CAFC vs Chatham Town – Preview
Carshalton Athletic travel to the Bauvill Stadium to take on Chatham Town in the Isthmian Premier Division on Saturday.
Robins Review
The Robins booked their place in the semi-final of the Surrey Senior Cup following a commanding 3-0 win over Kingstonian FC on Monday evening. Peter Adeniyi’s side will face off against National League South outfit Dorking Wanderers on April 28th at Meadowbank. Attention now turns back to the Isthmian Premier and Carshalton’s pursuit of play-offs. The Reds sit seventh on 61 points, three behind Chichester City.
Chatham Town
Chatham Town overcame Folkestone Invicta 3-1 on Saturday. The Chats currently languish in ninth place on 58 points after 37 games in the Isthmian Premier Division. It was a slow start to the 2024-25 campaign for the Kent-based side; the club were beaten 2-0 by Lewes in their curtain raiser, and recently relegated Billericay Town held them 1-1. Chatham’s first win of the season was registered against Bowers & Pitsea, and victory over Dulwich Hamlet the next week ensured consecutive wins. That said, Dartford dispatched the club 3-1 at the backend of August, before the Chats bounced back in the FA Cup First Qualifying Round with a 2-0 victory versus Westfield.
A 2-2 stalemate with Hendon ushered in September, but it was a statement 1-0 victory over National League South outfit Welling United in the FA Cup Second Qualifying Round that lived longer in the memory. However, Chatham failed to carry forward the momentum, and a four-match losing streak ensued. Canvey Island and Hastings sealed convincing 3-1 and 3-2 victories, respectively; meanwhile, Cray Wanderers and Slough Town knocked the club out of the Kent and FA Cups.
It was a slender 1-0 win against Wingate & Finchley in the FA Trophy Third Qualifying Round that put the woes of the previous weeks behind them and returned the club to winning ways. Following a 4-1 thumping of the Wands, the Chats entered a rich vein of form that saw them put together an 11-match unbeaten streak in the Isthmian Premier. This saw the club find the net 29 times and concede just nine. It also included notable results such as a 5-0 smashing of Whitehawk and a 7-1 drumming of Bognor Regis Town, yet it did contain five 1-1 draws. High in confidence, the Chats entered the final fixture before Christmas against the Robins high in confidence; however, a last-gasp Mason Saunders-Henry strike secured Peter Adeniyi’s side a comfortable 2-0 win and put to bed the sensational run.
Despite the setback, it did not stop the Chats from grinding out a hard-fought 3-3 draw with play-off pushing Cray Valley PM and overcoming Bowers & Pitsea 3-1. The new year saw successive 2-0 defeats for the Kent-based side at the hands of Dartford and Chichester City, before Hashtag United issued their third loss in as many weeks by edging them 1-0. A 3-1 victory against Wingate & Finchley offered temporary relief, and a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Potters Bar Town concluded January, making it four league losses in five for the club.
The Chats continued to struggle into February with back-to-back defeats to Canvey Island, 1-0, and Cray Wanderers, 4-1. That said, it was seemingly a spirited display that ensured a 1-1 draw versus an extremely strong Horsham side, who many regard as one of the best, if not the best, teams in the league, that spurred the form that followed in March and launched them into an outside chance of playoffs out of nowhere. As mentioned, March has been a really positive month for the club; it started with a 4-1 victory over Cheshunt, before successive 2-0 wins against Hastings and Whitehawk. Despite having Dover and Hastings lying in wait, the Chats managed to take all six points available, beating both sides by the barest of margins, 1-0. Incredible.
After Chatham’s 2022-23 Isthmian League South East Division triumph, the Chats went on to come agonisingly close to consecutive promotions. After finishing last season as runners-up on 79 points, the Kent-based side progressed through their play-off semi-final 4-3 on penalties against Horsham Town, with Jamie Yila taking the winning spot-kick. However, they were beaten 3-0 by Enfield Town in the play-off final. Familiar name Bernie Tanner fired the visitors in front three minutes into the second half, Marcus Wyllie made it 2-0 after 70 minutes, and Lewis Taaffe applied the stoppage time third.
