Get the lowdown on our next opponents: AFC Croydon Athletic.
The Opposition
Last season, AFC Croydon Athletic capped off a remarkable rise through the English football pyramid by securing promotion to Step 4 for the first time in the club’s history, marking a new chapter for the Thornton Heath-based side.
Formed in 2012 by supporters of the former Croydon Athletic FC following its dissolution, the Rams began life in the Combined Counties League Division One with an eighth place finish in their inaugural season and lifting the Division One Cup, with progress continuing to follow swiftly. A runner-up finish in 2014/15 earned promotion to the Southern Counties East Premier Division, where the club established itself over several seasons before later returning to the Combined Counties League structure.
The 2023/24 campaign then proved historic for the Rams; their success aided by new leader at the Mayfield Stadium which brought a wave of renewed ambition at the club, as a high-profile ownership group featuring Stormzy, Wilfried Zaha, and Danny Young completed a takeover the club, aiming to strengthen ties between the club and its local community in south London.
Jermaine McGlashan was appointed manager ahead of their maiden campaign under their new owners, and guided the club to a fifth place finish in the Combined Counties Premier Division South, scoring 93 goals in the process. That performance subsequently secured a place in the play-offs, where the Rams triumphed with a 2-1 semi-final victory over Jersey Bulls before overcoming Knaphill 2-1 in the final, sealing promotion to the Isthmian League South East Division, and has been followed much change in Thornton Heath.
McGlashan departed in September 2024 after a difficult start to life at Step 4 and was replaced by former Crystal Palace caretaker boss Keith Millen, who in turn was replaced by former AFC Wimbledon and Gillingham forward Danny Kedwell in February 2025.
Taked with stabilising the club in the Isthmian League, Kedwell ended a successful first season with the Rams, securing a 12th place finish last term, and has since quality and a whole host of experience to their ranks as they look to push on, including Brandon Pierrick (Tonbridge Angels), Louie Theophanous (Beckenham Town), Reece Grant (Sittinbourne), Ben Wynter (Woking), David Bremang (Dulwich Hamlet) and Noah Watson (Aldershot Town), along with free agents Charlie Colkett, Reo Griffiths and Richard Afrane-Kesey alongside perhaps most notably, former LOSC Lille and Crystal Palace defender Pape Souaré.
While the 2024/25 season presented fresh challenges, Croydon’s trajectory remains steeply upward, and they have embarked on an improved campaign which sees them sit fourth in the division after winning ten of their opening 16 games, sitting just six points behind league leaders Three Bridges, aided by the likes of key players Nya Kirby, James Taylor, David Boateng, Afrane-Kesey, Kadell Daniel and Bremang, along with Brandon Pierrick who returned to the club after a few months away at Tonbridge Angels, and he has scored six goals in seven games so far.
Furthermore, they beat Balham 4-2 in the Surrey Senior Cup First Round, and will have one eye on the prospect of silverware as they look to stamp their mark on their ambitious journey toward establishing the club as a force.
The Manager
Danny Kedwell
Former Ashford United boss Danny Kedwell made the switch to Thorton Heath in February 2025, having left the Nuts & Bolts the previous month.
The ex-forward had enjoyed a successful playing career within the lower leagues, turning out for a host of clubs including Chatham Town, Tonbridge Angels, Fisher Athletic, Lordswood, Maidstone United, Herne Bay, Welling United, Grays Athletic, AFC Wimbledon, Gillingham, Ebbsfleet United, Havant & Waterlooville, Hollands & Blair, Cray Wanderers and Ashford United, ending his career with the club he went on to begin his sole managerial career.
He notably won the Conference play-offs with Wimbledon in 2010/11 having been named as their Player of the Season the previous year, and topped off this period by being named in the Dons’ Team of the Decade for the 2010s and the Conference Team of the Year, having made over 100 appearances across a three-year stint at Kingsmeadow.
