The Hawks enter their second match of the FA Cup this weekend – a Third Round Qualifying match visiting Carshalton Athletic FC.Four points out of six in the last two league matches for the Hawks, a 2-2 draw on the road to Welling United and two late goals secured three points in Dorset against Weymouth. Last time out in the FA Cup, the Hawks progressed past AFC Totton 1-0 with the sole goal coming from Mo Faal.Carshalton secured their third round qualifying place after scraping past Westfield 2-1. Turning the attention to the league, they are struggling in the Isthmian Premier. The side sit 17th and come off the back of a 1-0 defeat to Hastings United. Manager Steve McKimm is a good friend and former Assistant of Paul Doswell and will know the Hawks inside and out. He was at the helm of Tonbridge Angels last year, and brought a lot of good players with him when making the switch, such as forward Femi Akinwande and midfielder Tom Beere.The Hawks will be lacking in numbers for the cup tie, Jason Prior is out due to concussion protocol and will miss three weeks after his clash on Tuesday night. Billy Clifford is suspended after his red card against Welling United on Saturday and will serve a one-match ban. Young guns Leon Baker and Seok-Jae Lee are cup tied with Bognor andSalisbury respectively so are also ineligible.Robins skipper Tom Beere will be suspended for the hosts after receiving two yellows in their 1-0 defeat last week.The last time the two sides met competitively, you’d have to flip your calendar all the way back to 2006. It was a 1-1 draw at Havant. Since then, it has only been once more, back in 2012 when the two sides met in a pre-season friendly.Carshalton, at home, will be more than up for it so the Hawks will have to be on top form to get into the hat for the next round. The FA Cup Fourth Round Qualifying will mean Step 5 teams get added to the mix, the National League sides which are still somewhat regionalised.
Written by Adam Nixon