It's time for the FA Cup 3rd qualifying round with National League North side Merthyr Town hosting National League South Side Hampton & Richmond. The Martyrs enter the fixture hoping to instantly bounce back from a humbling 5-0 defeat in the hands of Radcliffe FC. However, visitors Hampton & Richmond travel to South Wales after a high scoring 3-3 draw against newly promoted side Dover Athletic. 'The Beavers' also find themselves on a run of 6 games unbeaten in the National League South with 3 victories and 3 draws with manager Alan Julian hoping that his side can continue their impressive form.

Know Your Opponent - Key Staff:

Manager | Alan Julian

Assistant Manager | Donovan Chislett

First Team Coach | Luke Riddick

Alan Julian joined the 'Beavers' in May 2024 having recently been part of the club as player and a coach. The former goalkeeper took the helm at Hampton & Richmond bringing his 22 years of Football League and National experience where he played for Brentford, Stevenage, Gillingham, Newport, Dartford, Sutton United, Bromley and Billericay claiming 645 senior appearances while also competing for Northern Ireland at U18, U19 and U21 levels. Within his playing career Julian took multiple teams to promotion alongside playing a crucial part in Stevenage's FA Trophy success in 2007. Alan Julian initially served as Hampton & Richmond's goalkeeper coach but was soon promoted to the role of first team manager for the 24/25 season where he guided the 'Beavers' to an 18th place finish in the National League South during a challenging campaign amid a change of the club's ownership.

Both Donovan Chislett and Luke Ruddick joined the 'Beavers' coaching staff shortly after Alan Julian was confirmed as Fist Team Manager. Donovan Chislett has an extensive coaching record at the likes of Met Police while Luke Ruddick was formerly the captain for Hampton & Richmond and will now focus on helping the 'Beavers' up the football pyramid from a coach’s perspective instead of captaining the side.

Know Your Opponent | Season So Far

Hampton & Richmond have won 4 of their first 9 National League South games this season with their most impressive victory coming on matchday 2 as they demolished Marc White's Dorking Wanderers 3-0 away from home. Alongside their 4 victories they have had 4 draws and only a single defeat which came away from home at Maidstone United. All 4 of their victories have come against highly regarded sides at the step 2 level including some full-time teams after defeating the likes Dorking Wanderers, Dagenham & Redbridge, Ebbsfleet United and Chesham United. With an impressive start to the season the 'Beavers' find themselves sitting in 5th place after claiming 16 points from a possible 27. The top goal scorer for Hampton & Richmond in the league so far is Craig Fasanmade who has bagged himself 4 goals in the opening 9 games and he will be looking to increase his tally against Merthyr on Saturday. Their FA Cup campaign so far has saw Alan Julian's side defeat AFC Croydon Athletic 4-2 in a 2nd qualifying round tie at the Beveree Stadium to progress to the 3rd qualifying round for a fixture with away from home with the Martyrs.

Know Your Opponent | 2025/26 Season Squad

James Holden, Paul Field, Jude Mason, Rohan Ince, Ronan Silva, Luke Robertson, Davide Rodari, Sam Deadfield, Craig Fasanmade, Stan Flaherty, Eddie Allsopp, Nathan Paul-Lavaly, Luka Ziger, Alfie Tuck, Harry Thomas, Max Spence, Ibrahim Jalloh, Ben Parkinson, Danai Hassan, Ollie Turner, Soul Kader, Callum O'Keefe, Charlie Sayers, Alan Massey, Harry Gardner, Reece Grego-Cox

Match Details:

Date | Saturday 27 September

Competition | Emirates FA Cup 3rd Qualifying Round

Time |15:00

Stadium | Penydarren Park