CAFC vs Hashtag United – Preview
After Saturday’s clash at Welling was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch, the Robins return to action on Valentines Day with a trip to Parkside to take on Hashtag United.
Carshalton Athletic
Carshalton come into the game against Hashtag United without a win in their last twelve matches, with their most recent victory a 3–2 away success at Lewes back in November. Performances in recent weeks have been far more encouraging than the results suggest, with seven of those twelve matches ending in draws, including four of the last five. Incredibly, the Robins have led in eight of those twelve games but have been unable to see them through to victory.
Two weeks ago, the Robins produced a strong display against runaway league leaders Folkestone Invicta at Colston Avenue, battling hard to secure a 0–0 draw and creating chances of their own to take all three points. That was followed by a thrilling 3–3 draw with Cheshunt, in which Josh Shonibare scored a stunning late strike from outside the box. A 4–0 defeat to Chatham came next, but Carshalton responded positively with an improved performance, earning a 1–1 draw away at play-off chasing Cray Wanderers. The Robins opened the scoring through Ben Mundele, before Harry Bridle headed home an equaliser as both sides ultimately settled for a point.
Last time out, Carshalton hosted Whitehawk at Colston Avenue. The Robins raced into an early lead, with Eddie Oppong netting his first goal for the club after just three minutes. Whitehawk fought back, however, with Harry Lodovica scoring twice before the break to give the visitors a 2–1 advantage. As Whitehawk looked set to hold on for all three points, Andrew Briggs received a straight red card for a foul on Tommy Bradford. A few minutes later, Atewologun turned home a corner to equalise, and once again the points were shared.
The Robins currently sit 16th in the table, just two points above the relegation zone. However, with many of the teams around them holding games in hand, Carshalton know they must start turning draws into wins if they are to climb the table.
The next four fixtures are huge for Carshalton. On Saturday, the Robins head to Parkside to face Hashtag United, who sit 17th, below Carshalton only on goal difference. They then host ninth-placed Ramsgate before travelling to Hertfordshire to face 22nd-placed Potters Bar Town. March begins with a home clash against Canvey Island, who currently sit 20th. These fixtures against sides in and around the relegation zone will be crucial to Carshalton’s survival hopes, with a number of tough games still to come later in the season.
Hashtag United
Hashtag United are a unique club that blend digital culture with traditional non-league football. Founded in March 2016 by YouTube creator Spencer Carmichael-Brown (better known online as Spencer FC), the club initially began as a team of friends playing exhibition matches that were filmed and uploaded to his popular channel. These early fixtures – against Sunday league sides, celebrity teams, and even professional club staff – quickly built a large online following and helped establish Hashtag United’s identity as a social media-driven football phenomenon.
In 2018, Hashtag United made the leap from online content to competitive football by entering the non-league pyramid, starting in the Eastern Counties League Division One South (Step 6). They won the division in their first season, earning promotion to the Essex Senior League. Despite disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic during the 2019/20 and 2020/21 campaigns, the club were promoted to the Isthmian League North Division based on points-per-game. Their rise continued with the North Division title in 2022/23, highlighted by an impressive run of 21 consecutive league wins.
After winning the Isthmian North in 2022/23, Hashtag United established themselves at Step 3 with back-to-back mid-table finishes: 13th in 2023/24 and 8th in 2024/25, finishing just one place behind the Robins in both seasons. This campaign has proved more challenging. With seven wins, eight draws and fifteen defeats so far, the Tags currently sit 17th in the table, two points above the relegation zone.
Hashtag United are in their second season playing at Aveley FC’s Parkside Stadium but are set to move to Redbridge FC’s Techsoc.com Stadium from the start of next season, which has been described as their “long-term home.” Newly appointed CEO Joe Gorman said: “This move is one of the most significant moments in Hashtag history. It signals the start of an exciting new chapter that will see us rapidly expand new parts of the business and go bigger than we’ve ever gone before. The future is very bright for the Tags.”
Head to Head
Last season, Carshalton completed a league double over Hashtag United.
In the first meeting at Parkside in October, Carshalton had the chance to take an early lead from the penalty spot, but goalkeeper Jack Giddens produced a superb save to deny Dominic Vose. After the break, Tommy Bradford headed home the decisive goal to give the Robins a narrow 1–0 victory.
In the return fixture at Colston Avenue, the sides went in level at the break. However, Nabeel Ghannam linked up with David Smith, who scored his 11th goal for the club to secure another 1–0 win.
