Carshalton Athletic can confirm their full roster for the 2025-26 pre-season:
Whyteleafe (A) – Saturday 5th July, 3PM
It’s been a whirlwind few seasons for Whyteleafe FC, who host the Robins this pre-season on the back of one of the most remarkable climbs in recent non-league memory. The Surrey-based club have surged up four levels in just four years, capping off their fairytale journey with promotion to the Isthmian League South East Division (Step 4) for the 2024–25 campaign.
Until just a few days ago, the club were under the stewardship of Kelly Waters, a man many fans dubbed “the wizard of AFC Whyteleafe”. Waters officially stepped down on Sunday 1st June, ending his tenure on the ultimate high.
Appointed four years ago when the Phoenix Club began life in Step 8’s Surrey South Eastern Combination, Waters guided the Leafe to title after title. His reign saw immediate success, winning the Southern Counties East League Division One and then taking the Combined Counties Premier South at the first time of asking.
And though Whyteleafe finished third this past season with 95 points, an unexpected twist saw them crowned champions. Both Jersey Bulls and Redhill, who finished above them with 96 points, were docked three points each for fielding ineligible players. The resulting deduction handed Whyteleafe the title—and promotion—on a dramatic final verdict.
As if that weren’t enough, the club also made it all the way to Wembley, reaching the FA Vase Final before narrowly losing 2–1 to Whitstable Town on May 11.
Their rise is made all the more impressive by the fact Whyteleafe are a phoenix club, formed just four years ago following the dissolution of the original team. The driving force behind their resurrection? None other than Waters himself, who served as both chairman and co-manager, led the rebuild from the ground up.
As Carshalton prepare to travel to Whyteleafe for this pre-season test, there’s no doubt we’ll be facing a club full of belief, momentum, and a serious story to tell.
Sutton Common Rovers (A) – Thursday July 10th, 7:20PM
The 2024–25 season brings a fresh chapter for our ground sharers, Sutton Common Rovers, following a challenging campaign that unfortunately saw them relegated from the Isthmian League South Central Division. Finishing the season on 34 points, the Rovers will now compete in the Combined Counties League Premier Division South – Step 5 of the English Football Pyramid – alongside clubs such as Chipstead, Corinthian Casuals, Epsom & Ewell, and Tooting & Mitcham.
While this outcome is undoubtedly a setback, it’s important to remember that this club has demonstrated remarkable resilience before and bounced back stronger.
Under the steadfast leadership of Darren Salmon, Rovers’ journey has been nothing short of extraordinary. Since guiding the club into the Surrey South East Combination in 2004, Salmon has overseen a steady rise through the footballing ranks, including a successful move into the Middlesex County League and then into the Combined Counties Division One and Premier Division. Even when relegation struck in 2011–12, Rovers responded immediately, securing a return to the Premier Division the very next season.
Their subsequent move to Sutton proved pivotal, both on and off the pitch. From a 12th-place finish in 2016–17 to back-to-back finishes of 3rd and 2nd, the momentum culminated in a well-earned promotion to the Isthmian League in 2021–22, a significant milestone in the club’s story.
Rovers’ maiden campaign in Step 4 saw them narrowly avoid the Inter-Step Play-Offs, a commendable feat. In the following 2022–23 season, they once again found themselves in a battle for survival but rose to the occasion with a vital 2–0 Inter-Step P/O victory over Crawley Down Gatwick to secure another year in the Isthmian League.
The 2023–24 South Central Division proved to be tightly contested, with Rovers achieving a respectable mid-table finish on 40 points. Unfortunately, the momentum could not be sustained into the most recent campaign, which ended in relegation, as the club finished 21st out of 22 teams.
While the path ahead now leads through a different division, there is every confidence that Sutton Common Rovers, with their strong leadership and fighting spirit, will rise again. We continue to extend our full support to the club and look forward to sharing the next steps of their journey.
Bromley (A) – Saturday 12th July, 3PM
Bromley capped off a historic 2024–25 campaign with an impressive 11th-place finish in Sky Bet League Two, collecting 66 points in their first-ever season in the English Football League.
Under the guidance of Andy Woodman, the Ravens made the leap to the EFL in unforgettable fashion, edging past Solihull Moors on penalties in the National League play-off final. The promotion marked a landmark moment in the club’s 132-year history, following several seasons of near misses and heartache in the play-offs.
