CAFC Women vs Croydon – Preview
Carshalton Athletic travel to Croydon Sports Arena to take on Croydon in the Surrey Premier Division on Sunday 30 March.
Robins Review
Carshalton Athletic Women dominated Epsom & Ewell 5-1 in the Surrey Premier Division on Sunday, with Heather Eade netting a brace in an impressive team performance. The win keeps Carshalton in second place on 28 points, just one point behind league leaders Dorking Wanderers Development who we boast a game in hand over. With a two-week break before their next fixture against Croydon, the Robins will look to build on their momentum and continue their free-scoring form.
Croydon
Croydon currently sit seventh in the Surrey Premier Division with 8 points from 11 matches. They are two points ahead of Epsom & Ewell but a point behind Beecholme Belles, who occupy the spots just above the relegation zone. However, both Epsom & Ewell and Beecholme Belles have played only 10 games, meaning they have a game in hand over Croydon. The Trams themselves also have two games in hand, with league leaders Dorking Wanderers Development the only team to have played the full 13 matches so far. Unfortunately, given that Old Tiffinians are still without a point and have a staggering goal difference of -65, it is highly unlikely that any of the teams in the bottom half of the table, including Croydon, will face relegation this season.
The Trams kicked off the 2024-25 campaign overcoming Kings Hill in the FA Cup 4-3 on penalties. However, the club’s proceeded to suffer back-to-back heavy defeats in the Surrey Premier, receiving a 6-0 thumping by Farnham Town, and playing out a six-goal thriller with Leatherhead Youth, losing 4-2. After Ashford United knocked Croydon out the FA Cup 2-1, the Trams took to the pitch at Colston and held the Robins to a 2-2 draw, Georgie Edwards and Heather Eade getting the goals. October proved to be a month to forget for our fellow south Londoners. Dorking handed them a 3-1 defeat, and while they bounced back with a 3-1 win the following week, it came against bottom-placed Old Tiffinians. The relief was short-lived, however, as they were soon hit with a heavy 12-2 aggregate loss over the next four matches, which included a 3-1 defeat to Carshalton in the Capital Intermediate Cup mid-November.
A two-week break followed, before Croydon returned to action and comfortably dispatched Hersham 5-0 in the Surrey Divisional Cup, marking only their second win of the season, following the 3-1 victory over Old Tiffinians—though that result had offered little in terms of a statement. After that, there was a lengthy break of about a month and a half until their next competitive fixture in late January. The extended rest seemed to benefit the team, with their form taking a positive turn. They were eased back into action with a league game at home to Old Tiffinians, where they triumphed 3-0, and followed that up with a dramatic 3-2 win over Epsom & Ewell in a thrilling “smash and grab” victory. Confidence continued to grow as they repeated the same scoreline, 3-2, against Leatherhead Youth. However, Dorking quickly brought them back down to earth, demolishing them 6-1 at the start of March. Despite that setback, the team showed resilience, earning a hard-fought 2-2 draw with Sutton United Reserves.
The Trams, however, boast one of the richest histories in the Women’s game and they were extremely influential in its growth. Initially founded in 1991 as Bromley Borough, it soon became Croydon Women’s FC three years later in 1994. They would go on to win the league and Women’s FA Cup ‘double’ in 1996, the league again, in an undefeated season, in 1999 and another ‘double’ in 2000. The club established itself as one of the top teams in England. During that decade, many Croydon and England legends rose from these successful years, including former Three Lions and Brighton Manager Hope Powell. Powell went on to play for England in their first World Cup appearance in 1995. Not only that, but she also became the youngest-ever coach of any English national football team, as well as the first woman, and the first person of colour, to do so – a legend.
