Walton & Hersham will host Step 1 outfit Wealdstone at the Xcel Sports Hub on Saturday, as they begin their pre-season with an earlier 2pm KO.

The match will see Billy Rowley take charge of his first game as permanent First Team manager, following his appointment to the post back in May. Rowley will no doubt be relishing the challenge of facing up against former Premier League star Matt Taylor, who will be a similarly new face in the dugout, having only recently been appointed to the Wealdstone manager role.

Rowley’s side have welcomed a host of new signings so far, with the likes of Dawid Rogalski, Jaden Crowhurst, Archie Procter, Joey Jones, Mason Obeng, Jos Barker, and Adam Mekki all joining the club. There have also been a number of key retentions, with Josh Tobin, Eoin Bolger, Anis Nuur, and Johl Powell all opting to remain with the Swans for the upcoming 24/25 season.

Wealdstone boast their own array of impressive signings, having brought in ex-Premier League defender Adrian Mariappa, as well as former Arsenal academy graduate Craig Eastmond. Both sets of signings will no doubt be looking to make an early impact for their respective clubs on Saturday.

Both the Swans and the Stones will be looking open their pre-season accounts with strong performances, as they look to build on their 7th-placed and 16th-placed finishes in the Southern Premier South, and the National League respectively.

Head-to-head
The two sides have met 36 times since the 1950-51 season, with the last meeting between the two sides coming in March 2006. Walton & Hersham overcame the Stones by a single goal that day, thanks to a superb solo goal from Rob George. Wealdstone are the more successful side in this fixture however, boasting an impressive 22 wins to the Swans’ nine. The Stones’ last victory against the Swans came at Stompond Lane in August 2001, over two decades ago. The fixture has largely tended to be a high-scoring one, with notable previous results including 6-3, 6-5, and 8-2 scorelines.

Match information
The game will kick off at an earlier time of 2pm on Saturday 6th July, at the Elmbridge Xcel Sports Hub. This is owing to England’s Euros quarter-final clash against Switzerland, which will be shown live in the bar at 5pm.

Tickets are priced at £6 for Adults, £4 for Seniors, £3 for Next-Gen (13-21), and £1 for U12s, and are available to purchase on the day at the gate, with either cash or card.

For any match enquiries, please email info@waltonhershamfc.com