Hoddesdon Town take a break from their unbeaten league campaign on Tuesday night as Simon Riddle’s side make the long trip to Suffolk to face Premier Division Haverhill Rovers in the next round of the Thurlow Nunn League Challenge Cup. Kick-off at The New Croft is 7.45pm, with the Lilywhites travelling away in this competition for the first time this season after two successful home ties at Lowfield.

It is another sizeable test for Hoddesdon against higher-ranked opposition, with Haverhill operating at Step 5 of the National League System and Town one level below in Division One South. On paper that makes the hosts clear favourites, but Hoddesdon have already shown this season that the gap between the divisions need not be decisive, having travelled to Step 5 Woodford Town in the FA Vase and returned with an excellent 2-0 victory.

That result should give Riddle’s squad plenty of belief as they head east, although nobody at Lowfield will underestimate the size of the challenge. Haverhill have been competitive throughout the season, sit eighth in the Premier Division and have already knocked out Stansted away from home in this competition, while the journey itself represents a very different test to the two home League Challenge Cup ties Hoddesdon have negotiated so far.

Town began their campaign in the competition against Hertford Heath, with the original meeting abandoned due to serious injury, before Hoddesdon comfortably won the rearranged fixture 3-0 at Lowfield. They then followed that with a strong 3-1 victory over May & Baker on October 20, meaning Tuesday night will be their first taste of League Challenge Cup football away from home this season.

Hoddesdon arrive in Suffolk in outstanding overall form. Across all competitions they have played 19 matches, winning 16, drawing two and losing only once, while scoring 54 goals and conceding just 16. Their home record stands at eight wins and a draw from nine matches, while away from Lowfield they have won eight of ten, drawn one and lost one.

The Lilywhites Form Guide

That solitary defeat came against higher-level opposition in the FA Vase, when Heybridge Swifts ended Hoddesdon’s run with a 4-0 victory. Since then, however, Riddle’s side have responded emphatically, beating London Harts United 4-1, Coggeshall Town 3-1, May & Baker 3-1, Allenburys Sports 4-0 and NW London 5-1 in five consecutive matches.

Saturday’s victory over NW London provided another demonstration of the attacking quality currently running through the squad. Connor Bolton scored a hat-trick to take his season tally to 19 goals in 18 appearances, Connor Casey produced a superb finish of his own and Jonah Evans continued his remarkable attacking contribution from wing-back with another goal.

Connor Bolton

Bolton is naturally the headline threat going into Tuesday night, with 19 goals already making him by some distance Hoddesdon’s leading scorer. His form has been relentless, but one of the great strengths of this Lilywhites side is that the goals are not coming from one source alone, with Jack Gibbs and Freddie Wilkinson both on five, Ollie Babbage also on five, Casey on six and Evans now up to three.

Casey And Babbage Are Both Genuine Goal Threats

Blue Gallagher has become another hugely influential figure despite his contribution not always being measured in goals. He has started all 19 of his appearances and comes into Tuesday’s tie having collected the Greene King Level Head Man of the Match award in two consecutive games, first against Allenburys and then again against NW London, when he controlled the midfield despite Bolton scoring three times.

At the other end of the pitch, Blesson Asekolenga and goalkeeper Liam Nugent have both reached 20 appearances, providing a foundation of consistency behind the attacking players. Jack Orchard has made 18 appearances and scored three times, Jimmy Agnew has played 17 times, while Harrison Cage continues to offer a threat from wing-back and played a major part in Saturday’s 5-1 victory.

Blesson And Liam Both Have 20 Appearances This Season

There is also plenty of depth available to Riddle, with Reggie Pegrum having already made 17 appearances, Hadley Richards on 15, Ollie Finch on 13 and Brandon Oxley-Fricker continuing to make an impact when called upon. That depth could prove particularly valuable during a demanding midweek trip in which the physical challenge of the journey will sit alongside the quality of the opposition.

Brandon Oxley-Fricker

Director of Football and Assistant Coach Ray Greenall expects the night to pose a very different problem to Saturday’s league victory, but believes the squad have earned the right to travel with confidence.
“This is exactly the sort of cup tie you want to be involved in,” said Greenall. “We’re going to a good Step 5 club, under the lights, after a long journey, and we know we’re going to have to be switched on from the moment we get there. Haverhill have good players, they’re strong at home and they’ve already shown what they can do in this competition, but our lads have shown all season that they enjoy being tested.”

