CAFC vs Raynes Park Vale – Match Preview
Carshalton Athletic take on Raynes Park Vale in the Surrey Senior Cup on Monday evening at Colston Avenue following a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Cray Wanderers in the Isthmian Premier.
Robins Review
Peter Adeniyi’s side secured a well-earned 1-1 draw with Cray Wanderers on Saturday in the Isthmian Premier Division. Despite the Wands dominating the early stages, a momentum shift ensued, and after a succession of shots and crosses as well as a missed David Smith penalty, the Robins took a deserved lead thanks to a calm finish one-on-one from Aziz Sankoh. That said, a brief lapse of concentration produced an immediate leveller, which was followed by Kwaku Frimpong’s sending-off. The second 45 was much more open, and there were some excellent defensive displays on show.
The stalemate extended the Robins unbeaten run to seven games; however, we remain winless in the league since beating Potters Bar Town 2-1 at home following a trio of 1-1 results against Cheshunt, Hastings, and Cray Wanderers. Currently, the Reds languish eighth on 26 points in the Isthmian Premier.
Raynes Park Vale
Raynes Park Vale suffered a 4-1 league defeat to Hayes & Yeading United on Saturday with talisman Jordan Gallagher getting the only goal.
Raynes Park Vale FC apply their trade in the Isthmian League South Central Division, which is step 4 of the English Football Pyramid. The Vale currently sit eighth in the league on 29 points after 18 games played, having secured nine wins, two draws, and seven losses. They languish four points outside Ascot United, who are just inside the play-off places.
Raynes Park got their 2024-25 season off to a flying start, going unbeaten in their first four matches, including a 5-1 thumping of Badshot Lea. Momentum was briefly disrupted by Chertsey Town in the FA Cup First Qualifying Round; however, they returned to winning ways against Beckenham Town, sealing a 4-3 FA Trophy First Qualifying Round victory. Inconsistency struck again, remaining winless for four games with a 5-0 battering at the hands of Rayners Lane nestled in between. That said, the Vale’s fortune gradually shifted as they won the next three versus Ascot, Ashford, and Horndean by an aggregate scoreline of 12-2. League toppers Farnham Town put a halt to their free-scoring tendencies, edging the Merton-based side 2-1. October would conclude with back-to-back losses to Guernsey and Binfield. Even though consecutive wins kicked off November in emphatic fashion, the Vale have remained winless in their last four games.
Last season, the club narrowly missed out on the playoffs. The Vale finished sixth on 78 points, which was five short of Westfield, who took the final place to put themselves in contention for promotion.
Likely line-ups
Carshalton Athletic
Witter, Ming, Hamstead, Atewologun, Kennett, Saraiva, Hamilton-Downes, Bradford, Ifeanyi, Cook, Goather-Braithewaite
Raynes Park Vale
Bishop, H-G, Mckillop, Gallagher, Berry, Richards, Dickson, Hector, Cook, Nicholas, Goodman
Team News
Carshalton Athletic
Ollie Hamstead returned to the starting XI at the weekend following an extended absence through injury. Luke Cook, meanwhile, was named among the substitutes against Cray Wanderers, having seemingly recovered from the hamstring issue he sustained versus Canvey Island. With a packed fixture schedule and Christmas approaching, expect Adeniyi to rotate on Monday.
Raynes Park Vale
Expect a fully fit Raynes Park Vale outfit on Monday evening.
Pre-Match Analysis
Manager Josh Gallagher voiced his concerns about a recurring pattern of starting slow, getting back into the match, squandering chances, and ultimately throwing away valuable points in a recent post-match interview. It has seen the Vale slip from third to seventh in the Isthmian South Central Division.
Key Player
Jordan Gallagher is Vale’s key player boasting a whopping 19 goals so far in the 2024-25 campaign. Gallagher was the first signing of his cousins’ managerial era; the winger would score more than 40 goals in all competitions in his maiden season for Vale, 2021-22.
The Gaffer
The former South Park, Chipstead, and Leatherhead midfielder Josh Gallagher, 29, arrived at Grand Drive in June 2021 to take his first steps in management, with ex-Epsom & Ewell defender Anthony Panayi, also 29, as his number two. As alluded to above, Josh’s cousin is talisman Jordan Gallagher, and interestingly enough, twin brother Jake joined his ranks in February 2022.
Match Details
Date: Monday, December 2, 2024
Venue: Colston Avenue
Kick-off: 07:45PM
Admission: £11, £8, £5 (online prices) on the gate is a pound dearer.
Tickets: Buy online tickets here
