CAFC Women vs Farnham Town – Preview
Carshalton Athletic Women welcome newly crowned league champions Farnham Town to Colston Avenue on Sunday for their final league fixture of the 2024–25 Surrey Premier Division season, aiming to make a statement to the Women’s Promotion Pool and build confidence ahead of next Thursday’s (May 22) League Cup Final.
Robins Review
It has been a challenging yet encouraging debut season for the Robins under Aaron Lamont’s leadership. A sluggish start ultimately proved costly, particularly during a tough three-week spell in late September and early October that saw defeats to Dorking Wanderers Development and Farnham Town, as well as a draw against Croydon. Since then, however, the Reds have gone unbeaten in the league, a testament to the squad’s growing cohesion, resilience, and belief.
Unfortunately for Carshalton, Farnham’s flawless form, winning every match to date, left the Reds virtually no margin for error. Carshalton topped the table with 37 points heading into the weekend before last, but Farnham, with four games in hand, claimed maximum points from the first two and clinched the 2024–25 Surrey Premier Division title ahead of Sunday’s fixture. A win at Colston Avenue might have kept our faint title hopes alive, but the Reds needed a series of upsets and for Farnham to drop points in at least two of their remaining matches. It was not to be.
Despite the uphill battle, the Robins’ campaign has been nothing short of remarkable. As a newly formed squad led by an exciting young manager, their development has exceeded expectations. Performances throughout the season have shown a blend of character, quality, and potential that bodes well for the future.
The club has submitted the required documentation to the Women’s Football Pyramid Promotion Pool and remains optimistic about securing a place in Step 6 next season. Were it not for Farnham’s relentless form, Carshalton would arguably already be preparing for life at a higher level. With the infrastructure, coaching staff, and support in place, the club is more than ready to take that next step.
That ambition was underlined emphatically last weekend, as Carshalton Athletic secured a commanding 4–1 victory over higher-tier local rivals Sutton United in a friendly at Colston Avenue. Braces from Heather Eade and surprise standout Evie Nebbitt sealed a memorable win against a side two divisions above them in the Women’s Football Pyramid. It was a result that sent a clear message. Sutton, managed by Lucy Clark, struggled to contain Carshalton’s intensity and attacking flair.
With a crucial league finale on the horizon and a League Cup Final showdown against Croydon FC at Meadowbank fast approaching, the Reds could not have asked for a better confidence boost. That momentum carried into Sunday’s friendly, where Honey Dulley’s scintillating brace led a spirited second-half comeback in a 3–1 win over fellow tier 7 side Manorcroft United. After a subdued first half, Lamont’s halftime team talk sparked a turnaround, with the Reds netting three unanswered goals in a commanding display of resilience and attacking quality.
Finally, a heartfelt thank you goes out to our incredible supporters. Whether home or away, the unwavering support from the Robins faithful has been a constant source of energy and motivation for the team. Your presence and passion have made a real difference this season—let’s carry that spirit into the final weeks.
Farnham Town
Farnham Town were crowned Surrey Premier Division champions on Sunday after a dominant 7-1 victory over Croydon FC. With 42 points from 14 matches, their tally is now officially out of reach for Lamont’s ladies, who languish on 37 and only have one match remaining – the Town. Since returning to league action following a narrow 4-2 penalty defeat to Brentford FC Women First in the Capital Women’s Cup Intermediate Final, Farnham Town have been in fine form. They were awarded a home walkover when Sutton Reserves were unable to field a team, and then delivered an emphatic 7-1 win over Croydon FC.
This victory marked their first league match in nearly a month, with their last Surrey Premier outing before that a 9-1 thumping of Epsom & Ewell on April 6. A combination of cup runs, postponements, and breaks caused a backlog of fixtures, complicating the club’s schedule.
The 2024-25 campaign began with consecutive 6-0 hammerings of Farnborough and Croydon, respectively, the former coming in the FA Cup. The Town’s free-scoring tendencies remained constant, dispatching Epsom 5-1, Sutton United Reserves 4-0, and the Robins 2-0. In their first five games, Farnham had won 23-1 on aggregate and kept clean sheets in all except one match.
Mid-October saw the club’s first real test, an eight-goal FA Cup thriller with Havant & Waterloo, where the Town managed to emerge 5-3 winners. Consecutive Surrey Premier victories ensued, thumping Dorking 4-1 and Beecholme Belles 8-1, before the club were issued their first defeat of the season by London Bees in the FA Cup, the visitors beating them comfortably 2-0. That said, the following week the Town bounced back to winning ways, inflicting a 12-0 battering of rock-bottom Old Tiffinians – business as usual.
