CAFC vs Dulwich Hamlet FC – Preview
Carshalton Athletic gear up to host south London rivals Dulwich Hamlet in a Bank Holiday Monday showdown at Colston Avenue!
Robins Review
Two late goals sealed an emphatic 3–1 victory for Carshalton Athletic over Lewes, marking a confident return to winning ways on Good Friday at The Dripping Pan in the Isthmian Premier Division. The win lifts Carshalton Athletic above Hashtag United into seventh place on 64 points. Adeniyi’s side now sit six points adrift of play-off contenders Chichester City, who strengthened their position with a 4–0 victory. There will be hopes that the Robins can carry this momentum into Easter Monday’s crucial clash against Dulwich Hamlet.
Dulwich Hamlet
Dulwich Hamlet secured their Isthmian Premier Division status on Saturday with a hard-fought 2–1 victory over Canvey Island. The result confirmed Hendon’s relegation, with the London side dropping alongside Hastings United, Bognor Regis Town, and Bowers & Pitsea. The win brings Dulwich level on 43 points with Canvey Island after 40 games, and the Hamlet could climb as high as 16th with a victory over Carshalton Athletic on Monday.
The season’s opening weeks offered flashes of promise amid inconsistency. A 3-2 loss to Wingate & Finchley in the curtain-raiser was quickly forgotten after a spirited 2-1 win over Hendon. Hamlet then shared the spoils in a dramatic 3-3 draw with Whitehawk, continuing the early rollercoaster. However, their first comprehensive defeat came at Chatham Town, losing 3-1. The August Bank Holiday weekend brought some respite with a win over Cray Wanderers, but FA Cup heartbreak soon followed. Leatherhead forced a replay in the First Qualifying Round before knocking Dulwich out with a narrow 1-0 win.
Late September saw a rare purple patch: back-to-back wins over Canvey Island and Horsham by an aggregate score of 8-4. But just as optimism grew, Dulwich were hammered 4-1 by Bowers & Pitsea. October started well with a gritty 0-0 draw against a resilient Chichester City, followed by an FA Trophy upset over Dartford and a comfortable 3-0 win over Hastings United.
But consistency continued to elude them. Three straight losses followed — to Binfield FC in the Velocity Cup, Billericay Town in the league, and Hastings again, this time on penalties in the FA Trophy First Round Proper. With their cup campaigns over, Hamlet shifted focus back to the league, playing six matches in November. They claimed wins over Wingate (2-1) and Potters Bar (3-1), and drew 1-1 at Cheshunt. Still, defeats to Hendon, Hastings, and a narrow 2-1 loss to Folkestone Invicta frustrated fans.
A heavy 4-1 defeat to runaway leaders Dover in early December was no great surprise, but Dulwich responded with two hard-fought draws on the road at Lewes and Dartford. A tight 1-0 win over Carshalton Athletic (the Robins) on Boxing Day brought some festive cheer, but it was short-lived.
January proved to be a rough ride, with six straight winless games. Though three of those came against play-off contenders Billericay, Chichester, and Horsham, a 4-3 loss to second-from-bottom Bognor Regis was a low point. The Hamlet had won just one of the last 14 games. Fortunately for Rabble faithful, a 3-0 win over relegated Bowers & Pitsea snapped the slump, and a 2-1 win over Folkestone followed, marking the club’s first back-to-back victories since September, where they emerged victorious over Canvey Island and Horsham. February ended on a high with a 0-0 draw at Hastings — Dulwich were unbeaten all month, and survival hopes suddenly seemed more realistic.
March began with a 3-1 loss to Lewes but was steadied by a thrilling 3-3 draw with promotion-chasing Hashtag United and a gritty 1-0 win over Potters Bar. With just one loss in six, Hamlet appeared to be finding their feet. But that momentum quickly vanished.
Heading into April, Dulwich Hamlet found themselves in trouble once again, caught in the middle of a damaging five-game losing streak. Defeats to Cheshunt, Dover Athletic, Dartford, Cray Valley PM, and Bognor Regis saw them score just once while conceding nine. Their survival hopes were hanging by a thread.
It was a familiar sinking feeling for Hamlet fans. Just two years ago, the club suffered relegation from the National League South on the final day of the 2022–23 season. Needing just a point at home to stay up, they fell 1–0 to Chippenham Town. Weymouth’s 2–0 win over Dover sealed Dulwich’s fate — relegated on goal difference after five seasons in the sixth tier.
Their first campaign back in the Isthmian Premier ended in mid-table security, finishing 11th with 62 points — just one ahead of Carshalton. But fast forward a year, and with just three games remaining, Hamlet were once again flirting with the drop.
