CAFC Women vs Croydon FC

CAFC Women vs Croydon FC – Report

Carshalton Athletic Women made history on Thursday evening after securing a 4–1 victory over Croydon FC at Meadowbank Football Ground to lift the Surrey Divisional Cup in their maiden season under Aaron Lamont.

The first real chance of the match fell to the Robins inside two minutes. Georgie Edwards launched a free kick from the touchline just inside the Trams’ half into the penalty area. Though initially headed clear, the ball fell to Kanita Throp, who weaved her way through a cluster of blue shirts before curling a strike towards the top-left corner. It was a sharp effort but comfortably gathered by the goalkeeper. Moments later, Throp drifted inside again, attempting to thread a pass through to Kenza Gueriani. The Trams’ defence intervened, but their clearance only reached Maria Andrande, who chested the ball down and struck a fierce half-volley narrowly wide.

Despite enjoying the lion’s share of possession and pinning Croydon in their own half, Carshalton were still vulnerable on the counter-attack. Tyreka Hary-Dolphy came agonisingly close to being slipped through on Georgina Solly’s goal but was adjudged offside at the last moment. Soon after, Lara Rodriguez was beaten for pace by Croydon’s main attacking threat, the physical Jade Asagba, but recovered well to apply just enough pressure to force a skewed close-range effort on the slide. With the Trams showing glimpses of danger, Lamont’s side responded by upping the tempo and probing the visitors’ backline. Around the 20-minute mark, Heather Eade pulled the ball back for Maria Andrande, but the midfielder side-footed just over the bar. Throp, continuing to influence proceedings, showcased some tidy footwork that saw the ball fall kindly to Edwards on the edge of the penalty area—her goalbound strike was denied by the outstretched boot of the defender.

By the halfway point of the first half, the Robins had taken full control. The ball rarely left Croydon’s half as Carshalton moved it confidently yet struggled to break down a resolute Trams backline. The visitors remained dangerous when breaking at pace up the other end and looking to feed one of the very physical Zee Boret, Sarah Nicholson, and Asagba whenever they turned the ball over. Still, Throp—now emerging as Carshalton’s standout attacking threat—continued to test the Trams. Gliding in from the left channel, she let fly with a well-struck drive towards the near post, aiming to catch the keeper off guard, but a fine diving save from the goalkeeper tipped it around the post.

The pressure finally told in the 35th minute. Maria Andrande cut the ball back for Eade, whose first-time curling effort was spilt by the keeper. Throp, alert at the back post, pounced and bundled the ball home to give the Robins a deserved lead.

Throp was not done yet—just minutes later, her set piece was acrobatically tipped over the bar. But on the stroke of half-time, Croydon reminded the hosts they were still in it, applying pressure with a flurry of corners and shots. As the teams headed into the break, Lamont knew this contest was far from settled.

The Reds began the second half brightly. A clever pass from Maria Andrande split the defence and sent Riley through one-on-one, but the assistant’s flag was up for offside almost immediately. Just moments later, Riley got her reward when the defender’s attempted clearance ricocheted off her in the six-yard box and into the net, doubling Carshalton’s lead.

Buoyed by the goal, Riley nearly had a second, unleashing a thunderous 25-yard strike down the left channel that beat the diving Trams keeper but crashed off the post.

As the hour mark approached, Carshalton stretched their advantage further. From the touchline, Gueriani delivered a moment of magic, bending a daring free kick straight into the back of the net to extend the Robins’ lead to 3-0 in sensational style.

However, disaster struck in the 67th minute as Dee Badley pulled one back for the Trams. Clean through on goal, she kept her composure and slotted a low-driven effort into the far corner past Solly. Thankfully, the Robins produced an immediate response. Substitute Honey Dulley made an instant impact, pouncing inside the box to poke the ball under the sliding keeper from close range, restoring Carshalton’s three-goal cushion at 4–1.

As the match entered its final third, Solly came up big, clutching a fiercely struck long-range free kick to deny any follow-up from the onrushing blue shirts. Although Carshalton remained in control as the clock wound down, a few cynical fouls near the edge of the area gifted Croydon dangerous free kicks. With the scoreline still vulnerable, Lamont’s side risked offering the visitors a cheap avenue back into the game through careless set pieces. In the closing stages, the returning Jose Alderman entered the fray as the Robins pressed for a fifth. With five minutes remaining, Alderman delivered a teasing inswinging corner

that met the head of skipper Georgie Edwards, but her effort was tipped over superbly by the Croydon goalkeeper.

As five minutes of added time were signalled, Carshalton continued to pile on the pressure. A flurry of shots and crosses tested the Trams’ resolve, including a deflected strike from the edge of the area that cannoned off the post—one final reminder of the Robins’ attacking threat as they saw out a commanding performance.

Lamont and his squad capped off their maiden season in style, securing some richly deserved silverware—a testament to the hard work and dedication that has gone into building this team. While automatic promotion from the Surrey Premier Division to tier 6 was not achieved, there is no secret that we operate at a tier 4 standard both on and off the pitch. With statement wins over tier 5 Sutton United, back-to-back victories against league champions Farnham Town, and now lifting the Surrey Divisional Cup, there is real hope that the Women’s Promotion Pool will recognise the strength of our case and grant the step up. Regardless of what comes next, a huge thank you goes to the Robins faithful—your incredible support, singing, and chanting helped drive the team over the line. The number of fans who travelled was exceptional and truly rare for a tier 7 women’s side. A special night for a special club.