This season’s meeting took place in October at Colston Avenue. Hashtag raced into a 1–0 lead after a fourth-minute goal from Max Cornhill, but the Robins responded well, going into the break 2–1 ahead thanks to goals from Kola Salami and a Bryan Ifeanyi penalty. Hashtag fought back, however, securing a 2–2 draw through a 79th-minute equaliser from Evans Kouassi.
Team News
Carshalton Athletic
Eddie Oppong and Fikayo Atewologun both scored their first goals for the club in the 2–2 draw with Whitehawk. Oppong, a recent signing following a spell with Kettering Town, was making his fifth appearance for the club and has looked lively since arriving at Colston Avenue. He will be pleased to have opened his account and will be keen to add to his tally in the coming games.
Atewologun has been at the club since the summer of 2024 after making the switch from Leatherhead. The Robins’ centre-back does not often have the chance to get forward, but he will be delighted that he did on this occasion, scoring what proved to be a crucial equaliser.
Pre-Match Analysis
Saturday’s match promises to be another tough encounter for the Robins. Both sides are sitting precariously above the relegation zone, two points clear of Cray Valley PM in 19th. Hashtag come into the game on the back of a 3–2 defeat away at Whitehawk, a match in which they led 1–0 and 2–1 before conceding in the 75th and 91st minutes to leave Sussex empty-handed.
Carshalton, by contrast, saw their fixture with Welling postponed due to a waterlogged pitch and should therefore be the fresher of the two sides. That said, with neither team having a midweek fixture, both will have had ample opportunity to rest and prepare.
With the sides level on points and Carshalton holding a game in hand, a Robins victory would see them move three points clear of Hashtag, while still having the rearranged Welling fixture to come.
Key Player
After making the move from Folkestone Invicta, Evans Kouassi has become one of Jay Devereux’s key players this season.
Prior to joining Hashtag, Kouassi signed for Folkestone Invicta in the summer of 2024, making 34 appearances and scoring nine goals. Those included an equaliser in the draw with Carshalton on the opening day of the season. He also enjoyed a brief loan spell at Bowers & Pitsea, making seven appearances and scoring once.
Before that, Kouassi spent four seasons at Canvey Island, where he became something of a club legend despite missing much of the 2023/24 campaign through injury. He scored five goals in 19 appearances that season, following an impressive 24-goal haul as the Gulls reached the Premier Play-Off semi-final in 2022/23, and 31 goals in 47 matches as they won promotion via the North Division play-offs in 2021/22. His first season at Canvey came during the curtailed 2020/21 campaign, in which he scored three times before football was again halted.
Prior to his time with Canvey, Kouassi scored ten goals for Heybridge Swifts during the curtailed 2019/20 season, his second spell with the club after returning in March 2019 following a short but productive period at Mildenhall Town. He was a key figure in Heybridge’s successful 2018/19 play-off campaign, which ultimately ended in disappointment after the FA ruled that only the five Step 4 play-off winners with the highest points-per-game would be promoted. Earlier in his career, he also represented Wealdstone, Bishop’s Stortford, Hayes & Yeading, Chelmsford City and Concord Rangers.
This season, Kouassi has been an important part of Devereux’s side, scoring nine league goals, including braces against Lewes and Dartford, as well as a late equaliser against the Robins at Colston Avenue. He has also netted twice in the Isthmian League Cup and will be looking to add silverware later in the campaign, with Hashtag scheduled to face Ramsgate in the semi-final following the clash with Carshalton.
The Gaffer
Jay Devereux has been in charge since Hashtag United entered the football pyramid at Step 6 in 2018. He guided the club to promotion in their debut season by winning the Eastern Counties League Division One South.
The 2019/20 and 2020/21 Essex Senior League campaigns were curtailed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, though Hashtag were well placed on both occasions. Their consistency saw them promoted to the Isthmian North via points-per-game following a league restructure.
In just their second season at that level, Devereux led the Tags to the title with an outstanding record of 32 wins, two draws and four defeats, including a remarkable 21-game league winning streak. Since stepping up to Step 3, he has overseen finishes of 13th and 8th and guided Hashtag to the Isthmian League Cup Final in 2023/24, narrowly losing 2–1 to Chatham at Parkside.
Now the longest-serving manager in the Isthmian Premier Division, Devereux enjoys a strong working relationship with club owner Spencer Brown. However, with this season not going entirely to plan, he will be targeting improvement in the final 12 matches as he looks to steer the Tags to safety.
Match Details
Date: Saturday 14th February 2026
Opponents: Hashtag United
Venue: Parkside, RM15 4PX (Aveley FC)
Competition: Isthmian League
Kick-off: 3pm
Admission: Adults £12, Concessions £7, U12 £3
Tickets: Purchase at the turnstiles
