On Saturday 13th September Hampton & Richmond Borough being their 2025/26 FA Cup campaign at home to step four AFC Croydon Athletic.
The Beavers will look to extend their unbeaten run to six matches when the South London outfit arrive at the Bev this weekend.
A Ronan Silva penalty provided Hampton & Richmond Borough with their latest result, a 1-1 draw away to Chippenham. This first cup match of the season provides the Beavers with an opportunity to carry their good form across multiple competitions and continue their excellent momentum under Alan Julian.
Their opponents for Saturday compete in the Isthmian League South East Division and are making their first appearance in the second qualifying round in the FA Cup in their history after beating Sittingbourne FC in the previous round courtesy of goals from former Beaver Kadell Daniel and former Crystal Palace youngster Nya Kirby.
The Rams, like the Beavers, sit third in their league, but have only played three matches, winning all three and accruing a goal difference of five.
The team was formed in 2012 when around 30 fans gathered at a church in South Norwood in response to the original Croydon Athletic folding in 2011. The club was forced into it as it was an innocent victim of an international cricket spot-fixing scandal involving their then-owner Mazhar Majeed.
The phoenix club is currently competing at the highest level they ever have, gaining promotion via playoffs to the Isthmian in summer of 2024. This is largely due to new investment from a consortium featuring former Crystal Palace head of player care Danny Youngs, Crystal Palace legend Wilfried Zaha, and multi-award-winning rapper Stormzy in June 2023.
Both Zaha and Stormzy grew up around the corner from AFC Croydon’s Mayfield Stadium in Thornton Heath. For both, the act continued their commitment to bettering their community, with Zaha opening his own academy in 2021, and Stormzy provided scholarships for Black students to the University of Cambridge through his Merky Foundation. He also has the Merky FC program with Adidas, a Selhurst-based initiative providing “young people of Black heritage with career opportunities across the football industry” as stated on their website.
Significant investment has meant the squad boasts plenty of experience from the National League all the way to the Premier league, with some notable former Crystal Palace youth products.
Some players to watch out for are:
Preston Kedwell: The17-year-old recently arrived on loan from AFC Wimbedon. Last season he became the club’s youngest ever scorer, and in the previous round provided assists for both of the goals that saw them go through.
Charlie Colkett: Another new signing who has Football League experience at Crewe Alexandra and Cheltenham Town and was at Gateshead in the National League last season where he made eighteen league appearances. He is expected to make his debut today against Broadbridge Heath.
Nya Kirby: The aforementioned midfielder was part of the U-17 World Cup winning England squad stacked with talent and made his debut for Crystal Palace in September 2020.
Reece Grant: Grant has history with the Beavers, scoring against Hampton & Richmond Borough in the 2018 play-off final for Braintree Town, in a match the Beavers went on to lose 4-3 on penalties.
Despite a talented squad for their level, Hampton & Richmond Borough naturally come into the match heavy favourites, even more the case following the Beavers recent run of excellent form in the National League South.
We are facing an opponent we have faced six times in our existence, with the last tie coming on March 16th 2004 when the former club Croydon Athletic and Hampton & Richmond Borough were both in the Isthmian League Division One South.
It is sure to be a great day out, and of course provides an opportunity for fans and players alike to the magic of the FA Cup firsthand at the Bev!
Be sure to grab your tickets at the reduced price of just £12 using this link.
We at the club hope to see you all here in droves to support the boys on their FA Cup journey.
Up the Beavers!
By Jack Lonergan
Photo Credit: Jed Leicester