On Saturday November 15th Hampton & Richmond Borough will travel to Surrey to begin their FA Trophy campaign.
The Beavers ended their losing streak earlier in the week after earning a hard-fought point away to Horsham.
New ‘keeper Matt Rowley recorded his first clean sheet for his new club, and the latest signing, striker Junior Dixon, put in a lively display which suggests he will be a success in the red and blue.
Despite coming up against an opposition two steps below, Alan Julian and his men will be well aware of the threat that The Tanners pose. They currently sit top of the Isthmian League South Central Division on 41 points.
The Step 4 side have lost just once in sixteen games so far and have the joint highest goal difference in the league, eight goals higher than Hanworth Villa who possess the next highest tally.
Their last loss came on the 16th of September, and so far this month they have outscored their opponents 11-2, winning all four of their fixtures.
As to be expected there is a whole host of players to look out for in a high-flying team.
Captain Kane Fitzgerald is an ever-present in midfield and picked up the club’s goal of the month award.
Mark Waters was signed from Farnham Town who won the Isthmian League South Central last season where he featured in every league match.
Young centre-back Cameron Black has prior experience with the Beavers having joined us in 2022 on a short-term loan from Dorking, where he began his career.
And finally, Anas Igolzoun was a member of the league’s team of the season last season and has continued his form into the 25/26 campaign popping up with goals regularly including an incredible acrobatic effort in their 3-2 win against Horndean in September.
Our best result ever in the FA Trophy came when we reached the fifth round in the 2023-24 season, beating both Southend United and Hartlepool United 4-2 on penalties before eventually falling 0-2 to Macclesfield at home.
Last season victories over Yate Town and Hashtag United saw us into the fourth, where we lost to Spennymoor Town 0-2.
The cup competition would usually offer Julian an opportunity to rotate his side and give minutes to players who have not featured much in the league, but with the number of injuries and new signings, the team would most likely benefit from gaining more experience playing together and using Tuesday’s positive performance to build momentum into the long-awaited return to Beveree.
The tie against Leatherhead concludes the extended road trip for Hampton & Richmond who finally make a return to the Bev on November 22nd against Bath City and will also be back just three days later on the 25th against Tonbridge Angels.
Tickets for those fixtures are available here.
Up the Beavers!
Jack Lonergan