Director Of Football Ray Greenall Is Relishing The Trip

Greenall was also keen to emphasise that Hoddesdon’s victory over Woodford Town earlier in the campaign gives the squad genuine evidence that they can compete with Premier Division opposition rather than relying on hope alone.

“Woodford was a big performance for us because we went away to a higher-level side and played with real belief,” he added. “You can’t just turn up on Tuesday and assume that means anything, because Haverhill will be a completely different challenge, but the players know they are capable. The key will be matching their intensity, being brave when we have the ball and making sure the journey isn’t used as an excuse for a slow start.”

Haverhill themselves come into the tie with plenty to play for after suffering a painful FA Vase exit on Saturday. Rovers travelled to Ampthill Town and drew 2-2 over 90 minutes, only to be beaten 4-2 on penalties, bringing their Vase run to an abrupt and frustrating end.

That disappointment could make them even more dangerous on Tuesday. With one cup opportunity disappearing at the weekend, Ben Cowling’s side will have every motivation to respond immediately by extending their run in the League Challenge Cup and ensuring that Hoddesdon’s trip to The New Croft ends without reward.

Haverhill Rovers Boss Ben Cowling

Their recent results demonstrate the threat clearly. Before the Ampthill defeat on penalties, Haverhill had beaten Lakenheath 2-0 and thrashed Heacham 6-0 in successive home games, while earlier in October they won an extraordinary FA Vase tie 5-4 against Ely City. They have also recorded wins over Soham Town Rangers, Walsham Le Willows, Lakenheath and Woodbridge Town, while draws against March Town United and Ipswich Wanderers show their ability to remain competitive away from home. Their League Challenge Cup progress came via an impressive 2-0 victory at Stansted, a particularly noteworthy result given Stansted’s strong start to the season in Hoddesdon’s own division.

Click here to check out the matchday programme from Haverhill's last home game, a 2-0 victory against Lakenheath.

Our Hosts Season So Far

Across all competitions Haverhill have played 20 matches, winning 11, drawing three and losing six, with 44 goals scored and 34 conceded. At The New Croft they have won six of ten matches, drawing one and losing three, scoring 25 goals and conceding 17, so Hoddesdon travel to a ground where the hosts have generally been productive. Their month-by-month numbers show a side that has settled well after an uneven start. Haverhill lost their only July fixture, then won three of six in August, five of seven in September and three of six in October, scoring 17 goals during the most recent month.

Haverhill Rovers Form Guide

In the Premier Division itself, Rovers currently occupy eighth place with 24 points from 14 matches. They have won seven, drawn three and lost four, with a positive goal difference of six, leaving them firmly in the competitive middle-to-upper section of a division headed by March Town United. March lead the way with 37 points, ahead of Thetford Town on 31 and unbeaten Downham Town on 30, while Stowmarket Town and Dereham Town complete the current top five. Haverhill sit just three points behind fifth-placed Dereham, which gives a clear indication that Hoddesdon are travelling to face a side capable of competing towards the upper end of Step 5.

Our Opponents Occupy 8th In The Thurlow Nunn Premier Disivion

The hosts also possess several individual threats requiring close attention. Tom Thulborn leads their scoring charts with an excellent 11 goals from 19 appearances and represents the most obvious danger to the Hoddesdon defence.The former Ely City, Lakenheath, Bury Town and Mildenhall Town attacker will be one to be watched very closely. Thulborn suffered heartbreak at the weekend, missing his penalty in the FA Vase shootout defeat to Ampthill Town, but Hoddesdon will not be expecting their top marksman to be so generous on Tuesday evening.

Tom Stoker is another player enjoying a productive campaign, with seven goals from 16 appearances, while skipper Jarid Robson has six overall goals recorded from 16 outings. Luke Lindsay has four, Thomas Newman has four overall and Aaron Hamer and Tom Benjamin Williams have three apiece, giving Cowling’s side several different sources of goals.

