MATCH PREVIEW | Walton & Hersham vs Chippenham Town | FA Cup Third Round Qualifying | Saturday 27th September

Harry Minton previews the second leg of 25/26’s FA Cup adventure.

We return to FA Cup action this weekend as us Bluebirds travel down to Surrey to take on Walton and Hersham in the third qualifying round.

Cup fever

The Swans’ FA Cup journey started in the First Qualifying Round this season with them being in the Southern League Premier Division South. Billy Rowley’s side have faced two away games in their first two FA Cup fixtures against eighth tier side Three Bridges and Isthmian Premier Division outfit Whitehawk respectively. Walton and Hersham won both those matches by a score of two goals to nil to set up this tie with our boys in blue at Elmbridge Sports Hub. 

Meanwhile, we were involved in an enthralling encounter away against Gloucester City, who are in the same division as our opponents this weekend. The Tigers took the lead early in the first half through Ellis Watts who got himself on the end of a Gloucester long throw-in. But the boys were hoping to emulate the famous run we had to the Second Proper Round in the 22/23 season, and in the second half we dominated the match. We found an equaliser after 70 when Ezio Touray headed home his first competitive goal in a Bluebird shirt from an Ethan Vaughan cross. And then right in the dying embers of the game, the winning goal was a carbon copy of our equaliser. Another cross from Vaughan, this time found the head of Tom Owen-Evans, who just like Touray, made no mistake in heading home the winner. This sparked unbelievable scenes from the away supporters.

This is where the Swans’ FA Cup run came to an end last season. They suffered a defeat at the hands of National League South side Tonbridge Angels away from home in a narrow loss by two goals to one. The Angels went on to reach the First Proper Round last campaign where they were beaten quite comprehensively at home to Harborough Town of the league below, losing 4-1 in that match. For a seventh tier side, Walton and Hersham have made impressive progress in the qualifying rounds of the FA Cup in recent seasons. Just two seasons prior to last year, they also made it to the third qualifying round, where again the side from Surrey were only narrowly beaten away to National League South opposition at the time in Taunton Town in a one nil defeat. The Peacocks themselves recorded a famous run in the oldest football competition that season, making it to the First Round where they lost six nil away to Liam Manning’s MK Dons.

The oppostion

Walton and Hersham have had an incredible start to the Southern League Premier campaign, as the Swans currently sit top of the table, with just one defeat so far and they remain an unbeaten side at home. But, this proud non league club was founded all the way back in 1945 following the merge between Walton FC and Hersham FC and they immediately joined the Corinthian League, winning titles on three separate occasions between 1946 and 1949. The club was then elected into the Athenian League in 1950, and had a very successful first season, finishing runners up. Their first taste of Proper FA Cup action came in the 1957/1958 season, unfortunately they did lose heavily to Southampton 6-1. However, it was still a proud moment for the club as a huge total of 6,000 people turned up to watch that game. 

Allen Batsford took charge of the club in 1967 and this was the start of their most successful period as a club. They reached the first round of the FA Cup two seasons consecutively in 1969 and 1970. The Swans were beaten 1-0 at home to Barnet and 5-2 away to Telford United respectively. Walton and Hersham’s finest season to date came in the 1972/1973 campaign. Elected to the Isthmian League two seasons prior, they finished runners up in 1973. As well as this, Batsford won the Surrey Senior Cup, made it through to the second round of the FA Cup for the first time in the club’s history. And also, the biggest honour of them all, won the FA Amateur Cup after winning against Slough Town at the home of English football inside Wembley. Batsford left the club in 1974 for Wimbledon FC, where he laid down a lot of the foundations of that side who lifted the FA Cup in 1987/1988. 

Recently, the Swans have been on a meteoric rise up the non league pyramid. Having been relegated into the Combined Counties League in 2019 (Step 4), they spent one season establishing themselves in the Division before three promotions followed in three consecutive seasons from Division One of the Combined Counties League all the way up to where they are now in the Southern League Premier Division South. They have been in the seventh tier now since 2023, but this campaign the Swans stand a good chance of winning yet another promotion thanks to their incredible start in the early stages this year. If they do get promoted, it will be the first time that Walton and Hersham have been in the sixth tier in their entire history.

Dangermen

Dawid Rogalski . The Polish striker enjoyed a strong 2024/25 season as he netted 38 goals in all competitions last season. He joined The Swans last season from Southern League Division One Central side Marlow FC where he scored 45 goals in all competitions and helped guide The Blues to promotion as he scored twice in their play-off final win over Leatherhead FC.

So far this campaign he has scored eight goals in all competitions and looks set to carry over his fine goal scoring from the last two seasons to this one.

Johl Powell. The versatile midfielder and winger joined in January of 2024 from Dover Athletic. Powell also enjoyed a strong 2024/25 season personally as he finished with 35 goal contributions in all competitions, netting 18 times. The 24-year-old has also had spells previously with Maidstone, Dulwich Hamlet, Tonbridge Angles and came through Charton Athletic’s academy. So far this season he has scored six times this campaign. He has also played once against the Bluebirds, with Joe Parker scoring the only goal in the game, as we beat Dulwich Hamlet on the final day of the 2022/23 season.

Fixture history

Games between us and Walton and Hersham have not happened very often in the history books, in fact we have only ever faced the Swans once before. Back in 2001 the Bluebirds and the Swans met in the first round of the FA Trophy. It was a very disappointing display in front of our home supporters at the Thornbury Surfacing Stadium as Walton and Hersham came away with a convincing 4-1 win that day, before being beaten by Newport County in the next round. 

A tough test awaits us this weekend on the road, against a side who have not lost at home so far this season. However, this is an opportunity for our boys in blue to build more confidence when playing away from home.

COME ON THE BLUEBIRDS!!!