CAFC Women vs Chessington & Hook – Preview
After five straight wins, Carshalton will be looking to make it six in a row with a crucial league fixture against Chessington & Hook United.
Carshalton Athletic – The Season So Far
Following a second-place finish last season and the first piece of silverware in the club’s history with victory in the Surrey Divisional Cup, Carshalton Athletic began their second season in women’s football with Aaron Lamont continuing as manager for the 2025/26 campaign.
Pre-season proved to be a mixed bag, with Carshalton winning five and losing three of their eight fixtures. However, three of those five victories came at the end of the programme, as the Robins recorded impressive wins of 6–1, 6–0 and 11–1 over Chessington & Hook, Tooting Bec and Tonbridge Angels respectively, heading into the new season in strong form.
There were high hopes for Carshalton’s debut in the FA Cup, but the Robins were beaten 3–1 by a strong South London FC side, exiting the competition at the first hurdle. Their league campaign, however, got off to an impressive start with a 9–0 victory away at Manorcroft United, despite being reduced to ten players following the dismissal of goalkeeper Beth Yarrow.
That result was followed by a dramatic 3–2 win over Dorking Wanderers U23s, with Kenza Gueriani netting a stoppage-time winner. Carshalton were then awarded three points after Epsom & Ewell withdrew from their scheduled league fixture due to a lack of players. The Robins continued their strong start by defeating Merstham 4–1, taking their tally to 12 points from four games.
Carshalton then produced a spirited performance in the Isthmian League Cup but ultimately fell to a 3–0 defeat against Sutton United, who compete in Tier 5, two divisions above the Robins. That was followed by their first league defeat of the season, losing a tight encounter 1–0 away to Dorking Wanderers U23s.
A response was needed, and Carshalton delivered with three consecutive league victories against Manorcroft United (16–2), Walton & Hersham (14–0) and Oxted & District (5–0).
The Robins began their defence of the Surrey Divisional Cup with an entertaining 4–3 victory over Sutton United Reserves to reach the quarter-finals. However, they exited the Capital Intermediate Cup at the first hurdle, losing 2–0 to a well-organised Tooting Bec side.
Carshalton’s 100% home league record came to an end with a narrow 5–4 defeat to Sutton United Reserves, but they responded positively in their final match before Christmas, securing a 2–0 win away at Croydon FC. The Robins started 2026 on the right foot with a 3–1 home victory against Merstham in the league, before continuing their Surrey Divisional Cup defence with a 13–0 quarter-final win over South Park Reigate. That result set up a tricky semi-final tie against Dorking Wanderers U23s.
Carshalton did not have a competitive fixture the following weekend but faced higher-tier side Richmond & Kew in a friendly and produced an impressive performance, running out 5–1 winners.
Three weeks ago, the Robins faced Chessington & Hook at Colston Avenue and ran out 6–0 winners. Dee Badley scored four goals, including a hat-trick in a devastating 10-minute spell, while Honey Dulley and Nadia Sabania were also on target.
Last weekend, the Robins hosted Croydon FC at Colston Avenue. They led 6–0 at half-time after goals from Leanne Bell (2), Honey Dulley (2), Taylor McCrea and Kenza Gueriani. However, Croydon’s goalkeeper went down injured early in the second half and received lengthy treatment on the pitch. Ultimately, the referee made the decision to abandon the match.
The Title Race
Last season, Farnham Town won the Surrey Premier Division title with 15 wins and just one defeat. Carshalton mounted a strong challenge, winning 13, drawing one and losing two of their 16 games, but that was not enough for either the title or promotion. An average of 2.5 points per game would usually be enough to win a league, but that may not be the case this season either.
This time around, three teams are firmly in contention heading into the business end of the campaign. Dorking currently lead the way with 33 points from their first 12 games and a goal difference of +45. Sutton United Reserves sit three points back on 30 points with a goal difference of +41 and boast a 100% record so far, including a 5–4 win at Colston Avenue. Carshalton Athletic are also three points behind Dorking, with ten wins and two defeats, and a goal difference of +54.
This sets up a dramatic conclusion to the season, with several key fixtures still to come between the three sides. Dorking and Sutton face each other twice — in March at Dorking and in April at Sutton — while Carshalton will be looking for revenge when they take on Sutton at the David Weir Leisure Centre at the end of March. With a three-way title fight, further twists and turns seem inevitable, and all three contenders will hope to be crowned champions when the season concludes in the spring.