This time, however, they rediscovered their resilience just in time. A vital 2–1 victory over Canvey Island secured their safety and ensured they avoided back-to-back relegations.
Likely line-ups
Carshalton Athletic
Watkins, Hamilton-Downes ©, Read, Pepe, Shonibare, Saraiva, Saunders-Henry, Bradford, Ifeanyi, Smith, Kalala
Dulwich Hamlet
Berry, Ramsay, Hudson, Chambers, Scott, Jeffrey, Porter, Bremang, Krasniqi, Williams-Bushell, Binnom-Williams ©
Team news
Carshalton Athletic
Michael Dada has served his one-match suspension, sitting out Saturday’s clash with Horsham, and will now be available for selection on Good Friday at the Dripping Pan. His return adds to the growing competition for places in the Reds’ squad—particularly in midfield. One of Tommy Bradford or Mason Saunders-Henry may have to make way to accommodate Dada’s comeback.
At centre-back, the battle for a starting spot alongside Luke Read continues, with both Dylan Pepe and Kyron Horsley-McKay in contention. Meanwhile, Fikayo Atewologun and Kwaku Frimpong remain sidelined with long-term injuries. The pair did take to the grass for the pre-match warm-up against the Hornets.
Dulwich Hamlet
Max Hudson returned to action against Bognor Regis Town after completing a full week of training and is expected to be involved again on Monday. Anthony Jeffrey has continued to catch the eye in training and has rightly earned a place in the starting XI in recent weeks.
Ben Mason, who picked up a knock in training last week, missed both the trip to the Rocks and the London Senior Cup Semi-Final, but he’s expected to return to the squad on Monday.
Meanwhile, Dillon Barnes — like Kreshnic Krasniqi — is unlikely to feature again this season after sustaining an injury in the defeat to Dartford.
Pre-Match Analysis
As previously noted, Dulwich Hamlet had been in the midst of a five-game losing streak, conceding nine goals and scoring just once — a slump that left them second from bottom in the Isthmian Premier Division form table. With just one win in their last six, it was a worrying trajectory as the season approached its final stretch. However, Hamlet put those fears to rest with a crucial 2–1 victory over Canvey Island, securing their league safety and ending their poor run at the perfect time.
Defensive frailties have plagued the south London side all season. They have conceded 73 goals — the joint third-worst record in the division with Hendon — with only relegated Bowers & Pitsea (82) and fellow strugglers Bognor Regis (88) faring worse at the back. Going forward, it’s been a little better. While Dulwich have managed 55 goals, that figure places them mid-table in the scoring charts, level with Hendon — far from prolific.
Key Player
Luke Wanadio leads the way for Dulwich Hamlet this season, topping the club’s goalscoring charts with 20 goals in the 2024-25 Isthmian Premier campaign. A standout performer and key figure in the squad, Wanadio has maintained the prolific form he showed last season, where he netted 19 times. The forward converted the penalty on Saturday, which confirmed Hamlet’s 2-1 victory over Canvey Island.
The 32-year-old winger is no stranger to Champion Hill, having enjoyed multiple spells with the south-east London side. Throughout his career, he’s also applied his trade at a number of higher-tier non-league clubs, including Dover Athletic, Dartford, Billericay Town, Welling United, and Bromley — bringing a wealth of experience and quality to the Hamlet frontline.
The Gaffer
Bradley Quinton took over as Dulwich Hamlet manager at the end of January, replacing Hakan Hayrettin at the helm. A former midfielder, Quinton began his playing career at Romford before making his name at Braintree Town, where he became a club legend. Joining in 2001, he made a record 546 appearances and played a key role in the club’s remarkable rise from the Isthmian League Division One to the Conference National over the course of a decade.
Following his retirement, Quinton moved into management with Enfield Town in September 2014. There, he built an exciting young side, though their 2016–17 promotion hopes were dashed by Dulwich Hamlet in a play-off semi-final at Champion Hill.
He returned to Braintree Town as manager shortly after their relegation and guided them back to the National League at the first time of asking, winning promotion via the play-offs. However, after a difficult start to the 2018–19 season, he was dismissed. Since then, the 46-year-old has managed in the National League South with Welling United and Hemel Hempstead Town, bringing valuable experience to his latest challenge with the Hamlet.
Match Details
Date: Monday, April 21, 2025 (Vs Dulwich Hamlet FC)
Venue: Colston Avenue
Kick-off: 03:00 PM
Admission: £11, £8, £5 (online prices), on the gate is a pound dearer.
Tickets: https://form.123formbuilder.com/566
