We make the trip to White Ensign on Wednesday night for our first game in the Essex Senior League since we beat Little Oakley 2-1 at the Memorial Ground on 12th August, with a host of FA competitions taking place over the last few weeks.

This fixture ended in a 4-1 victory for Woodford Town last season; however, we did suffer a 2-1 defeat on this ground in the quarter-final of the Errington Challenge Cup in March.

The Woods

Shane Baptiste's side will be looking to build on a great week for the club, having beaten Wivenhoe Town by four goals to one in the BBC Essex Senior Cup First Round last week, and then followed that up with a thrilling 3-2 win over Step Four side Newmarket Town in the Emirates FA Cup First Qualifying Round on Saturday. Dimi Christou scored a 73rd-minute free-kick and a 91st-minute winner to send The Wods through.

Woodford are the only side remaining in the Essex Senior League to boast a 100% record, and we currently sit at the top of the table after four games. We will have a chance to extend the gap between first and third to five points, with Wednesday night's fixture being a game in hand for us compared to three of the other four teams in the top five.

A win on Wednesday would see us do exactly that whilst remaining top, whilst a loss for Saffron Walden Town away at SOUL Tower Hamlets would see Shane Baptiste's side would also see our lead on second place extended to five points.

Our hosts

White Ensign have had mixed fortunes at the beginning of the 2025/26 campaign, winning two of the four games they have played, whilst they have also suffered defeat on two occasions.

They haven't played a competitive fixture since losing 2-1 against Benfleet in the BBC Essex Senior Cup on August 16th, although they did draw 1-1 against Harlow Town in a friendly on Friday night.

Match details

Wednesday night's clash will kick off at 19:45 BST at Burroughs Park (SS3 0HQ). Ensign's home is also the home of Great Wakering Rovers, with whom they groundshare.

Kit colours

The hosts will be in their usual home strip - an all-red kit. Meanwhile, The Woods will wear their away kit on Wednesday night, featuring blue shirts, shorts and socks.

Ticket information

Adult tickets are priced at £10, with concessions and under-16 tickets costing £6 and £2 respectively. Tickets are available for purchase at the turnstiles.

Following along?

We will have limited live match updates across our social media channels on Wednesday night, meaning the best way to follow The Woods will be to attend the match in person at Southend. A match report will follow shortly after the full-time whistle.