Waltham Abbey v Walthamstow preview

Walthamstow take on Waltham Abbey this weekend in the FA Trophy Third Qualifying Round.

Stow come into the game on the back of a 1-0 defeat against Bromley in the London Senior Cup on Tuesday. A penalty from Soul Kader midway through the first half was enough for the visitors to go through to the next round. Stow came back out better in the second half but were unable to get the leveller.

Waltham Abbey travelled to Norfolk on Tuesday evening to face Wroxham. They managed to score three goals but came away with nothing as the Yachtsmen stole the three points in a 4-3 win. The hosts went ahead by two in the space of three minutes via Travis Dodsworth and Asa McGeachy. Abbey did manage to get a goal back through Nathan Koranteng, but Wroxham went 3-1 up with Liam Jackson on the scoresheet. The visitors then levelled the game with 15 minutes to go, before Shaun Taylor sealed the win in the 94th minute.

Last season’s encounters between Stow and Abbey both ended in late 1-0 wins. Abbey travelled to E17 on Bank Holiday Monday in August and came away with the win through former Stow man Jason Hallett. Stow then made the trip to Capershotts where they won late on as well. Johnville Renee’s penalty in the 93rd minute gave Stow something to cheer about entering the new year.

Pictured: Matt Waldron on the ball during our 2006 visit to Capershotts

Common people

Given the proximity of the two clubs, it’s no surprise that we have so many people in common. Abbey’s joint-manager played 54 times for Stow as a youngster, before his playing career was cut short by injury.

And there’s plenty of common faces in the current Abbey squad too. Keeper Brad Robinson was a real Stow fans’ favourite during his season with the club, as was Kieron Cathline who helped Stow to the Essex Senior League title in 2022, though the defender is currently recovering from surgery. Mark Twumasi was in E17 during the 2014-15 season when Stow (then Waltham Forest) were relegated to step five, while Shomari Barnwell helped us avoid relegation to step six at the end of the 2017-18 season. Finally, Tayo Oyebola made the switch to Capershotts after a season with Stow.

Previous meetings