CHELMSFORD City Manager Glenn Pennyfather has reinforced how much the Essex Senior Cup means to him

CHELMSFORD City Manager Glenn Pennyfather has reinforced how much the Essex Senior Cup means to him as he prepares his team for the last 16 tonight, the Clarets entertaining Ryman League side Concord Rangers at Melbourne Stadium looking to advance at least one step further.

City won the County Cup in 2009 and Pennyfather will remind his players of the high standards they’ve set themselves ahead of the visit of the Beachboys. With a club record 19-match unbeaten run already behind them, Chelmsford are in hot form and can also relish the prospect of knockout action against Macclesfield Town in the FA Cup on Saturday. But the boss has placed emphasis on tonight’s challenge first.

Glenn said: “You have preparations in your own mind for the rest of the week, although you don’t speak about it to the players. We’ve done our homework on our opponents for Saturday and we’ll look forward to that, but first off it’s the game against Concord. It’s the Essex Senior Cup and I’ve always enjoyed that competition.”

“It’s a nice piece of silverware and a lovely trophy to win at the end of the season if you can possibly do that. It’s not going to be an easy game against Concord, although they haven’t done particularly well in the league at the moment, but they’re getting players back and beginning to get the wheels turning. They’ll come here and will want to turn us over - I have no doubt about that.”

City are likely to be without skipper David Rainford, who continues to recover from a minor injury, while wingers Anthony Cook, Greg Morgan and Ricky Modeste will sit out. The usual band of supporters who erect fencing and the RORO terracing behind the goals pre-match will also be ‘rested’ but fans can still watch from the sides.