Match Preview
Canvey Island enter the Isuzu FA Trophy on Saturday, as they travel to Southern League Premier South side Walton & Hersham for a 3rd Qualifying Round Clash.
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Our Opponents
The Swans are currently riding the crest of a meteoric rise up the non-league pyramid, with a consortium of young entrepreneurs purchasing the club in 2019 to help fund their rise from Step 6 obscurity in the Combined Counties Division 1, to Step 3 football for first time since the 06-07 season.
They have also significantly increased their profile in the footballing world, their social media exposure in particular ramped up to advertise to a worldwide audience. On TikTok alone, the club has 1.1m followers!
They have enjoyed 3 successive promotions in that time, with the last being a playoff-winning campaign last season in the Isthmian Division 1 South Central - the club winning 3-1 against fellow promoted side Hanworth Villa in the final.
They've made a solid start in their return to Step 3, sitting 5th in the playoff positions at the time of writing. Their last match was back on the 26th of September however, as like ourselves at the weekend, their opponents were in FA Cup action. That game saw a dramatic comeback however, as 2 injury time goals helped them secure 2-2 draw at home to Chesham United.
Swans Manager Scott Harris has managed to bring much of the squad that won them promotion up to the next level, including goalkeeper Liam Allen, who's served in all three promotions, and prolific striker Eddie Simon - who notched an incredible 40 goals last season, including hattricks in 4 successive games. They've also added Step 3 quality to their ranks, with Stefan Ilic joining from Carlshalton Athletic, and the recent arrival of Mitchell Parker, who's served with Weymouth and Farnbourough in the Southern League previously.
Our last meeting with Walton & Hersham was over 23 years ago in the old Ryman Premier League, with the Gulls travelling to the Swans on the final day of the season as we recorded a 3-0 win - Steve Parmenter, Neil Gregory and Andy Jones the Canvey goalscorers on the day.
This isn't our first trip to the Xcel Sports Hub however, as we faced the now defunct Walton Casuals in the FA Trophy back in 2017. The Gulls were defeated 3-0 that afternoon.
The Gulls
Canvey, like our opponents, were without a game on Saturday due to FA Cup congestion, though were in action on Tuesday night as they travelled to Billericay Town for a South Essex Derby in the Isthmian League Premier.
In a well fought contest by both sides, it was Canvey who snatched the winner at the death, with Elliott Ronto scoring in the 92nd minute to secure a first win at the New Lodge since 2015 for the Gulls and earn our first successive victories in the league this season.
Manager Brad Wellmen should have no fresh injury concerns ahead of the game, though Elliott Johnson remains absent due to a longer term injury. Jamie Salmon returned to the bench on Tuesday as an unused substitute following his previous knock picked up against Braintree Town.
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It should go without saying how special the FA Trophy is as a competition to Canvey fans, with one of our most famous days coming in that incredible trophy winning success at Villa Park in 2001, followed by another appearance in the final the following season.
Yellow Army - you were magnificent on Tuesday night, unrelentless in your support during that special derby win. Let's bring that same energy to Surrey on Saturday as we back the team to get to the next round!
Come on you Gulls
Admission Prices
Adults - £10
Concessions - £7
Next Gen (13-21) - £5
U12s - £1
Advanced Tickets can be purchased here;
https://waltonhershamfc.ktckts.com/event/wlt2324fat1/wh-vs-canvey-island
Address
Elmbridge Xcel Sports Hub
Waterside Drive
Walton-On-Thames, Surrey
KT12 2JP
Parking
The Elmbridge Xcel Sports Hub has a large car park available to supporter parking directly opposite to the stadium.
Public Transport
Train - Hampton (South Western Railway 5.3m)
- Esther (South Western Railway 5.4m)
Bus - Xcel Leisure Centre (564)