The Dolphins are back home this Tuesday after the 2-1 win at Berkhamsted last Saturday. After going into a 2-0 second half lead things became a little uncomfortable with a late goal from Berkhamsted. We hung on for the points but not without a couple of uneasy moments.
The win takes us back up into 3rd place (P18 W10 D4 L4 34 points) and still in touch with Gloucester who are on 40 points and Walton & Hersham on 47. We have taken 18 points at home from our 9 matches and sit in 10th place in the form table P6 W3 D1 L2 10 points.
Our visitors to The BlackGold on Saturday are table topping Walton & Hersham who look unstoppable at the moment after the 3-0 away win at Basingstoke. They top the form table (P6 W5 D1) and have lost just the one match this season, the 1-0 defeat at Hanwell Town in August. The Swans have two of their frontmen in the Pitching-In leading scorer’s table, Johl Powell on 10 and Dawid Rogalski on 7.
Walton & Hersham were disappointed to miss out on promotion last season, losing in the play-off semi-final to Gloucester City 5-3 on penalties after the sides had played out a 2-2 draw. They had finished the season strongly in third place behind Merthyr who were champions and AFC Totton who were runners up and were promoted after winning the play-off final. We drew the corresponding fixture last season 1-1 but lost at The Elmbridge Xcel Sports Hub 2-0 in March.
The club are looking for a new management team as Billy Rowley and Darren Simpson have recently left the club to join Yeovil Town who play in the National League. They made an instant impact by bringing a seven-game winless run to an end on Saturday with the 2-1 home win over Boston. The Swans have put Jakub Pietrazak and Joey Jones in temporary charge whilst the recruitment process takes place. They too made a good start with that 3-0 win over Basingstoke.
Walton F.C. was formed in 1895, and in 1945, following World War II, amalgamated with Hersham F.C. to form Walton & Hersham F.C., the present club. They immediately joined the newly formed Corinthian League and followed a poor first season with a hat-trick of Championships and a runners-up position. They also won the Surrey Senior Cup for the first time in 1947-48, beating Isthmian League neighbours Kingstonian 2-1 at Crystal Palace. At the end of September 2017 Swans were forced to leave their home of 8 decades, Stompond Lane, when it was sold for development, the club moving to a new home at a purpose-built Sports Hub in Waterside Drive, Walton-On-Thames, Surrey.
When you are doing well you want to judge yourself against the best and Walton & Hersham can rightly say they currently are the best. However, we know that on our day we can beat anyone. Joe Lea and Pat Suraci will have the lads well prepared for this mouthwatering clash. So, come on down to the BlackGold and enjoy non-league football at its very best.
Enjoy the game
Neil Wellington.
