Cannons Wood vs Clapton Community FC takes place on Friday, December 8 2023 with a 7.45pm kick off at Parkside Stadium, Park Lane, South Ockendon, Thurrock, RM15 4PX
Next up for the Clapton CFC men’s first team is a visit to fellow high-flyers Cannons Wood for a Friday night league clash.
CCFC are in second place in the league but Cannons Wood in sixth can leapfrog us with their three games in hand. An exciting game in September, in front of our season’s best league crowd of 539, ended in a 1-1 draw so it’s too close to call.
The game has been brought forward to Friday night due to their landlords Aveley FC landing a home draw in the FA Trophy for the Saturday.
The opposition
The club formed in 2019 as a YouTube team but later entered the Essex Alliance League and won promotion to this level last season. Originally known as DTFC, they rebranded as Cannons Wood in 2022 with the name said to be inspired by the Canons Brook estate in Harlow, where they played at the time. They’ve since moved to groundshare at Aveley FC.
Form guide
Cannons Wood have hit a sticky patch with two defeats in the last six games. However, they’ve also beaten fellow high-flyers Benfleet and Dunmow Town during that run. Clapton CFC meanwhile are unbeaten in 17 league games now but have drawn by far the most games in the division.
Previous meetings
Our first meeting with Cannons Wood earlier this season at the Old Spotted Dog Ground ended in a 1-1 draw. Anguillian international Lewis Francis opened the scoring for the visitors with a hotly-contested goal from a corner before our sub Joel Akuwudike levelled it late on.
Players to watch
Striker Harry Brown has scored 10 goals in 10 games having been one of the division’s top scorers for Basildon Town last season. Tricky winger Khadean Campbell is well known to many Clapton CFC fans.
Admission
Admission at Cannons Wood games is listed as £6, £3 for concessions and free for U16s.
Not sure yet if the bar is open for food and drink. No dogs are allowed at Parkside.
Directions
Parkside isn’t easy to get to via public transport. Nearest stations are Ockendon, which is 3 miles away and Rainham 4 miles away then you can catch a bus.