Tom Stoker Has 7 In 16 This Season And Scored His Sides Opening Goal In The FA Vase Defeat On Saturday

Newman’s statistics also show an assist and regular involvement from the start, while Kai Nicholls and Alex Archer have both amassed 18 or more appearances. Hamer has been another near-ever-present with 19 outings, and his six yellow cards suggest a player who does not shy away from the competitive side of the game.

Ben Cowling Named A Strong Side At The Weekend

Haverhill’s roots stretch back much further than most clubs in the competition. Founded in 1886, Rovers joined the East Anglian League in 1906 before later becoming established in the Essex & Suffolk Border League and eventually joining the Eastern Counties League in 1964. Their history contains plenty of notable achievements. Haverhill won the Eastern Counties League title in 1978-79, lifted the League Cup in 1964-65 and have three Division One Cup successes to their name, in 2000-01, 2003-04 and 2006-07. They also enjoyed considerable success before joining the Eastern Counties League, winning the Essex & Suffolk Border League Premier Division in 1947-48, 1962-63 and 1963-64. Further honours include the Suffolk Senior Cup in 1996-97 and the East Anglian Cup in 1990-91.

There have been memorable national cup runs too. Haverhill reached the FA Vase quarter-finals in 1986-87, losing to Warrington Town in front of a then club-record crowd of 1,578, while in 2006 they reached the fourth and final qualifying round of the FA Cup for the first time before losing to Conference side Aldershot Town in front of 1,730.

More recently the club won Division One North in 2024-25 to earn promotion back to the Premier Division, and their subsequent second-place finish in the Premier Division in 2025-26 underlines the standard Hoddesdon will encounter. Haverhill now play at The New Croft, having moved there in 2010 after almost a century at Hamlet Croft.

New Croft Will Play Host On Tuesday Evening

The New Croft has a capacity of around 3,000, including 200 seats, and provides the stage for Tuesday night’s tie. Cowling is assisted by Martin Westcott, with Tom Walker listed as first-team coach, and they will be looking for an immediate response to Saturday’s penalty shootout disappointment.

For Hoddesdon, the challenge is clear. They are the Step 6 visitors, travelling more than three hours in total on a working Tuesday night to face a side from the division above, and the comfort of an unbeaten league record counts for nothing once a knockout cup tie begins. What Riddle’s players do possess, however, is momentum. They have won five matches in succession since the Heybridge defeat in the FA Vase, scored 19 goals during that run and conceded only four, while Saturday’s 5-1 victory kept them top of Division One South with 38 points from 14 matches.

Town remain unbeaten in the league with 12 victories and two draws and hold a two-point advantage over Stansted despite having three games in hand. Their goal difference of +31 is also the best in the division, built on 42 goals scored and only 11 conceded.

Only Hoddesdon Town And Lymore Gardens Remain From Division One South

Greenall believes that form should allow the Lilywhites to enjoy the challenge rather than fear it, while acknowledging that cup football leaves very little room for error.
“We’re underdogs and there’s nothing wrong with saying that,” he said. “They’re a Premier Division club, they’re at home and they’ve got players who have proved themselves at that level. But we’re in good form ourselves, we score goals and we’ve got players who are desperate to test themselves against teams above us.”

He added: “You don’t travel all that way on a Tuesday night to admire the opposition. We’ll respect Haverhill, absolutely, but Simon will want us to go there, compete properly and give ourselves every chance of coming home with something to show for the journey.”

That is ultimately the attraction of the tie. Hoddesdon travel as the lower-ranked side and face a genuine Step 5 test, but this season has already shown that reputation and divisional status do not decide matches before a ball is kicked.

Tuesday night offers another opportunity for the Lilywhites to measure themselves against higher-level opposition, this time in unfamiliar surroundings and with a place in the next round on the line. Haverhill will be determined to bounce back from FA Vase disappointment, while Hoddesdon arrive with confidence, attacking threat and an increasingly impressive body of results behind them.

Kick-off at The New Croft, CB9 0BW, is 7.45pm on Tuesday 3 November. Entry is £8 Adults, £6 Concessions, U16'S FREE.

For those making the long trip to Suffolk, another intriguing cup night awaits.

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