Croydon Athletic will bring their August Bank Holiday double-header to a close with a short trip to Eden Park Avenue, where they take on local rivals Beckenham Town.
After back-to-back Saturday fixtures away from league action, the Rams return to Isthmian South East Division duty with three valuable points on the line.
Meetings between Croydon and Beckenham have become a familiar fixture on the calendar in recent years. Monday’s clash will mark the 18th meeting between the two clubs in the past decade. The rivalry has been tightly contested: honours were shared when the sides met exactly twelve months ago, while Croydon secured a 2–1 victory on their last visit to Beckenham Town.
There will be a familiar face in the home dugout this time around. Danny Waldron, who came through the youth ranks at Croydon Athletic and captained the Rams in his early 20s, has stepped into management with Beckenham Town following his appointment over the summer. Waldron has wasted no time stamping his mark on the squad, which also includes another ex-Ram in Louis Theophanus. The experienced forward has hit the ground running with three goals in his first four appearances this season.
Like Croydon, Beckenham progressed through the FA Cup earlier this month, beating Hassocks. However, they are still searching for their first league win of the campaign, with two draws and one defeat from their opening three South East Division fixtures.
For Croydon, Danny Kedwell will be keeping a close eye on the fitness of midfielder David Boateng, who picked up a knock on Saturday. Meanwhile, Luke Dreher – who featured from the bench during the weekend’s Isuzu FA Trophy tie – is expected to be back in contention for a starting role.
Finally, the club would like to remind all supporters making the trip to Beckenham Town that kick-off is scheduled for the earlier time of 1:00pm on Monday afternoon.