Farnham were gifted a bye into the next round of the Capital Intermediate Cup (CIC) in November when Ashmount Leigh declared themselves unavailable. The final result for the Town during the festive period was a 7-0 win against Molesey Athletic in the Surrey Premier Division. After six weeks out, the club returned in late January and overcame Woking 3-0 in the CIC, before a goal either side of the break saw the Town seal a place in the semi-final of the Surrey Divisional Cup, beating Beecholme Belles 2-0.
Despite a further two week break, the club maintained the momentum garnered and ensured further progression in the CIC, overcoming Sutton Reserves 3-0 in mid-February. After yet another prolonged period without competitive football, the Town returned early March but saw the Robins run out 4-0 winners at the Memorial Ground, a statement victory for Carshalton. However, Farnham did not dwell on what was only their second competitive defeat up to this stage in the 2024-25 season and hammered Beecholme 9-0.
The semi-finals of the CIC beckoned, and the Town booked their place in the final after securing a 3-0 victory against Richmond & Kew FC Women’s Firsts. Three successive wins over Dorking, Leatherhead Youth, and Epsom in the Surrey Premier ensued to maintain the club’s 100% win record in the league, before Brentford Women beat them 4-2 on penalties in the CIC Final, denying the ladies a valiant comeback following Captain Kinnane’s last-gasp leveller to make it 3-3. Lamont’s hopes of an improbable Surrey Premier Division title were all but dashed when Town’s crucial league clash with Sutton Reserves the week before last was declared a home walkover, effectively ending their league bid in the final match of the 2024–25 campaign. The following week, Farnham ran out 7-1 winners over Croydon to secure the trophy.
Town announced the formation of their Women’s team around a similar time to the Robins in March. They would enter the National League System and FA Cup for the 2024-25 season and also hire “an accomplished management team” that would spend the summer building a competitive squad. In May, the club confirmed that Martin Wareham would be the Women’s First Team Manager. He boasted lots of experience both as a player and a coach. Former Eversley & California and Guildford City player Luis Emanuel would join him as Assistant Manager, meanwhile, Reading and Wycombe Academy shot-stopper Jack Steele was named as the Goalkeeping coach. Farnham completed the quartet with a First Team Coach and Player Development Lead, Ben Pack.
Likely line-ups
Carshalton Athletic
Solly, Nebbitt, Measures, Riley, E. Andrade, Edwards, Throp, Dulley, Eade, Chapman, M. Andrade
Farnham Town
Stait, Comerford, Kinnane ©, Miller, Leys, Theocharous, Thornton, Delaney, Varney, Foss, Adams
Team news
Carshalton Athletic
Robins winger Josie Alderman is unlikely to feature again this season due to a recent relocation, though she is expected to return for the League Cup final against Croydon FC. Sarah Chapman, meanwhile, was also unavailable against the U’s; however, she will return to first-team proceedings for Farnham.
Farnham Town
There was only one change for Farnham in the CIC final, Megan Averill made way for Emilie Miller in defence. However, there was also one other notable absentee, prolific goalscorer Kaitlin Howard, who was named on the bench against Beecholme, but was nowhere to be seen in Sunday’s cup final – it is unknown whether she will face off against the Robins in a couple fo weeks or not.
Pre-Match Analysis
Farnham Town top the Surrey Premier Division charts for ‘Goals Scored’, but by the barest of margins. The Town have netted an impressive 101 times in the 2024-25 campaign; that said, Lamont’s Carshalton are demonstrating similar free-scoring tendencies, breathing down their necks on 90.
In terms of recent form, which is assessed across the last six matches, the Town are joint top with the Robins, both sides boasting a 100%-win record. However, the Surrey-based outfit have scored ten more goals, with 46, and have only conceded just three times. In fact, the club have picked the ball out of the net on just five occasions, bettering the Reds by seven.
Key Player
Unlike many teams in the Surrey Premier Division, the Town do not rely on just one player, instead, it is very much a collective effort. For example, Emily Foss tops the goalscoring charts for the Surrey-based side with 20 goals and three assists, but Maya Adams and Kaitlin Howard languish narrowly behind both on 16 goals respectively – the latter even has six assists to her name. From a chance creation standpoint, the Robins need to be aware of Emma Mutch, who has seven goals and eight assists in 24-25, a very impressive return.
The Gaffer
Martin Wareham has played semi-pro football as high as Step 3 and also comes into the role with experience coaching in the Women’s game, having been Assistant Manager / Head Coach of Badshot Lea Ladies, hence the influx of players from Wareham’s former club over the summer. Badshot applied their trade in the Southern Region Women’s Football League – Step 5 of the Women’s system.
Match Details
Date: Sunday, 18 May, 2025
Venue: Colston Avenue
Kickoff: 02:30 PM
Admission: Free Entry
