CAFC Women vs Croydon FC – Preview
After five straight wins, Carshalton will be looking to make it six in a row as they prepare for a crucial league fixture against Croydon FC.
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, with the Robins recording 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 put in 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 took on higher-tier side Richmond & Kew in a friendly and produced an impressive performance, running out 5–1 winners.
Last time out, 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.
The Title Race
Last season, Farnham Town won the Surrey Premier Division title with 15 wins and just one defeat. Carshalton put up 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. Carshalton Athletic currently lead the way with ten wins and two defeats, boasting a goal difference of +54. Dorking Wanderers U23s are level on points with the Robins on 30, with a goal difference of +39, but hold an advantage having played one game fewer. Sutton United Reserves sit three points back on 27 with a goal difference of +39, but have a 100% record so far, including a 5–4 win at Colston Avenue.
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 be hoping to be crowned champions when the season concludes in the spring.
This weekend, all three sides are in action. While the Robins host Croydon FC at Colston Avenue, Dorking will welcome fifth-placed Walton & Hersham, and Sutton travel to take on seventh-placed Merstham.
Croydon FC
After finishing seventh last season with a record of three wins, two draws and eleven defeats, Croydon FC remain in the Surrey Premier Division for 2025/26. They also reached the Surrey Divisional Cup Final last season, beating Hersham, Epsom & Ewell and Leatherhead Youth before falling to a 4–1 defeat against the Robins.
The Trams got their 2025/26 season underway in September with an FA Cup tie against Chislehurst Glebe. After a tight contest ended 1–1, Glebe held their nerve to knock Croydon out 4–2 on penalties.
It was a slow start to the league campaign as well, with defeats away at Merstham (2–0) and at home to Manorcroft United (2–0), alongside a 3–3 draw with Chessington & Hook. October continued in similar fashion, with away defeats at Walton & Hersham (3–0) and Sutton United Reserves (3–1), before a 3–1 home defeat to Wormley Rovers in the Capital Intermediate Cup.
Croydon finally picked up their first three points at the end of October, although that came via a walkover against bottom side Epsom & Ewell.
November began with a 4–0 defeat away to Dorking Wanderers U23s, but Croydon then found some form, winning 2–0 at Oxted & District in the Surrey Divisional Cup. They beat Oxted again at Master Park two weeks later, this time in the league, with a 1–0 victory, before making it three wins in a row with a 3–1 home win over Walton & Hersham.
Croydon’s final game of 2025 was against the Robins at Croydon Arena, where Carshalton ran out 2–0 winners thanks to a brace from Nadia Sabania. Since then, Croydon have played just one further match, suffering a 5–0 defeat to Dorking Wanderers U23s in the Surrey Divisional Cup.
Croydon currently sit sixth out of ten teams in the Surrey Premier Division, with eight games remaining this season. The Trams will be looking to finish the campaign as strongly as possible, starting with the trip to Colston Avenue on Sunday.
Team News
After making the move from Croydon to Carshalton over the summer, Dee Badley is set to face her former club on Sunday. Badley has already scored 23 competitive goals for the Robins this season – 18 in the league, four in the Surrey Divisional Cup and one in the FA Cup – and will be keen to add to her tally against her old side.
Badley currently tops the Surrey Premier Division goalscoring charts, three goals clear of Heather Eade, and is well placed to win the Golden Boot this season. She has scored against seven of the eight Surrey Premier Division sides she has faced so far, but wasn’t on the scoresheet when Carshalton took on Croydon FC back in December. Scoring against every side would be an incredible achievement, and Badley will be keen to net against her former club before attempting to complete the set when the Robins finally face Epsom & Ewell in April.
Head To Head
Carshalton and Croydon met four times last season: twice in the league, once in the Capital Intermediate Cup, and in the Surrey Divisional Cup Final in May.
The sides first met in Carshalton’s opening league game at Colston Avenue, playing out a 2–2 draw with goals from Heather Eade and Georgie Edwards. In the reverse fixture at Croydon Arena, the Robins claimed a 3–2 win thanks to a Sarah Chapman brace and a goal from Lara Rodriguez, with Dee Badley scoring for Croydon.
In the Capital Intermediate Cup last 32, Carshalton secured a 3–1 home win, with Edwards scoring twice and Abbie Measures also on the scoresheet.
Their final meeting came in the Surrey Divisional Cup Final at Dorking Wanderers’ Meadowbank Stadium. The Robins raced into a 3–0 lead through Kanita Throp, Aisha Douglin and Kenza Gueriani. Although Croydon pulled one back through current Carshalton forward Dee Badley, substitute Honey Dulley sealed a 4–1 victory to secure the club’s first piece of silverware.
This season, the sides met in the league in both teams’ final game of 2025. At Croydon Arena, the hosts put up a strong fight, but debutant Nadia Sabania scored either side of half-time to secure a 2–0 win for the Robins, a result that saw Carshalton finish 2025 at the top of the Surrey Premier Division.
Pre-Match Analysis
With the title race heating up, Sunday represents another must-win game for Carshalton. With Dorking and Sutton holding games in hand over the Robins, Carshalton know they need to pick up all three points to keep the pressure on their rivals.
Since the sides last met on 7 December, Carshalton have played four matches and won all four. In contrast, Croydon have played just once in that period, suffering a 5–0 defeat to Dorking. While the lack of recent fixtures may not be ideal for the visitors, recent meetings between the two sides have often been closely contested, and Croydon will fancy their chances of getting a result at Colston Avenue.
Match Details
Date: Sunday 8th February 2026
Opposition: Croydon FC
Competition: League
Venue: Colston Avenue, SM5 2PW
Kickoff: 2:30pm
Admission: FREE
