CAFC vs Chatham Town FC – Report
Carshalton Athletic suffered a disappointing 3-0 defeat to Chatham Town in the Isthmian Premier Division on Saturday.
After fielding a heavily rotated starting XI in their 4-1 Surrey Senior Cup victory over step-four Kingstonian FC, Peter Adeniyi made several expected changes for our trip to Chatham. Aaron Watkins returned in goal, with Mackenzie Foley making way, while Luke Read took the place of Dylon Pepe. Josh Shonibare and Paris Hamilton-Downes were deployed as full-backs. In midfield, Michael Dada replaced Mason Saunders-Henry, and Nabeel Ghannam and Kola Salami were dropped to the bench in favour of David Smith and Bryan Ifeanyi, who completed the front three.
The Robins enjoyed the lion’s share of possession in the early stages. Moving the ball well, Fabio Saraiva’s tenacity to win the ball back in the centre of midfield saw Dada teed up to drag a tame strike wide. Proceedings livened up a bit as the Reds demonstrated more attacking intent. Some Bryan Ifeanyi trickery
enabled the winger to drive into the penalty area and pull it back to Saraiva, who drove into the defender. The resulting appeals for handball were waved away by the referee. Moments later, the Chats broke at pace, and Freddie Sears came agonisingly close to being threaded through on goal; however, Luke Read nullified the threat following a crucial last-ditch challenge. Jack Evan’s then whipped a 20-yard left channel set piece comfortably over the bar.
As the game approached the 15-minute mark, it began to open up, with the Chats starting to apply some pressure on the Carshalton defence. Adeniyi’s side, on the other hand, were growing frustrated as their momentum was repeatedly halted by a series of tough, cynical fouls.
After winning a free kick in their half, the hosts sent the ball forward, and it eventually found its way to Harry Webster on the right side of the penalty area. Webster took a touch and unleashed a tightly angled half-volley, but Horsley McKay was quick to react, denying him with a superb outstretched boot.
Twenty minutes in, neither goalkeeper had been tested. The intensity of the game had diminished, and complacency began to creep into both teams’ performances. The Chats’ defensive lapses nearly proved costly on a couple of occasions, with a long-range chip attempt from Saraiva,
following a stray pass by Harry Molyneux, sailing well over the bar midway through. Disaster struck in the 30th minute when Michael Dada was penalised for a tackle from behind on John Ufuah. Without hesitation, the referee brandished a second yellow card, resulting in Dada’s dismissal. The midfielder will likely feel hard done by, as the decision seemed harsh in the circumstances.
It was a tense and cagey affair. The Reds were patiently probing the Chats’ defence around the penalty area, but despite dominating possession, they failed to test Molyneux. There was plenty of intricate one-touch football, but no shots on goal to show for it. At the other end, the hosts managed to get in behind on a few occasions, only for each attempt to be flagged offside by the assistant. With five minutes remaining until the break, Kalvin Kalala shrugged off his defender, cut inside from the right flank,
and curled a shot with his left foot, forcing Molyneux into a straightforward diving save. Moments later, Chatham looked to break quickly on Carshalton but Read tracked back well, winning possession and firing a shot on goal, which Molyneux easily gathered.
On the stroke of half-time, the Chats were gaining confidence and beginning to take control. Horsley-McKay misjudged his attempted clearance, inadvertently setting up Webster for a one-on-one with Watkins. Webster flashed at goal, but an alert Watkins produced a superb close-range save to deny him. Unfortunately, in the first minute of added time, Jamie Yila gave the Chats the lead. Ufuah made a powerful run down the right and drilled a ball across the face of goal. Read attempted to hook it away on the slide, but Yila managed to control the ball and poke it under Watkins, finding the back of the net.
Chatham doubled their lead just 30 seconds into the second half. The ball was launched forward, and Horsley-McKay’s flicked header released Sears. The forward outpaced Read and, staying calm under pressure, expertly slotted the ball into the far corner. Fuelled by confidence and eager to build on their momentum, the Robins withstood a flurry of shots. Moments later, there were appeals for a penalty after a tackle by Josh Shonibare, but the referee waved them away. 56 minutes in, and the Chats were three goals for the better thanks to Ufuah. A well-executed combination down the right saw Yila pick out Ufuah, who was unmarked at the back post, allowing him to calmly slot the ball into the empty net.
The effect of playing with ten men was becoming evident. The Reds were lacking in confidence, struggling to hold onto possession and failing to create any meaningful chances. Meanwhile, Chatham were playing fluid, purposeful football, constantly probing the Carshalton defence, who were withstanding wave after wave of pressure. As the temperature dropped, so did the intensity, with the match taking on the feel of a pre-season friendly. By the 70th minute, the Reds had retreated, allowing the Chats to pass the ball freely between their centre-backs, before working it forward. Yila was giving Adeniyi’s side all sorts of trouble with his quick footwork, emerging as the hosts’ main attacking threat.
As the match entered its final stages, Carshalton had their best chance. A quick give-and-go between Smith and Kola Salami
set up the latter, who came agonizingly close to finishing the well-executed move. His side-footed effort from close range was saved by Molyneux, who made himself big and managed to parry the ball away. A few minutes later, Ufuah surged forward at pace down the left flank and drilled the ball across the face of goal. Webster’s first-time strike was expertly denied by Watkins, who reacted quickly to make the save, before Evan’s follow-up was blocked.
The result means that the Robins drop to ninth in the Isthmian Premier, with Chatham Leapfrogging Adeniyi’s side on goal difference. There will be hopes that Carshalton can return to winning ways when we welcome Horsham next weekend.
Up Next
Date: Saturday, April 12, 2025
Venue: Colston Avenue
Kick-off: 03:00 PM
Admission: Admission: £11, £8, £5 (online prices) on the gate is a pound dearer.
Tickets: https://form.123formbuilder.com/566