Likely line-ups
Carshalton Athletic
Watkins, Sankoh, Horsley-McKay, Read, Shonibare, Saraiva, Sauders-Henry, Dada, Ifeanyi, Smith, Kalala
Chatham Town
Molyneux, Webster, Nelson, Butler, Aidoo, Chambers, Evans, Garlinge, Yila, Bryan, Liburd
Team news
Carshalton Athletic
The Robins completed the loan signing of forward Kalvin Kalala from National League South side Chelmsford last week. Kalala started his career in Italy for Jolly Montemurlo, Carpi and Savona. His time in England started at Cheltenham Town before he moved on to Torquay United and featured in the Vanarama National League South for the Gulls. Kalala was part of Torquay’s title-winning National League South squad in 2018-19. In recent years he has featured for Dartford, Dulwich Hamlet and most recently Lewes. The 27-year-old played 28 times for Chelmsford this season, scoring 3 times. Kola Salami has also returned from his loan spell at step five AFC Whyteleafe and he featured in Monday’s 3-0 victory over Kingstonian in the Surrey Senior Cup. Luke Read, Josh Shonibare, and Michael Dada were rested against the Ks, but will be back at the weekend. Kwaku Frimpong, Fikayo Atewologun, and Paris Hamilton-Downes remain long-term absentees.
Chatham Town
For the 1-0 victory over Hashtag United, Chatham made two changes to their starting line-up. One was the notable return of club captain and central defender Reece Butler, while Chats Academy Scholar Kian Garlinge managed to get in ahead of Kareem Isiaka.
Pre-Match Analysis
Chatham have been in outstanding form recently, topping the Isthmian Premier form guide over the last six matches with five wins and one draw. During this impressive run, they’ve scored a remarkable 10 goals while conceding just two, showing a team brimming with confidence. On the season as a whole, Chatham have conceded the seventh-fewest goals in the league, with 46—just one behind Carshalton, who have 45. They’ve also found the net a respectable 66 times, ranking eighth for goals scored. Their home record stands at eight wins, six draws, and four losses, highlighting a tendency to draw a few too many games, but overall, they’re in strong form.
Key Player
Chats forward Freddie Sears tops the Isthmian Premier goalscoring charts, having collected 22 goals so far this season. Up until the end of January, Sears was prolific; however, February saw a drought ensue. Fortunately for the attacker, it was temporary, and in March he netted four times. The 35-year-old came through at West Ham, even scoring the winner on his first-team debut against Blackburn Rovers. The veteran striker had loan spells with Crystal Palace, Coventry City, and Scunthorpe United before joining Colchester United for the latter half of 2011-12. The club would sign him permanently from the Hammers the following year, and he spent three campaigns with the U’s. Sears then signed a 2½-year contract with Championship side Ipswich Town and would go on to make 203 appearances, netting 32 goals. In 2021, the attacker returned to Colchester, where he would score 16 goals in 76 games. After leaving at the end of 22/23, stints at Dagenham & Redbridge ensued before Chatham came calling over the summer.
The Gaffer
After Scott Lindsey left Chatham Town just 10 days before the start of the 2021-22 Southern Counties East Football League Premier Division campaign to take stewardship at League Two Swindon Town, Director of Football Carl Laraman and Chairman Kevin Hake took interim charge of team affairs as the club began its search for a suitable person to take the reins at Maidstone Road. However, fast forward to 2024, and Hake is still at the helm under the title Manager-Chairman.
Match Details
Date: Saturday, April 5, 2025
Venue: The Bauvill Stadium
Kick-off: 03:00 PM
Admission: £12 (Adult), £8 (Concession), £3 (Under 16) + £1.00 fee on the gate.
Tickets: Buy Tickets Here
