Parkway hit the road as the travel marathon begins at Chertsey
Chertsey Town vs Parkway | Match PreviewBy Mike Parrish
The build-up to this weekend’s trip to Chertsey Town should have centred on Parkway’s final home outing for a month, but Tuesday night’s scheduled clash with Wimborne Town was cancelled at the last minute after a minor traffic incident left the visitors’ coach unable to complete its journey to Bolitho Park.
The bylines from that dramatic reverse fixture earlier in the season will have to wait for a rearranged date in the New Year, with attention now switching quickly to the first of four straight away days and a tough assignment at Alwyns Lane.
Parkway head into the road run with spirits largely intact. One defeat in eleven matches, even if the bulk of those have come at home, has built a resilience and togetherness that has become a feature of recent weeks. Yet that form has not yet translated into the away record this campaign.
Heartache and frustration have coloured too many performances on the road, with just four points collected from eight league trips so far. The aim this Saturday is simple: turn decent away displays into the first league win on travels since March, and close November on a high.
There is at least some recent comfort in the setting. Last season, Parkway arrived at Chertsey in a similar stretch away from home and produced a 2–1 victory, with Mitch Beardmore and Tom Dean on the scoresheet. Supporters will be hoping Alwyns Lane can once again provide the stage for a shifting in away results as the winter miles begin to pile up.
And pile up they will. December is shaping up as a month spent largely on motorways rather than at Bolitho Park, with the club facing a schedule that is likely to total more than 1,600 miles. Chertsey this weekend, then Hanwell, Chatham in the FA Trophy, and Weymouth to follow. If Parkway can add results to the journey, there might be a case for retitling the Chris Rea classic to “Driving Away for Christmas.”
Team news is mixed. The postponement on Tuesday did at least offer extra recovery time for Mikey Williams and Rocky Neal, both of whom are set to travel to Surrey. However, centre-back Taylor Scarff will sit this one out after reaching the yellow-card threshold following his late booking in last weekend’s 1–1 draw with Sholing. That absence will require a reshuffle at the back against a side who know how to make home advantage count.
Chertsey Town have grown quickly into their Step 3 surroundings. Promoted into the Southern Premier South last season, the Curfews adapted well and finished 16th, before pushing on again this term. They currently sit 11th with 24 points from 19 games, still with one eye on the play-off conversation, and Alwyns Lane has largely been kind to them. Defeats at home to Berkhamsted, Fareham Town and Gosport Borough have been balanced out by big wins over Havant & Waterlooville, Evesham United and, most recently, Hanwell Town.
Recent form suggests a side that is hard to shift. Their last five league games read Won 2, Drawn 2, Lost 1, and they arrive off the back of a solid away point at Havant & Waterlooville on Wednesday night. Eoin Casey’s first-half goal, his first league strike of the season, earned them a share of the spoils at Westleigh Park, a result that confirmed their ability to compete in difficult places. Before that, only second-placed Gloucester City managed to beat them with a 2–0 home win.
The Curfews’ recent history also paints the picture of a club used to big occasions and strong home support. FA Vase winners in 2019 after a 3–2 extra-time final, and champions of the Isthmian South Central in 2023–24 under Mark Harper, Chertsey’s title season was startling in its dominance, 36 games unbeaten from September, 100 points, 103 goals scored, and crowds that led the division. That ambition remains woven into the atmosphere around Alwyns Lane, which is always a proper non-league test.
So Parkway know exactly what awaits: a lively setting, a confident mid-table side with upward pull, and the kind of away day that rarely offers anything cheaply. But if Parkway are to make this road month count, it starts with reproducing the resolve shown across a strong October and November. Organisation, game management, and a killer edge in the final third will be vital, and if those pieces click, there is no reason this travel marathon cannot begin with the away win the performances have been threatening to deliver.
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