Gary Johnson’s side return to Plainmoor for United’s penultimate pre-season friendly when Chippenham come to town on Saturday.
Who’s the boss?
Michael Cook was appointed as permanent manager in March 2020 following a successful spell as interim manager. Chippenham won 5 out of 10 league matches following Cook’s arrival which saw the National League South side move from 19th to 12th in the table.
The former Gloucester City manager previously steered the Tigers from four points adrift of safety to 17th place in the National League South in the 2018/19 season.
Player to Watch
Former defender Will Richards returned to the club this week. He previously played 150 games and was a key component in the Bluebird’s defence in 2016 up until he departed for Australia in December 2019.
The 29-year-old spent time in Melbourne at Doveton FC last year and went on to play for Queensland side Grange Thistle before his return to the UK last month.
Played for Both
United midfielder Jake Andrews enjoyed two loan spells with the Wiltshire side in 2017. Then 20 years-old, Andrews arrived at Hardenhuish Park on a one-month loan deal from Bristol City and returned for a second loan period in July 2017. He scored 5 goals in 22 games for the Bluebird’s and was part of the side that secured promotion to the National League South.
Previous Encounters
NLS Chippenham Town 2 – 1 Torquay | 19th April 2019
United arrived at Hardenhuish Park already crowned National League South champions for the 2018/19 season.
Chippenham took the lead midway through the first half thanks to a Dean Evans header. Olaf Koszela came on as a substitute at half time and levelled the scores in the 57th minute, scoring his first professional goal for the club.
The home side went on to score the winner in the 69th minute as Nick McCootie’s glancing header went beyond Shaun MacDonald, making Chippenham the only side in the 2018/19 season to complete a league double over United and condemning United to their first defeat in eight.
PSF Chippenham Town 2 – 0 Torquay | 19th September 2020
Chippenham came to Plainmoor last year on pre-season duty. The Bluebirds proved a stern test for United coming away from Plainmoor with a 2-0 victory.
Torquay United v Chippenham Town | 07/08/21 3pm KO | Plainmoor | Online Tickets
Please Note: Article 48 of the UEFA Statutes will unfortunately preclude streaming of this match.