CAFC Women vs Croydon Athletic Fc – Preview
Carshalton’s Women’s First Team bid to carry the momentum of Wednesday’s huge 5-0 win over Three Bridges into Sunday against Croydon FC.
The Robins Review
The Robins have registered back-to-back wins, and more importantly, consecutive clean sheets versus higher tier opponents, Farnborough FC and the Bridges.
With the new season starting on September 8th for our ladies, there is still time for another couple of pre-season friendlies, and Lamont will be desperate for his side to maintain their unbeaten run at the weekend, but it will be tough.
Croydon Women’s FC
Croydon Women’s Football Club 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.
The Trams 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, this included 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 1990’s, Croydon ran out 5-0 winners against Millwall Lionesses, won a huge 8-0 versus Brentford City with the brilliant Powell scoring a hattrick, 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 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 lineups
Carshalton
Shahara (Trialist goalkeeper); Dady, Allen, Nebbett, Eade; Edwards, Williams, McCarthy; Gueriani, Chapman, Cox
Croydon
Blyth, Hewitt-Williams, Reid, Asagba, Dawson, D’Aranjo, Corkery, Nadison-Singh, Badley, Nicholson, Boret
Team News
Carshalton
Expect Lamont to name a largely unchanged team with the exception of the front three, which could be shaken up. Chapman will start at No.10, but it will be either Gueriani and Cox or Rose-Dulley and Bale, who occupy the flanks next to her.
Croydon
Croydon have welcomed just one summer arrival in Avangeline Mountford, it is unlikely that there will be sizable change.
Key Player
Nic D’Aranjo was prolific for Croydon last season, scoring several goals and contributing assists also. She concluded the 2023-24 campaign as the Devs top scorer and is described as a “midfield powerhouse with an eye for goal”.
The pick of her performances last year was the hattrick against Richmond Park, and she has picked up where she left off, netting several times over the summer.
The Gaffer
A diminutive midfielder who started his football career at Millwall up until the age of 14. Gonnella competed in the English Schools Athletic Association national cross-country championship in 2003 and went on to represent London in multiple races throughout the UK.
Antonio joined Fisher and made his Conference Blue Square South First Team debut at the age of 17 against Cambridge City in a 0-0 draw in 2006/07. He went on to make 13 appearances before the entire squad was released by the new manager in 2007.
After briefly returning to Italy, his father’s place of birth, to compete in numerous tournaments and train with Avellino Calcio in Serie B, he decided to come back to England. The youngster then joined Cambridge before immediately jumping ship to Hastings United due to the location and interest in game time at Ryman Premier Level.
He spent two years with Hastings, making close to 50 appearances. In July 2009, he trained at Carshalton but decided to join Maidstone.
However, his previous club showed interest in September and he rejoined. He took his tally to 68 outings and 14 goals.
Brief spells at Dulwich and Margate ensued, then he rejoined Maidstone to see out the remainder of the 2009/10 season.
Injuries troubles limited him to just eight appearances in 10/11, suffering ankle ligament damage playing against the Robins.
The next three years of his career were made up of small cameos and spells on the sidelines. Moves to Folkestone, Kingstonian, Folkestone again, Canvey Island, Bognor Regis, and Sittingbourne took place until an ACL knee injury would eventually force him even further down the football pyramid to Kent Football United.
Gonella joined the Davs as head coach from the AFC Whyteleafe (Step Five) management team.
Last Meeting
The sides have not played each other before.
Match Details
Date: Sunday 18 August, 2024
Venue: Colston Avenue.
Kickoff: 1:00pm
Admission: Free
