“We will not play Bracknell Town” and other admin errors

Chelmsford City has confirmed that they will not play the city of Bracknell in the pre -season.

So what, quite normal in the pre-season, this equipment changes quite regularly and is often in a drop of a hat around the pre-season calendar.

But the reason why the Vanarama National League South Club will not play Robins is the one that we really know here in football in Berkshire.

The thing is, Chelmsford actually plays Brackley Town and admin error means the wrong club is included in the official communication: “This comes to the admin’s mistake where it is communicated to everyone that we play Bracknell, only to receive news from Brackley that we have to play it,” said a club statement.

Easy to do. Many times over the years when compiling the Hellenic League content that we wrote Bracknell when referring to Brackley Town Saints.

Maidstone United

Not only press officers who mix their clubs. Regular victims of this kind of thing on social media are Maidenhead/Maidstone United who are regularly confused with each other. Usually with the prefix ‘we have to beat a team like ..’

Ashford City

This may be apocrifa, but before 2010 when Ashford Town in Kent became Ashford United, there was a story that was regularly told about a group of players who appeared on the wrong side of the M25 when they were supposed to be at Ashford Town (Middlesex).

Or vice versa. This is a good story.

Almost certainly there is a story in a place of a group of fans to a long weekend at the Isle of Wight when they were supposed to be in South Wales for Newport while we were really sure, considering the distance, Abingdon United and Abingdon Town had been confused with each other with Bedfont FC and Bedfont Sports.

Thank you Sheffield Wednesday

Recently in March 2025, the BBC reported that Sheffield Wednesday accidentally sent an away ticket allocation to the city of Non-Liga Oxford, rather than who they played, Oxford United at the EFL League One.

“The non-Liga soccer team has made fun of Sheffield Wednesday after sending tickets for the upcoming championship match to the wrong club,” BBC Oxfordshire reported.

“Oxford United will travel to Hillsborough next month, but 4,000 away tickets are sent to Oxford City, a team that plays in the National League North, four divisions lower than their city neighbors.”

Back to the original Chelmsford vs Bracknell story – which is certainly not blamed for Robins, but maybe they really play Cheltenham?