Parkway Head to Chatham Looking to Keep Trophy Story Going
Chatham Town vs Parkway | Match PreviewBy Mike Parrish
Plymouth Parkway head out in search of a place in the Fourth Round of this season’s FA Trophy on Saturday afternoon, but a tough test awaits and a trip into the unknown as they travel to Kent to face Isthmian Premier side Chatham Town. It’s another long haul for Chris McPhee’s men, though with a motorway sitting proudly on the Parkway badge, they are no strangers to the bigger journeys, and will embrace this one too.
After two cancelled fixtures in their last three outings, the home fixture against Wimborne Town and last weekend’s washout at Hanwell, sandwiched around the narrow 1–0 defeat to Chertsey Town, Parkway find themselves precariously placed inside the drop zone. In that sense, the FA Trophy arrives as a timely distraction from the sea-saw of the league season. Yet all is not as grim as the table might suggest. Parkway have suffered only two defeats in their last twelve matches in all competitions, a run that has included steady progress to reach this stage of the Trophy.
And the Trophy story so far has carried every bit of the drama you’d want from a cup run. A fine 2-1 comeback win over Gosport Borough and a marathon penalty shoot-out victory over Poole Town set it in motion. Then came arguably the game of the season: a rip-buster, quintessential cup tie, and a 4–3 win over higher-level Salisbury at Bolitho that will live long in the memory. Parkway have found their best selves in this competition.
That decent spell has also coincided with injury problems stretching the squad, at times leaving McPhee forced to plot a way to stay in games before he can think about asserting a front-foot plan. It has shown in recent performances: dogged rear-guard resistance against Dorchester, Sholing, and again in the Chertsey defeat. But the mini winter break caused by postponements has offered the group a chance to reset, and Parkway now travel with numbers closer to full strength and the possibility of going after games earlier.
Team news remains a blend of frustration and encouragement. Talented midfielder Jake Smith will not travel, ruled out for the season with an ACL rupture. Shane White continues his long-term recovery, Mack Allan remains sidelined, and Jenson Ireland is still a doubt. However, Taylor Scarff returns from suspension, Mikey Williams has recovered from a slight knock, Carlo Garside has passed a fitness test and will be included, and Rocky Neal will be pushing hard for a start after being carefully managed in recent games. On loan, shot-stopper Issac Finch is set to make his debut between the sticks, while new signing Reece Shanley adds to the growing competition for places.
Parkway will also take belief from the positives from the defeat to Chertsey. Milimo Nalumango impressed at centre-back, and once Parkway committed bodies forward, especially after Rocky’s arrival, they looked a different side, carrying real threat and asking difficult questions. The challenge now is to find that attacking rhythm sooner, not just once survival mode has done its work.
Chatham, though, represent a different kind of examination. The Chats are flying in the Isthmian Premier, sitting third after nineteen matches played and backed by a home crowd that continues to grow, 912 were in attendance for their most recent win over Burgess Hill Town. They also bring cup pedigree into this tie, having enjoyed an FA Cup run earlier in the season before falling 2–1 to Buxton in the First Round Proper on national television. In the Trophy they have already shown they can manage the road, winning at Waltham Abbey and Wimborne Town, and will now relish home comforts for a Third Round Proper fixture.
For Parkway, the job is to arrive in the game sooner. Away from home they’ve too often spent the opening stretch absorbing, not imposing. If they can weather that first Chatham surge, find their feet early and then play with the intent we’ve seen in flashes lately, the afternoon doesn’t have to follow the script. This is cup football, after all, and Parkway’s Trophy run has already shown they’re more than capable of pushing past circumstance.
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