Chelsea will send their Under-21 team to Kingstonian on Saturday afternoon for their fifth pre-season friendly of the summer.
Dermot Drummy’s side will line up at the Cherry Red Records Fans’ Stadium with less than a week to go until the big kick-off in the new Professional Development League.
Wins over Northampton Town and St Albans City in the past two outings have given the youngsters some momentum and they’ll be keen to pick up a positive result at Kingsmeadow before heading to Ireland for a showpiece fixture against Dundalk in front of over 3,000 supporters.
The Blues were regular visitors to the venue in the 90s, but haven’t played there in over a decade. Their last visit came in 2000, when Gianluca Vialli played a 10 vs 11 fixture and watched his side run out 3-1 winners, with current first-team boss Roberto Di Matteo on the scoresheet.
Kingstonian – for whom Sky Sports commentator Martin Tyler is a coach – are continuing with their pre-season ticket pricing plan. Adult tickets cost just £7, with students only paying £2 for entry. Under-16s get in for free.
Live updates throughout will be offered on Twitter by following @chelseayouth.