After proving they belong at this level, Bromley now head into their second EFL season full of belief. It will be a fantastic test for the Robins!
Hampton & Richmond (H) – Tuesday 15th July, 7:45PM
Hampton & Richmond Borough ensured their National League South survival with a commanding 5–0 victory over Welling United, featuring a standout hat-trick from Harry Gardner. That result played a key role in helping the Beavers finish 18th on 51 points—six clear of the relegation zone.
It marked a sharp contrast to their 2023–24 campaign, when they came heartbreakingly close to the play-offs, missing out by just a single point as Aveley clinched the final spot. Aside from a play-off appearance in 2020–21, Hampton have spent recent years in the lower reaches of the division.
They’ll be looking to build more stability this season, and their visit to Colston Avenue offers an early glimpse of what’s to come.
Raynes Park Vale (A) – Tuesday 22nd July, 7:45PM
Raynes Park Vale wrapped up their 2024–25 campaign with a solid ninth-place finish in the Isthmian League South Central Division (Step 4). The South West London side have been knocking on the door of the playoffs in recent seasons and came agonisingly close in 2023–24, finishing sixth with 78 points, just five shy of Westfield, who claimed the final playoff spot.
Carshalton fans may remember Vale’s visit last December in the Surrey Senior Cup, when a Michael Dada brace on a frosty Monday night sealed a comfortable 2–0 win for the Robins and passage into the next round.
Always competitive and well-drilled, Raynes Park Vale continue to build a strong reputation at Step 4—and will no doubt have eyes on an upset in late July.
AFC Wimbledon (H) – Saturday 26th July, 3PM
AFC Wimbledon visit Colston Avenue fresh from their return to League One, having secured promotion just a few weeks ago. Myles Hippolyte’s decisive strike in a tense 1-0 victory over Walsall in the play-off final capped off a dramatic end to the season. Remarkably, Walsall had once held a 12-point lead at the top of League Two during the 2024/25 campaign, but it was the Dons who held their nerve when it mattered most.
This promotion marks a triumphant return to the third tier for Wimbledon, ending a three-year absence. It also adds another memorable chapter to the club’s inspiring rise since being founded in 2002 by supporters of the original Wimbledon FC.
Since their first promotion to the English Football League in 2011, the Dons have become a well-established name in the lower leagues. They reached League One in 2016 and spent six seasons there before suffering relegation in 2022. After a tough return to League Two—finishing 21st in their first season back—the club steadily climbed the table, securing a 10th-place finish last season before this year’s fifth-place and play-off triumph.
Wimbledon overcame Notts County 2-0 in the semi-finals en route to Wembley and will now join League Two champions Doncaster Rovers, along with Port Vale and Bradford City, in League One next season.
Merstham (A) – Saturday 2nd August, 3PM
The Robins conclude their preparations for the 2025–26 season with a visit to Moatside, where they will take on Merstham. Since their relegation from the Isthmian Premier in 2021–22, the Moatsiders have been on a steady rebuilding path. They narrowly avoided a second successive drop in 2022–23, thanks to a crucial 3–1 victory over Egham Town in the now-defunct Step 4/5 Inter-Step Play-Off, a match that many will remember was overseen by current Robins boss, Adeniyi.
Merstham have since stabilised in the Isthmian League South Central Division. A 15th-place finish in 2023–24 showed signs of progress, and they went one better last season, clinching the final play-off spot in 2024–25 with a commanding 3–0 win over Erith Town in mid-April.
Their play-off journey saw them face runners-up Sittingbourne in the semi-finals. The Brickies, unbeaten at home all season and 23 points ahead of fifth-placed Merstham, proved a step too far, however. After a tight first half, Sittingbourne turned on the style at Woodstock on a warm Tuesday evening. Mitchell May opened the scoring and set up Ryan Kingsford for the second. Ade Azeez struck twice, sandwiching a bizarre own goal from Korrey Henry, before Fin Johnson grabbed a late consolation for Merstham in a 4–2 defeat.
Despite the loss, Merstham’s season under Jamie Decruz was a resounding success. They finished in the top five and proved their mettle against the division’s best, beating both champions Ramsgate and runners-up Sittingbourne, and drawing twice with third-placed Burgess Hill and fourth-placed Margate.
It is therefore the ideal preparation for Adeniyi’s side a week before the new campaign begins …
