CAFC vs Dulwich Hamlet – Preview
Carshalton Athletic take on Dulwich Hamlet away at Champion Hill in the Isthmian Premier Division on Boxing Day in what is anticipated to be a sold-out crowd.
Carshalton Athletic
Peter Adeniyi’s side ended Chatham Town’s 15-match unbeaten run on Saturday at Colston Avenue after goals from David Smith and Mason Saunders-Henry secured a 2-0 victory over the Chats. The result means that the Robins creep into the play-off places just in time for Christmas, sitting fifth on 32 points.
Dulwich Hamlet
Dulwich Hamlet suffered a 4-2 defeat against Cray Valley PM on Saturday in the Isthmian Premier.
The Hamlet currently languish in the bottom half of the division, consolidated in 17th on 26 points after 20 games. So far, the south-east London outfit have registered a record of seven wins, five draws, and eight losses. They lost their curtain raiser 3-2 to Wingate & Finchley but bounced back after a 2-1 victory over Hendon. The momentum garnered was carried forward when Dulwich played out a six-goal thriller with Whitehawk, which concluded 3-3.
That said, their first convincing defeat of the 2024-25 campaign came about following a 3-1 Chatham Town loss. The August Bank Holiday weekend was slightly better for Hamlet faithful, beating Cray Wanderers; however, step 4’s Leatherhead would force an FA Cup First Qualifying Round Replay, and the Tanners inflicted a 1-0 defeat.
The end of September saw Dulwich secure back-to-back victories for the first time this season, dispatching Canvey Island and Horsham 8-4 on aggregate, though they found themselves on the wrong end of a 4-1 thumping to Bowers & Pitsea the next week. October began very positively for the Hamlet; there was a goalless stalemate with tough-to-beat Chichester City. They surprised everyone by knocking out Dartford in the FA Trophy and overcame Hastings United relatively comfortably, winning 3-0.
For the south-east London-based outfit, consistency seemed to be a real problem, and Dulwich went on to lose three on the trot against Binfield FC (in the Velocity Cup), Billericay Town, and Hastings 5-4 on penalties in the FA Trophy First Round Proper. Now their cup run was over, attention could turn back to the Isthmian Premier, and there was a lot of league action for the club in November. Of those six games, Hamlet were victorious in two, beating Wingate 2-1 and Potters 3-1, and being held 1-1 at Cheshunt. However, they would be disappointed with losses to Hendon and Hastings, who they seem to play a heck of a lot, but they came narrowly close to overcoming Folkestone Invicta, being edged 2-1.
There was no shame in their heavy 4-1 defeat to current runaway leaders Dover Athletic at the beginning of December, and since then Dulwich have drawn two tough fixtures away from home, Lewes and Dartford.
The Hamlet were relegated on the last day of the 2022-23 National League South season, which brought an end to a five-year spell in the sixth tier. The club needed at least a point to confirm survival against Chippenham Town at Champion Hill; however, the hosts lost 1-0, and combined with Weymouth’s 2-0 victory over Dover Athletic, Dulwich were relegated on goal difference. Their maiden campaign in the Isthmian Premier Division saw the south-east London outfit finish 11th on 62 points, one above the Robins.
Likely line-ups
Carshalton Athletic
Henry, Sankoh, Atewologun, Read, Ming, Saraiva, Dada, Bradford, Ifeanyi, Smith, Goather-Braithewaite
Dulwich Hamlet
Barnes, Ramsay, Hudson, Wynter, Chambers, Wanadio, Jeffrey, Krasniqi, Hand, Binnom-Williams, Lynch
Team News
Carshalton Athletic
Centre-back Ollie Hamstead has departed the club and joined Hemel Hempstead. Captain Paris Hamilton-Downes is currently injured, so full-back Luke Read will likely deputise at the heart of the backline in his absence. Academy starlet Joshua Koroma featured on the bench for the Reds on Saturday, he could be included in and amongst first-team proceedings on Boxing Day.
Dulwich Hamlet
Goalkeeper Dillion Barnes, centre-back Louie Ramsay, and midfielder Kreshnic Krasniqi have all returned to first-team proceedings following injury.
Pre-Match Analysis
Dulwich Hamlet have been very strong at home this season, winning six of their ten Isthmian Premier fixtures at Champion Hill. In contrast, Hamlet have managed just one victory on the road with five losses. Manager Hakan Hayrettin called on his side to cut out the sloppy mistakes in his Dartford post-match interview after a defensive error gifted the Hammers an avenue back into the match.
Key Player
Hamlet right-winger Luke Wanadio currently tops the club’s goalscoring charts, having netted 16 times so far in the 2024-25 campaign. Wanadio has carried forward his superb form from last season, where he scored 19 goals. The 32-year-old has enjoyed several spells at the south-east London side but has also applied his trade for a whole host of upper-tier non-league clubs throughout his career, including Dover, Dartford, Billericay, Welling, and Bromley.
The Gaffer
Hakan Hayrettin’s managerial career began at Waltham Forest in the 2003 close season; he helped the club win the Essex Senior Cup. In May 2006, he took over stewardship of Conference side Thurrock, and he would depart in October 2010. The following year Hayrettin would lead Isthmian League Division One North side Grays Athletic to the playoffs, losing the semi-final. That said, 2012/13 would see him guide Grays to promotion into the Premier Division.
On July 5, 2013, he left Grays to join John Still’s coaching team at Conference Premier side Luton Town as first-team coach. They would achieve the Conference title and finish eighth in their first season back in the Football League while Heyrettin was a part of the setup. National League club Braintree Town appointed him first-team manager in September 2016; however, he left by mutual consent on 8 May 2017.
Following a brief spell back at Braintree as interim manager at the backend of 2018, he became Head Coach of Maidstone United in January 2019. Heyrettin won the 2021-22 National League South, but in January 2023 he was sacked with Maidstone sitting in 23rd place. Dulwich Hamlet wasted no time in securing his services, completing the deal in March 2023.
Match Details
Date: Thursday, December 26, 2024
Venue: Champion Hill
Kick-off: 03:00 pm
Admission: Adult £13.80, Concession £5.90, U13 Free
Tickets: Buy Tickets Here