Powell was one of six Croydon players who represented England at the 1995 FIFA Women’s World Cup, with Debbie Bampton, Paulie Cope, and Brenda Sempare, to name a few – all now members of The English Hall of Fame. There were some pretty notable scorelines in the 1990s, Croydon ran out 5-0 winners against Millwall Lionesses, won a huge 8-0 versus Brentford City with the brilliant Powell scoring a hat-trick, and they sealed a comfortable 4-0 victory over Aston Villa in 1999. The Trams also lifted the FA Cup in 2000, the second time they had claimed the cup.
However, that same year as the second ‘double’, 2000, Croydon would disband with most of the players departing and going on to form Charlton Athletic Women’s Football Club, a bitter blow. It was shrouded in controversy due to the nature of the Premier League side’s recent forceful takeover. Charlton would give us the likes of Casey Stoney, Katie Chapman, Eniola Aluko and managerial maestro Matt Beard, all greats of the women’s game, who have Croydon to thank for laying the foundations. A couple of years ago, Croydon FC were broken into and several trophies and plaques were stolen, every single one of them belonged to the Women. It would prompt the return of one of the best teams to ever grace women’s football.
Committee member Jason Casey told The Grassroots Post about its reformation:
“At Croydon FC I was helping out where I could at the club, running the shop, things like that. We were a very small, close-knit team at Croydon FC, made up of maybe ten volunteers, and over the years we’d experienced quite a few break-ins.
“It was during a team meeting following a major break-in, where quite a lot was stolen, that we realised how many trophies we had from the women’s team twenty years beforehand. We spoke about maybe putting all the England shirts we had from players like Hope Powell on the wall, creating some sort of celebration of it all, but then we started talking about putting together a women’s team.
“At the time, my daughter Lucy was also at Crystal Palace, and she’d been talking to me about Palace not having an Under 18s girls’ team and asking which team she could join. I told her I’d speak with the club secretary Paul (Fleming) to see what we could do.” A year before COVID struck, Croydon Women FC made a comeback.”
They started at the Under 18s level in the Surrey County Women and Girls League but were successful in their application to play in the Greater London Women and Girls Football League (GLWFL) as an open-age team last year. They finished 8th in their first season before topping the table in 21/22 by 10 points and gaining promotion quicker than anticipated. Croydon Women’s FC now apply their trade in the South East Counties Women’s Football League on a weekly basis. They enjoyed an exciting FA Cup run in 2023, the Dev’s first in 23 years. 2023-24 was another successful campaign, finishing third place in the Surrey Premier Division.
Likely line-ups
Carshalton Athletic
Solly, Alderman, E. Andrade, M. Andrade, Chapman, Douglin, Dulley, Eade, Edwards, Measures, Rodriguez
Croydon
Jafari, Butler, Winfield, Reid, Nicholson, Nadison, Mountford, Dawson, Corkery, Blyth, Asagba
Team news
Carshalton Athletic
When we last faced Epsom & Ewell, Carshalton Athletic were without the Andrade twins, Kanita Throp, and Josie Alderman. However, it’s expected that all of these players will be available for Sunday’s match. Given that, the likes of Anna Tilley, Daisy Olley, Rae, and Sarah Chapman could see their positions under threat.
Pre-match analysis
Unlike other teams in the bottom half of the table, such as Old Tiffinians, Beecholme Belles, and Epsom & Ewell, the Trams boast a respectable goal tally of 31. However, they have conceded 47 goals in the 2024-25 season. Only Old Tiffinians (72 goals conceded) and the Rocks (48 goals conceded) have a worse defensive record.
Key Player
Striker Kacie Nadison is the Trams’ top scorer in the Surrey Premier Division, having netted four goals in 13 starts.
The Gaffer
Steve Luff was appointed Manager of Epsom and Ewell Women as recently as the summer, succeeding Anthony Dwayne at the helm. Luff came through the Salts girl’s youth system, having taken charge of various age groups. Not only a coach but also a parent, he has been instrumental in the girl’s development pathway to the first team and beyond.
Match Details
Date: Sunday, March 30, 2025
Venue: Croydon Sports Arena
Kickoff: 02:00 PM
Admission: Free Entry
