The Clapton CFC men’s first team make their Step 6 debut on Saturday after last season’s title-winning promotion campaign.

And it couldn’t get much tougher than visiting a Wormley Rovers side who finished third last season, losing to promoted Sporting Bengal United in the play-offs.

It’s been a positive pre-season for CCFC featuring 3 wins, 1 draw and 1 defeat. CCFC beat Step 5 Takeley and Step 7 CSM London and Woodford East, drew with Step 5 Woodford Town and acquitted themselves well in a defeat to Step 3 FC United of Manchester.

There’s been lots of movement at Wormley this summer with assistant manager Dean Harrison stepping up to the manager’s job after Ryan Wade’s move to Ware FC.

Harrison has previously achieved promotion from Step 6 with Fisher FC so Wormley will rightly be viewed as among the favourites.

Much of the squad has been retained for the new season but a few prominent players have moved on to higher levels, including George Beattie who has also joined Ware in Step 4. Meanwhile Cabhan Clarke has gone to Stansted in Step 5 and Charncey Dash to Potters Bar Town at Step 3.

Wormley Football Club was formed in 1921 and moved to its present ground in 1954. Former England and Arsenal winger David Bentley and TV presenter Bradley Walsh are among the products of their youth set-up, which nowadays has 300 boys and girls playing.

Match information

Wormley Rovers vs Clapton CFC is on Saturday, July 29 2023 at 3pm at Wormley Sports Club, Church Lane, Wormley, Broxbourne, Hertfordshire EN10 6LB

Admission is £6 (£4 for concessions). The bar and cafe will be open from midday. The programme will be online only.

Directions

The nearest station is Broxbourne, but as it’s an RMT strike day you will need an alternative route.

You can instead catch the London Overground service (which is not on strike) to Theobalds Grove then the 310 bus to the Queen’s Head stop in Wormley then a six-minute walk to the ground.