t is time for the first game of the season and the Rams make the journey to Chessington & Hook United in what promises to be a great opener.

Match Review 01
The curtain raiser took place on Friday evening with Dorking taking on Epson Athletic which the visitors won by the odd goal in 9. The other 14 teams will all kick-off Saturday afternoon.

Chessington & Hook were relegated from the Premier Division last season and will no doubt be looking for a quick return. They will be keen to get off to a winning start.

The Rams are keen to make it third time lucky in Division One and after successive season opener defeats will also be looking for a winning start. This is also the first of four meetings with Chessington over the next couple of months with two cup encounters to look forward to as well.

The Chalky Lane ground is more or less opposite the Chessington World of Adventures. The nearest station is Chessington South.

Some overnight rain should clear by the morning with only minor risk of showers as we approach kick-off. It should remain dry for the match and there may even be a glimpse of sun. After the recent friendlies were played in stifling heat the temperature is only expected to get up to the low 20s with a light southerly breeze.

Elsewhere in Division One Alton Town host Worcester Park

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Ex-Palace player Brian Sparrow was manager of Croydon Athletic a few years back when they were in the Ryman League.

Always Palace first though

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Off to a Winning Start for the Rams
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For the first time the Rams got off to a winning start although they left it late to find the winning goal through debutant Jake Pitt.

The Rams edged the opening exchanges and created a couple of good openings that should have seen them get off the mark. Nevertheless, they found themselves behind o 31 minutes after a speculative shot from just outside the box evaded the Daniel Burnett and buried itself in the top corner.

It took them only five minutes to get level as Jonathan Doherty fired home from inside the box to open the Rams scoring. On 40 minutes a Terry Lineker foray into the box saw him brought down and there were no complaints as the referee pointed to the box. One or two of the home players had been watching too much of the World Cup as they tried to put Daniel Penfold off with a few words but he slotted it home and the Rams were deservedly ahead.

The biggest controversy of the game then took place as first the referee adjudged an excellent tackle as a penalty kick for the home side much to the frustration of the visitors. The spot kick was slotted home and appeared to hit a bracing bar inside the goal and bounced out. The referee and his assistant looked at each other and neither seemed willing to make any decision at all and a few moments of confusion reigned but they eventually determined that the ball had not gone into the goal. Needless to say the home side were not best pleased!

Chessington were soon level after the break however. A header from close range beat Burnett and nestled in the back of the net. They home side had come out strong but as the half went on the Rams took back the initiative and could have scored through several good chances before finally they regained the lead with just three minutes to go. Jake Pitt exchanged passes with Lewis Goddard and with neat control found himself inside the box and he slipped it past the keeper for the winning goal.

The game was keenly contested and sets up 3 further meetings between the two sides between now and the end of October.

Attendance 103. (My Arse) we counted just under 60

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New Club Sponsor Announced
By Website Administrator, 8th Aug 2014

AFC Croydon Athletic are delighted to announce that they have teamed up with the independent estate agent Ewemove.com as their main sponsor.

New Club Sponsor Announced
This is another important step for the club as it completes its return to its Mayfield Road ground. The deal will last for initially one year but there is an option to extend.

Chairman Paul Smith welcomed the agreement. “We are delighted to be teaming up with a company like Ewemove.com and we are sure that working together we will both benefit from the deal. Apart from a generous injection of money this innovative deal means the Club will benefit further if Ewemove.com pick up new customers as a result of this sponsorship.”

As part of the deal any new customer who completes a transaction with Ewemove.com and who quotes “AFC Croydon Athletic” when they sign up will see the Club earn more money, every penny of which goes to growing the club.

Davina Agyemang, Croydon branch manager of Ewemove.com said. “AFC Croydon Athletic is the first team, as a sales and lettings agent, that we have sponsored since we started operating. Many of our staff live locally but of course all work with their local community and supporting a local sports team is, we believe, a vital part of our role as a local business. We are therefore proud to be supporting them and look forward to seeing their growth and raising much needed funds and recognition.”

The rapidly growing sales and letting agent with its unique ‘Ewe-reka’ IT system – the world’s only automated sales and letting solution has been ‘open’ to customers in Croydon since 2013 and prides itself not only on its quirky brand but also on its extensive marketing and working hard to deliver results for its clients. And they will be adopting the same approach in their support for AFC Croydon Athletic.

8th August

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