His stint at Gillingham proved to be just as successful, winning League Two with the Gills in 2012/13, before adding more silverware to his CV as part of the Ebbsfleet United team that won the National League South play-offs in 2016/17, again being named in the division’s Team of the Year, before closing out his playing days with a return to Chatham that saw him win the Isthmian League South East Division in 2023, his last club before his brief playing stint at Ashford.
Kedwell had begun his managerial career three years before hanging up his boots with a player-manager role at Cray Wanderers in 2021, before taking on the sole role at Ashford after he bringing his playing days to a close, spending a little under a year at the Homelands.
He later joined the coaching staff at Folkestone Invicta, but returned to management with a move to Croydon in February 2025, securing a second successive campaign in the Isthmian League South East Division after sealing a 12th place finish last term.
Photo Credit: AFC Croydon Athletic
One to Watch
Brandon Pierrick
Brandon Pierrick returned to Croydon in the October, having spent a few months away at Tonbridge Angels.
A product of the Crystal Palace academy, Pierrick was a highly rated forward during his time in the Eagles’ youth setup. He joined the club at the age of eight and signed his first professional contract ten years later, becoming the club’s second-youngest Premier League debutant a month after his 18th birthday.
He later started a move that resulted in a crucial equaliser in a 1-1 draw with Norwich City, having come off the bench earlier on in the game, before starting in a 1-0 in over Derby County in the FA Cup Third Round and appearing for the final few minutes against Liverpool.
The forward spent a total of 11 years at Selhurst Park, but it came to an end after spending a season on loan in the Scottish Premiership with Kilmarnock. After spending half-a-season with Killie, Pierrick departed Palace permanently and moved across Europe, spending time in the Denmark with Superliga side Vejle.
After appearing a handful of times for De Røde, he returned to England in 2023 with a move to Dover Athletic, starting off his time in non-league during the backend of the 2022/23 season.
He then returned to South London the following summer, returning to South London with a two-year spell at Croydon, where he scored a hugely impressive 43 goals in 97 appearances, establishing himself as a prolific goalscorer and captain as the Rams rose to the South-East Division of the Isthmian League.
His form in the eighth tier saw him an earn a move into the National League South with a switch to Tonbridge Angels, but after scoring twice in 12 games for the club, Pierrick returned to Croydon in October, and has scored eight goals in 10 appearances.
Photo Credit: AFC Croydon Athletic
Recent Form
AFC Croydon Athletic 4-1 Sevenoaks Town
Sheppey United 3-3 AFC Croydon Athletic
AFC Croydon Athletic 3-1 Hassocks
AFC Croydon Athletic 0-2 Three Bridges
AFC Croydon Athletic 5-1 Merstham
AFC Croydon Athletic 2-0 Deal Town
Last Time Out
AFC Croydon Athletic produced one of their most convincing performances of the season as they stormed to a 4–1 victory over Sevenoaks Town at Mayfield Stadium.
The Rams made the perfect start just four minutes into the match, as a dangerous inswinging corner from Harvey Kedwell was stabbed home by Kostas Theophanous from close range, and as Croydon’s pressure continued to build, the second goal then arrived before half time when a deep cross from the left caused chaos in the Sevenoaks penalty area; the Oaks were unable to clear their lines with the ball falling kindly to Ainsley Binnom-Williams, who slammed it in from the edge of the six-yard box.
With Croydon in the ascendancy, Sevenoaks committed bodies forward and allowed Croydon struck clinically on the counter. A fast break saw Brandon Pierrick burst into the box, before keeping his composure and slot the ball neatly into the far corner to extend their lead 11 minutes from time.
While Sevenoaks did pull one back through Warren-Hughes Mfula in the sixth minute of stoppage time, Croydon restored their three-goal advantage just moments later, adding a fourth goal when a late surge down the right allowed Pierrick to produce an exquisite ball to pick out Josh Williams who capped his debut by slotting it in to put gloss on the scoreline, and round off a commanding performance from the Rams.