This weekend, Dorking are not in action, which gives both Carshalton and Sutton the opportunity to gain ground if they can pick up three points. While the Robins make the trip to ninth-placed Chessington & Hook, Sutton host sixth-placed Walton & Hersham as they look to preserve their 100% record.
Chessington & Hook United FC
The 2025/26 season is Chessington & Hook’s first campaign fielding a senior team. Initially placed in Surrey Division 1, they were moved up to the Surrey Premier Division following the withdrawals of Beecholme Belles and Leatherhead Youth.
The Blues began their season in September. As a new side, they were not entered into the FA Cup, but they made a perfect start in the league with a 2–0 away win at Walton & Hersham. They remained unbeaten the following week with an entertaining 3–3 draw at Croydon FC before suffering back-to-back defeats to Dorking Wanderers U23s (6–1) and Sutton United Reserves (5–2), two of the title favourites.
Chessington returned to winning ways with another away victory, this time at Epsom & Ewell, winning 3–1. However, the following four weeks proved more challenging, with a 5–2 defeat at Merstham, a creditable 2–2 draw against Oxted & District and a narrow 2–1 loss at Manorcroft United. Chessington then took on Dorking Wanderers U23s in the last 16 of the Surrey Divisional Cup, bowing out with a 7–0 defeat.
That match, played on 9 November, turned out to be their last competitive fixture before Christmas, as multiple games — including a scheduled home match against Carshalton — were postponed due to a waterlogged pitch. Their Capital Intermediate Cup tie against Leyton Orient was also postponed twice for the same reason, with Leyton Orient eventually being awarded a walkover.
Chessington finally returned to competitive action in mid-January with a trip to Dorking Wanderers U23s. Understandably rusty, they were beaten 8–0, although Dorking are in strong form and have not lost in the league since their 3–2 defeat at Colston Avenue in September. A 6–0 defeat at Colston Avenue followed, before a 3–2 loss at Oxted & District last weekend.
Now into the business end of their season, with 11 of their 18 league games played, Chessington sit ninth in the table. Their early results against several established sides suggest they fully deserved their elevation. However, results in recent weeks have not gone their way, and the Blues need to turn their fortunes around in the next few games if they are to climb out of the bottom two. They will view Sunday as an opportunity to secure a positive result – and potentially disrupt Carshalton’s title charge.
Team News
Carshalton had only 12 players available for the abandoned game against Croydon last weekend. However, with the full 90 minutes not played, they came through the match without any injuries, and Aaron Lamont will hope to have a full squad to choose from at Chessington & Hook on Sunday.
Dee Badley currently leads the league’s Golden Boot race with 18 league goals, with Heather Eade next on 15. However, the chasing pack are close behind, with Sutton’s Tess Ciccardini on 13 and Dorking’s Holly Crane on 12. Badley will be looking to add to her tally again on Sunday after scoring four in the reverse fixture at Colston Avenue.
Head To Head
The sides met in pre-season, with Carshalton running out 6–1 winners thanks to goals from Ward, Gueriani, a youth player and a hat-trick from Taylor McCrea. Chessington did cause problems, equalising early in the second half to make it 1–1 before the Robins pulled clear.
They met again in the league just a few weeks ago at Colston Avenue. Dee Badley scored a hat-trick in a devastating 10-minute spell, and Honey Dulley netted in first-half stoppage time to give Carshalton a 4–0 lead at the break. Badley added her fourth in the second half, and Nadia Sabania scored late on to secure a 6–0 victory.
Pre-Match Analysis
Carshalton are in strong form, having won their last five matches, including the 6–0 victory over Chessington at Colston Avenue. Chessington enjoyed a promising start to the season, but theirs has been a stop-start campaign due to numerous postponements. The Blues have picked up just one point from their previous six league games and now sit in the bottom two heading into the business end of the season.
In a title race as tight as this, Carshalton cannot afford any slip-ups. Dorking’s win last weekend moved them three points clear at the top. Sutton also won to move three points behind Dorking and level on points with the Robins. With Dorking not in league action this weekend, Carshalton have an ideal opportunity to close the gap, with victory moving them level on 33 points.
The rest of the league remains tightly packed, with Croydon in fifth and Chessington & Hook in ninth separated by just two points. A win for Chessington could lift them as high as fifth if other results go their way, while a defeat would leave them in the bottom two with only six games remaining.
Match Details
Date: Sunday 15th February 2026
Opposition: Chessington & Hook United FC
Competition: League
Venue: Chalky Lane, KT9 2NF
Kickoff: 2pm
Admission: Adult £4, Concessions £2, U16 Free
