CAFC vs AFC Croydon Athletic

CAFC vs AFC Croydon Athletic – Match Report

Carshalton Athletic secured passage to the Velocity Cup Fourth Round thanks to a 94th-minute winner from Tommy Bradford to edge the Rams 2-1.

As expected Peter Adeniyi named a heavily rotated starting XI. Sanchez Ming, Dilan Pauw, Ollie Hamstead, and Charlie Kennett were the incomings to the defence. Meanwhile, Florian Kastrati and Hamilton-Downes reinforced Tommy Bradford in the midfield. Darnell Goather-Braithwaite was the main attacking change.

It was a lively start from Goather-Braithwaite in particular, who attacked left to threaten Croydon before winning a free kick in a dangerous position 20 yards out. From the resulting corner, another one of our many training ground routines almost paid dividends inside three minutes, Kastrati on the end of the move and firing the wrong side of the post. The tables then turned, the visitors breaking at pace on a couple of occasions as the Robins survived a succession of shots and crosses which failed to really test our backline including Whitter between the sticks.

The Rams first actual chance of the game came in the 10th minute, former Crystal Palace academy striker David Omilabu found Ademola Shokunbi in space just inside the penalty area, Shokunbi cut inside but the whipped effort sailed comfortably over the bar. Croydon had the ball in the back of the net after a quarter of an hour; however, goalscorer Shokunbi was adjudged offside. It came after Carshalton were caught playing out from the back, a tenacious Walton Figueira dispossessed Hamstead and squared it across to Shokunbi to stab home underneath a diving Whitton. Keen to capitalise on the momentum garnered, Cian McCarthy came narrowly close to putting the Rams ahead, heading wide close range from a right channel set piece.

There was a bit more attacking intent from the Reds, but in truth, they were wasteful in the final third. Up the other end, the Rams opened the scoring on the 20-minute mark through Luke Dreher. Omilabu pulled the ball back across to Dreher from the left flank and the midfielder proceeded to calmly guide it into the far corner. Eager to extend their advantage, Figueira spotted Shokunbi in space in the penalty area and applied the pass before the No. 10’s shot was diverted for a corner.

Adeniyi’s side carried on having to sustain wave after wave of Rams attacks with Aziz Sankoh performing a crucial acrobatic block off a Dreher volley that looked to be heading in. Kastrati took it upon himself to inspire a Robins leveller, receiving it centrally and lashing a sweetly struck strike from distance to force Croydon shot-stopper Amadou Tangara to parry. Moments later, Witter did extremely well to backtrack and punch clear a dipping right flank inswinger angling under the bar.

Five minutes from the break, Sankoh unleashed a powerfully hit half volley just outside the box that had Tangara worried momentarily, scrambling to beat it away. Towards the latter stages of the half, Carshalton were in the ascendancy, probing the Rams. As a result, the Reds got their just deserts on the stroke of the break. Bradford, Sankoh, and Goather-Braithwaite combined from a corner for the latter to drive into the defender before converting the follow-up.

A few minutes into the second half, Carshalton broke at pace on the counter-attack, Bradford threaded through Sankoh clear away down the left channel but the squared ball across to the onrushing Goather-Braithwaite was overhit. Not long after, the Rams issued a warning sign of their own, a cross to the back post was returned across goal and Shokunbi was denied by a diving Witter, it was then cleared only as far as another player in yellow, who drove the strike into Tanner. There continued to be more close shaves as Figueira’s low-driven left flank delivery flashed in front of Witter.

Approaching the hour mark, Tangara’s loose pass fell kindly to Sankoh just outside the penalty area, the full-back by trade cushioned it into the path of Goather-Braithewaite, but the goalkeeper made amends dashing quickly off his line to spread himself enough to make the stop one-on-one. A brief pause ensued for an injury and a Croydon change or two. Mid-way through the half, Sankoh latched onto a lofted pass in behind which teed him up to attack left and arrow the ball into the penalty area for the defender to almost turn it into his own net.

In a bid to freshen things up, Adeniyi made four substitutes, which included the firepower of David Smith and talisman Bryan Ifeanyi. However, before they could even get a touch, a Croydon attacker almost bundled a threatening inswinger over the line. With the quadruple substitution, Carshalton gradually controlled proceedings. Ten minutes until time, Bradford’s inswinger grazed the head of Hamstead as the Robins supporters behind the goal were left scratching their heads as to how it did not go in.

As the clock ticked closer towards the possibility of a dreaded penalty shootout, Fikayo Atewologun tried his luck from range and the ball ricocheted off a Croydon body almost into the Carshalton goal. In the dying embers, a dangerous challenge on Smith was only penalised with a yellow card and if anything it spurred on the visitors briefly who continued to pose a threat on the counter-attack. A hefty eight minutes additional time was indicated as the Reds searched for a winner and eventually succeeded through Bradford.

Saunders-Henry whipped in a right-sided set piece which caused a pinball-like scramble in the penalty area before our vice-captain bundled it over the line in the 94th minute.