CAFC Women vs Sutton United – Preview
Carshalton Athletic Women welcome Step 5 Sutton United to Colston Avenue for a friendly match on Sunday.
Robins Review
Kanita Throp’s set pieces dealt the damage in a comfortable but underwhelming 3-0 victory over local rivals Sutton United Reserves in the Surrey Premier Division on Sunday, away at Collingwood Recreation Ground.
The victory saw Lamont’s side remain top of the Surrey Premier on 37 points after 15 matches. Even though Farnham Town trail by four points, the Surrey-based side boast a huge four games in hand. There will be hopes for a slightly more convincing performance next weekend when the Robins host Step 5 Sutton United Firsts in a friendly match.
Sutton United Women
While the Robins are more familiar with facing Sutton United Reserves in the Surrey Premier Division, Sunday’s fixture presents a different test entirely. Lucy Clark’s First Team operate a level above, competing in the London & South East Regional Women’s Football League Premier Division—Step 5 of the English Women’s Football Pyramid. This division sits just below the FA Women’s National League Division One South East (Step 4). Clubs at this level battle for promotion into the National League, while those finishing near the bottom risk relegation into regional competitions such as the Greater London Women’s Football League or the South East Counties Women’s League.
Sutton United concluded the 2024–25 season in eighth place, registering 22 points from 22 matches (seven wins, two draws, and 13 defeats). Despite their final league standing, placing them just above the drop zone (11th and 12th), Clark’s side were comfortably clear of danger, finishing ten points ahead of the relegation places.
The U’s kicked off the campaign in mid-August with back-to-back wins—a 2-1 opening day victory over Newhaven followed by a thumping 6-0 triumph over Haywards Heath, suggesting a promising start. However, the optimism was short-lived. A narrow defeat to Barking marked their first competitive setback, triggering a tough September that included another league loss to Saltdean United and a dramatic FA Cup exit to Herne Bay via a 5-4 penalty shootout. Sutton closed the month with a goalless draw against Sport London E Benfica, leaving them with just one win in six matches.
October wasn’t much kinder. Facing Millwall Lionesses in back-to-back league fixtures, Sutton salvaged a 2-2 draw away but were edged out 2-1 at home. A 4-0 defeat to Fulham extended their winless streak to six. However, a revival followed with consecutive wins over Newhaven (4-1) and Haywards Heath Town (3-1), marking their first league victories since late August. The year ended with defeats to Ashford United (3-1) and Ebbsfleet United (1-0), while a League Cup tie against Dulwich Hamlet was postponed through the festive period.
Their first match of 2025 came on 19 January, a disappointing 3-0 defeat to Badshot Ladies in the Capital Women’s Cup Senior Section. Sutton finally played the rescheduled League Cup tie against Dulwich Hamlet and advanced with a narrow 1-0 win. However, their league form dipped again, suffering five consecutive defeats to Leatherhead, Dartford, Haringey Borough, Dorking Wanderers, and Saltdean United—conceding 19 goals and scoring just five across those games.
They managed to steady the ship with strong back-to-back wins over Sport London E Benfica (4-0) and Barking (4-1), but it proved a temporary resurgence. Sutton closed out the season with three losses in their final four games, their only victory being a resounding 4-0 win over Ashford United.
Since their formation, Sutton United Women have consistently hovered in the lower half of Step 5. Last season, they narrowly avoided relegation, finishing three points above the drop zone with 19 points from 22 games. The previous year (2022–23), they had a slightly better showing—eighth place with 28 points.
Likely line-ups
Carshalton Athletic
Solly, Nebbitt, Measures, Riley, E. Andrade, Edwards, Throp, Dulley, Eade, Chapman, M. Andrade
Sutton United
Humphries, Modak, Humphrey, Allen, Walters, Burch-Waldron, German, Baptiste, Harris-Walters, Cutler, Spear
Team news
Carshalton Athletic
There were several notable absentees in Sunday’s match against Sutton United Reserves. Lamont’s defence was without AFC Wimbledon loanee Edu Andrade, while her twin sister Maria was also unavailable in midfield. With a friendly against Step 5 side Sutton United Firsts on the horizon, there’s hope the pair will be back in contention. Meanwhile, 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.
Sutton United
Clark tends to stick with a consistent starting XI, so expect a largely unchanged lineup, barring any late injuries.
Pre-Match Analysis
On recent form, Sutton United rank sixth in the London & South East Regional Women’s Premier Division over the last six matches, with a record of three wins and three losses. They’ve scored a solid 14 goals while conceding just eight, the best defensive record in the league over that stretch.
Across the full 2024–25 campaign, Clark’s side have scored 43 goals (eighth overall), while conceding 46.
Key Player
Sutton’s key player is Gabriella Buddle-Smith, the attacker tops the goalscoring tallies for the U’s with eight goals.
The Gaffer
In late January 2024, Lucy Clark was appointed manager of Sutton United Women’s First Team, taking charge while the club battled to avoid relegation in the London & South East Regional Women’s Premier Division. Her appointment made history, Clark became the first transgender woman to manage in the top five tiers of English women’s football.
Clark had already made headlines as football’s first openly transgender referee, having officiated matches as high as the third tier of the women’s game. But management had always been her first love. Now 52, she coached her first team at just 16 years old and has previously managed in men’s non-league football in Essex.
“The plan was just to do some refereeing to have a look at players before I got back into managing,” she told BBC Sport.
“But obviously the refereeing went well and I had some fabulous times. I think that has helped—I’ve refereed in the women’s game for many years, so I’ve seen many clubs and how they do things. Now, I’m taking this position on at Sutton.”
Clark credited her return to coaching in part to TRUK United FC, the inclusive amateur club she founded, which gave her a route back into the dressing room and reignited her passion for management.
“I set up TRUK, which got me back in the dressing room as a manager, and made me think it was time. I got the bug of being a manager again.
When the Sutton job came up, I took a week to think, but I thought, this is just perfect. I put my application in, and thankfully, I’ve been successful.”
Match Details
Date: Sunday, 4 May, 2025 (Vs Sutton United FC)
Venue: Colston Avenue
Kick-Off: 3:00 PM
Admission: Free
