Town 2

After 23 matches, Athletic Newham are currently in 8th place in the Essex Senior League Premier. They have 37 points from those 23 games – 12 wins, 1 draw, and 10 defeats. They have a +8 goal difference, scoring 41 and conceding 33.

Home form consists of 7 wins, 1 draw, and 2 defeats, scoring 22 and conceding 11. The two home defeats were 2-0 versus Saffron Walden Town in October and 2-0 versus Tilbury in November.

In current form The Kings are in 7th place with 3 wins, 1 draw, and 2 defeats, scoring 9 and conceding 6.

Way back in August when it was a bit warmer than it is now, The Bridge beat The Kings 2-1 at the T.J. Cottis with two goals from Michael Agboola. Jacques Leurs scored for Newham as 90 watched on. The Bridge line-up has changed a bit since then!

Michael Asare Adu
Akintunde Akinola
Idris Aminu
Joel Appiah
Aisosa-Wisdom Asia-Valcarcel
Joao Augusto
Richmond Ayoola
Simon Bamidele
Lindrit Beqiri
Wilkinson Boateng
Benjamin Bodipo
Kwesi Botchey
Mario Campos
Julio Da Mata
Rodney Dame
Christopher De Nguidjol
Lennox Forster
Yousupha Gaye
Thomas Gogo
Andrew Greenslade
Daniel Haastrup
Louis Hiobi
Jeff Idemudia
Meer Ahmed Ishanzadeh
Daniel Izekor
Ibrahim Kamara
Jacques Leurs
Will Martin
Wilson Mendes
Dantà Mwamba Whitney
Derek O'Halem
Michael Okafor
Michael Olatunji
Emmanuel Olu
Akinyinka Omole
Arinze Ossai
Inarhu Rodriguez Martin
James Rufus
Rasheed Salau
Dayaan Salifou
Sivaruban Sathiyananthan
Abdul Hafeez Shobowale
Anderson Silva Baro
Babs Sonupe
Gideon Ssonko
Inesh Sumithran

Well, the danger man for Newham was Richard Kone but, as shown in Sports News this week, Richard has signed for Wycombe Wanderers and his goals will be sorely missed. That leaves Daniel Izekor with 11 goals and Joel Appiah with 10 as next up. They both scored in the 3-1 win over Coggeshall in mid-December, so they are probably worth watching out for. Not sure if Richard has been replaced or if he even can be.

As I sit here writing this, the temperature is -2 so whether (no pun intended!) this match actually takes place is uncertain. The forecast for Saturday in Newham is 8 degrees though so it may survive the frozen conditions.

If the game does go ahead, it will be an opportunity for The Bridge to complete the double over their opponents and so leap-frog them in the table. Let’s hope that the game is on and the win is ours!
There remains just one thing left to say….