CAFC Women vs Farnham Town – Report
Carshalton Athletic Women concluded their Surrey Premier Division campaign in style, securing a commanding 2-0 win over league champions Farnham Town on Sunday in the final match of the 2024-25 season at Colston Avenue.
A deflected free-kick from Kanita Throp and a late penalty from Heather Eade proved to be the difference between the two sides and ended the Town’s unbeaten league record.
Farnham Town signalled their attacking intent early on when Varney latched onto a lofted ball down the right channel, only to be denied by a perfectly timed sliding challenge from Evie Nebbitt. From the resulting throw-in, Georgina Solly confidently gathered a driven cross to diffuse the danger. Just seven minutes in, the visitors nearly broke the deadlock. Adams was sent clear away on Carshalton’s goal after latching onto a ball over the top, but Solly reacted superbly, racing off her line to make a crucial diving stop one-on-one.
The Reds made their opponents pay for squandering the golden opportunity moments later. In the 10th minute, Aaron Lamont’s side earned a free-kick in a threatening position. Throp stepped up and saw her effort deflect off the wall, wrong-footing the goalkeeper and nestling into the back of the net.
Except for a speculative long-range effort that flashed straight down Solly’s throat, the majority of the action was in the Town’s half. Passing the 20-minute mark, Carshalton were in the ascendancy, probing the visitors and pushing to extend their advantage. However, since the opener, Carshalton had struggled to seriously threaten the Farnham goal. The only efforts of note were a tame low drive from Kenza Gueriani, a dipping header from Heather Eade, and a Georgie Edwards half-volley that sailed well over the bar — none of which troubled the Town goalkeeper.
In the final third of the half, Farnham began to grow in confidence, steadily increasing their attacking pressure on the Reds. Foss was nearly sent through one-on-one with Solly, but Edwards recovered brilliantly, sliding in with an outstretched boot to nick the ball away at the last moment. Minutes later, Thornton was almost played in behind, only for Solly to read the danger and sweep up on the edge of her box.
The Robins’ No. 1 then comfortably dealt with a close-range header from Howard, gathering the effort with minimal fuss. On the stroke of half-time, Farnham ramped up their push for an equaliser, forcing Lamont’s side to withstand a flurry of shots and crosses. Solly produced another crucial diving save in a one-on-one situation, before reacting sharply to deny a side-footed volley from close range. Abbey Measures and Edu Andrande made several crucial challenges.
In the early stages of the second half, Carshalton absorbed Farnham’s attacking pressure well and posed a threat when breaking at pace. Eade squandered a promising two-on-one opportunity, overhitting her pass as she looked to release Throp, while E. Andrade came close to breaking through one-on-one with the Town goalkeeper – both of these followed a pair of swift and well-executed counter-attacks. As the hour mark approached, the momentum had clearly shifted, with Farnham firmly in the ascendancy. Although Carshalton remained a threat on the break, it was the visitors who created the best chance of the half so far — Howard’s diving header from a whipped delivery off the touchline narrowly cleared the bar, much to the relief of the Robins.
Midway through the half, the Reds continued to look vulnerable from set pieces. Solly raced off her line to meet a curling free-kick into the box, but the ball slipped beneath her as she dived, narrowly drifting past the far post for a corner. A brief stoppage in the 70th minute, as Foss received treatment for an injury, gave Lamont a valuable opportunity to relay instructions to his side on how to manage the remainder of the match and protect their lead. Following the restart, Carshalton showed renewed attacking intent. Maria Andrade drove at the advancing defender on the edge of the box, before nearly picking out Eade with a well-struck half-volley that almost created a clear goalscoring opportunity.
Towards the latter stages, Solly crucially remained alert enough to sweep up any through balls in-behind the Robins’ backline as Farnham continued to apply relentless pressure. With five minutes remaining, a wayward pass from the goalkeeper fell kindly to Eade just outside the penalty area, but the forward was quickly dispossessed. At the other end, Delaney found herself with plenty of space to control the ball before attempting to round Solly. However, the Robins keeper was quick to react, diving to smother the ball and preserve her clean sheet. Carshalton extended their lead to two goals in the 90th minute, with Eade converting from the penalty spot. After Dulley’s powerful strike was parried away by the Town goalkeeper, Throp, in pursuit of the rebound, was brought down in the box. Eade stepped up to take the penalty and calmly side-footed the ball past the diving keeper to seal the win.
The 2-0 victory sees the ladies finish second in the Surrey Premier Division with 40 points. Unfortunately, that was not enough to secure automatic promotion, which will go to Sunday’s opponents, Farnham Town, who are league champions with 42 points and still have a game to play. However, there are hopes that Lamont and his team can carry this momentum into the Surrey Divisional Cup Final against Croydon FC at Meadowbank Football Ground on Thursday. Details below.
Up Next
Date: Sunday, May 22, 2025 (Vs Croydon FC)
Venue: Meadowbank Football Ground (Dorking Wanderers FC)
Kickoff: 7:30 pm
Admission: General Admission (£6), Child Age 6 to 16 (£3), Over 65s (£3)
Tickets: Buy Tickets Online Here
