CAFC vs Chatham Town FC – Match Report

A Mason Saunders-Henry strike made sure of a statement 2-0 victory for the Robins over high-flying Chatham Town FC in the Isthmian Premier Division on Saturday at Colston Avenue.

It was an impressive attacking display from Carshalton in the second half as David Smith netted his seventh goal of the 2024-25 campaign and Saunders-Henry confirmed the points by extending our advantage in the 90th minute.

The departure of centre-back Ollie Hamstead to Hemel Hempstead meant a shake-up at the back for Peter Adeniyi. Sanchez Ming came in at right-back as Luke Read shuffled into the heart of the backline alongside Fikayo Atewologun. Michael Dada returned to the midfield after recovering from an injury sustained against Bowers & Pitsea. Meanwhile, academy starlet Joshua Koroma was rewarded with a place on the bench following his first senior start Monday evening.

After a tame opening five minutes, it was Chatham who had the first chance of the match. A loose Fabio Saraiva pass gave away possession cheaply, and the Kent-based side broke at pace down the touchline through Jordy Mongoy. Mongoy then arrowed the ball across the face of goal; however, the onrushing John Ufuah failed to stab home from close range. It was a huge let-off for the Robins. Carshalton were trying to get the likes of Bryan Ifeanyi and Darnell Goather-Braithewaite in behind the Chatham defence, but it was proving very difficult. Just after the 15-minute mark, the Chats Kasim Aidoo whipped a left-flank delivery into the penalty area, and Mongoy, emerging as the visitor’s main attacking threat, glanced wide of the post. Moments later, Jack Evans’s inswinging corner was somehow headed wide from a couple of yards out by the in-form Freddie Sears; he was spared his blushes when the referee blew for a foul on one of our lads. Midway through, Dion Henry did well to scramble away a dangerous Evans inswinger before the Reds survived the follow-up cross into the penalty area. Up to this stage, it had been a really impressive defensive display from Carshalton and while we could not quite retain possession of the ball or forge any chances of note, free-scoring Chatham were growing frustrated which was a testament to our defensive resolve.

With ten minutes until the break, Dada took it upon himself to inspire some attacking intent from the Robins when he carried the ball towards the penalty area and beat a couple of Chats players on his travels. The midfielder laid it off to Ifeanyi, who proceeded to tee up Fabio Saraiva, and his speculative effort sailed tamely over the bar.

Despite the attack coming to nothing, it was better from the Reds. Carshalton headed into half-time having successfully held a high-flying Chatham side at bay.

It was a livelier start to the second half. Ifeanyi drifted infield from the left flank and drove goalbound; despite his progress being disrupted as he neared the penalty area, the ball fell to the feet of Saraiva, who let fly and had Chatham shot-stopper Wright momentarily worried. Up the other end, Henry collided with the Chats attacker one-on-one, and the resulting ricochet saw the ball heading into an empty net before a burst of pace from Sankoh enabled him to brilliantly scramble clear off the line. A few minutes later, the tables turned, and the visitors reclaimed the ascendancy, probing the Robins backline. That said, the Reds were very dangerous on the break, and Ifeanyi and Dada combined well for the latter’s low-driven cross to be nullified by goalkeeper Wright. Kevin Watson’s side issued a warning sign when they attacked right and forward Rowan Liburd’s cute flick at the near post thankfully failed to challenge Henry. On the hour mark, Dada displayed immense recovery speed to cut out a threatening Chatham counter-attack following a miscued short free kick.

It took until the 66th minute for the Kent-based side to penetrate the Robins defence when Sears threaded through Mongoy down the right channel to lash it low and hard from a tight angle and force Henry into a good stop with his outstretched leg. A few minutes later, the Reds took the lead thanks to David Smith netting his seventh of the 2024-25 Isthmian Premier Division campaign. Chats shot-stopper Wright miscued the attempted clearance just outside the penalty area and Smith was alert enough to steal the ball off him and apply the simplest of finishes into the empty net.

Keen to capitalise on the momentum garnered, Carshalton all of a sudden came alive and a flurry of attacks ensued. Ifeanyi cut inside and sent the effort narrowly wide of the post before lashing a shot across Wright from the opposite side to which the goalkeeper got down well to parry. Moments later, Saraiva’s side-footed swivelled volley from the inswinging corner was nearly turned in by Smith with his back to goal. Pushing to extend their advantage, Adeniyi’s side were aware of the importance of forging a two-goal cushion. And, in the 90th minute, Mason Saunders-Henry did exactly that, scoring his first goal since his returning from injury.

The Robins ran out 2-0 winners and ended the Chats 15 match unbeaten streak. There will be hopes that the lads can carry forward the momentum into the league clash with Dulwich Hamlet on Boxing Day. Carshalton now officially languish just inside the play-off places in fifth on 32 points. Massive result.

Up Next

Date: Thursday, December 26, 2024
Venue: Champion Hill
Kick-off: 03:00 pm
Admission: Adult £13.80, Concession £5.90, U13 Free
Tickets: Buy Tickets Here