MATCH PREVIEW: Chippenham Town vs Hampton & Richmond Borough | National League South | Saturday 6th September 2025
Harry Minton previews us hosting the Beavers
We are back at home following two consecutive match weeks away from home, with less than ideal results. It might feel a long time ago, but our last home match was our win at home to Worthing and we will be looking to generate a run going with some impressive home performances as Hampton & Richmond visit north Wiltshire.
The opposition
Hampton & Richmond first joined Step 2 in 2007/08, in what was then the Conference South. In their debut season, they finished 2nd, and lost the Playoff final to Eastbourne Borough.
In their second season, they would again reach the final, after a third place league finish. They suffered the same fate, with a loss to Hayes & Yeading on home turf.
Two more seasons of lower mid-table finishes would be followed by a 21st place, and relegation back to Step 3.
They bounced back in 2016/17, after their Isthmian League title win the season before. Their first campaign in the National League South saw them reach the playoffs again , thanks to Poole and Hungerford’s failure to achieve ground gradings. They would lose to the eventually promoted Ebbsfleet United in a two-legged semi-final.
The following season saw more progress, with a fourth place finish then defeating Truro and then Chelmsford to face Braintree in the playoff final. They tasted defeat thanks to a penalty shootout, to deny them a spot in the National League.
With three playoff final defeats, Hampton have the most final defeats without ever tasting promotion to Step One.
Following their last playoff campaign in 17/18, Hampton have bounced between lower mid-table and upper mid-table finishes, with a high of 8th in 19/20 and 18th last season.
Alan Julian said in an interview ahead of the this season for the Beavers that he believed they would be “up against it” with the high amount of change over the summer, which saw over fifteen new players sign for the club.
However, it has been an almost flawless start for the London based side, only suffering a defeat once so far this campaign away at Maidstone by two goals to nil.
Hampton and Richmond sit third in the table as things stand. A few key signings over the summer to point out for this game would be the likes of midfielder Rohan Ince who has a wealth of experience playing in the EFL across six different teams throughout his career. He was also called up to the Montserrat squad for a brief period in 2021, and earned his first cap in a match against Antigua and Barbuda. They’ve also signed the veteran defender Alan Massey from fellow sixth tier opponents Maidenhead United, where he made over three hundred appearances for the Magpies which is incredible.
Familiar Face
One face I’m sure will be familiar to all Bluebirds in this game is no other than striker Craig Fasanmade. He enjoyed a few historic moments during his one and half season spell in this part of Wiltshire, before he joined Salisbury in the summer of last year.
Fas played a part in our outstanding FA Cup run in the 22/23 season which saw him and the boys in blue reach the second round proper for the first time in our history. He scored his first goal in a Chippenham shirt just under ten minutes into his first start in the final qualifying round away at Hendon, a header that crashed in off the crossbar following a brilliant cross from Jordan Young.
Fasanmade would score a total of nineteen goals in his time with us Bluebirds, including four goals in our amazing FA Trophy run in the 23/24 season where we made it all the way to the fourth round for the first time ever as a club. That is where we would bow out to the fifth tier outfit at the time in Bromley away from home after a great display in a 1-1 draw. Fas would score the equaliser for Gary Horgan’s boys that day in the second half with a neat volley at the back post after a really good cross into the box from Freddie Grant.
Fasanmade has already hit the ground running with the Beavers after signing for them this summer, netting two goals so far. He scored the match winner in the home win over newly relegated Ebbsfleet. And he also scored in midweek in a well earned 2-2 draw against full time opposition, Torquay United.
Previous Meetings
The last time that Hampton visited the TSS was back in October of 2024, as they picked up a 2-1 win. The record books against them look less than ideal with just two wins, in 2023 and 2018, against them. However said record books do read a particular word, goals.
In the 6 matches at the TSS at NLS level, there has been 21 goals, with only two clean sheets, both for our visitors in a 2-0 and 3-0 win.
Another tricky test for our boys in blue this weekend, against the side sat third in the league at this current moment. However, on home soil your support could make all the difference as we look to build on our good home form so far.
Should you wish to purchase a ticket online, you can do so from our new partner INTIX.
COME ON YOU BLUEBIRDS!!!
