CAFC 0-0 Lewes FC – Match Report
Mackenzie Foley’s string of excellent saves ensured a hard-fought goalless draw with league toppers Lewes FC.
Foley’s heroism in the dying embers of the game denied Nabeul Ghabbam twice from close range in a matter of seconds, claiming a much-deserved first clean sheet of the 2024/25 campaign.
Peter Adeniyi named an unchanged team from the side that beat Haywards Heath 3-1 last week to progress into the second qualifying round of the FA Cup. On the bench, there was a much-welcomed return to first-team action for Bryan Ifeanyi, Mason Saunders-Henry, and Andy Somo, while Charlie Kennett, Soloman Baugh, and Sanchez Ming dropped out of the squad altogether. For Lewes, meanwhile, there were two changes from Monday’s cup defeat – Ethan Kaiser and Josh Williams made way for Eddie Allsopp and Ben Mundele.
The referee blew his whistle to commence the tie and almost immediately Carshalton were threatening. Tommy Stagg received the ball in the left channel and let fly on the swivel before the assistant raised his flag. Stagg carried on his fast start to the game with his intense high press coming agonisingly close to latching onto a loose back pass to the keeper.
Six minutes in and the Rooks were presented with a gift of a chance, a lofted pass over the top saw Atewologun get the ball caught under his feet and an alert Danny Bassett pounced to dispossess the centre-back and square it to Ladapo free on the edge of the box; however, his effort failed to trouble Foley.
Carshalton would have to wait until the 12th minute for another sight at goal and it would only be a half chance. Azez Sankho played the ball inside to Tommy Bradford languishing outside the penalty area and the captain attempted to whip it into the far corner, however, he drove it against the defender.
The Reds were spared their blushes when the hosts were caught playing out from the back. Marcus Sablier intercepted a loose pass and squared to Bassett, but thankfully the Robins 21/22 top goalscorer decided to favour the outside-the-boot technique and shot straight down the throat of Foley who did not even have to move.
On the 20 mark, Dominic Vose’s tenacity paid dividends teeing up Darnell Goather-Braithwaite to drive through the centre and cutely slip through Gody. Attacking left, the winger cut back but did not get the whip he intended and had to settle for his effort sailing well wide of the post. Moments later, Vose’s short corner enabled Gody to lash a strike goalbound, it was cleared only as far as Vose again and the resulting cross narrowly evaded everyone in red.
Mid-way through, a Rooks short corner caught the Robins unaware and Allsopp’s right delivery into the danger area was crucially diverted away from goal by the head of a Carshalton defender. Entering the final third, some good work from Luke Read down the right flank meant the right-back could lay it off to Bradford to come onto and pick out Stagg front post. The striker, with his back to goal, poked a foot at the bobbling ball on the half-turn, the wrong side of the post.
Ten minutes until the break and Read was once again involved in the attacking transition, sending a through ball into the path of Goather-Braithwaite in the right pocket, who had angled his run goalbound. However, the tight angle prevailed and last week’s goalscorer watched his effort over the bar.
Towards the backend of the half, Carshalton were in the ascendancy. Bradford’s chipped ball in behind reached Stagg and allowed the 21-year-old to carry the ball up the pitch, working it to Sankho free on the opposite flank, the full-back’s dipping cross was denied by an attempted clearance that ensued a pinball-like scramble before Stagg’s miscued side-footed shot saw the assistants flag raised for an offside.
The final chance before the break fell to Goather-Braithwaite and it was one of his own making. Winning the ball in the final third, the winger combined well with Stagg to manufacture an opportunity to lash an effort goalwards from 20 yards, which was a whisker away from nestling in the top far corner.
And with that, a tightly contested first 45 concluded.
The swivelling Stagg returned for the second 45 as the attacker’s third attempt on the half turn was his best yet, connecting sweetly to volley across keeper Toby Bull and force the shot-stopper to push it away at full stretch. Despite that, Lewes issued a warning sign up the other end of the pitch when Basset, drifting in from the left, had an effort comfortably gathered by Foley, more on our goalkeeper later.
Probing the visitor’s backline, the Robins worked it left to right with Saraiva getting the faintest of touches to flick on a low cross to Vose on the edge of the penalty area, who dragged his first-time shot wide.
In the 55th minute, Jack Enkh’s floated ball in behind held up in the wind and deceived Read, Ladapo capitalised and forged a one-on-one with Foley, driving against the keeper for a corner. Not long after, Ladapo was causing problems again, nearly turning in a delivery at the front post. Following that, the Rooks had their appeals for a penalty waved away without a second thought by the referee when Matthew Warren went to ground.
On the hour, some Gody trickery won a free kick on the left of the penalty area with the culprit booked. Vose stepped up and the dipping set piece angling in under the bar was tipped over by a diving Bull.
Stagg’s attempted finesse shot which sailed tamely wide of the post would prove to be his last involvement in proceedings and the striker was hooked for Bryan Ifeanyi. Ifeanyi made an immediate impact, controlling Bradford’s low-driven cross to the front post and driving against the defender for a corner.
As the final third beckoned, the winger, twisting and turning, beat several defenders to manoeuvre himself into the box from the right and eventually flash a close-range effort into the head of a defender guarding the line. Up the other end, former Robin Basset dispossessed Atewologun and powered a shot at Foley, but the keeper reacted and got down extremely well to parry.
A defensive mix-up then produced a heart-in-mouth moment for players, staff, and supporters alike. With ten minutes until time, newly introduced Josh Williams beat his man and squared the ball across the face of goal to Ghannam in acres of space, a couple of yards out. He simply had to score.
However, alert to the danger, Foley was off his line in rapid fashion, made himself big, and took a well-struck first-time strike to the head. The Robins goalkeeper’s heroics did not end there as seconds later he was called into action to deny the Rooks astounded attackers once again. The onlooking Lewes players dropped to their knees in disbelief.
With the clock ticking down, Saraiva let fly for one of his quintessential long-range efforts when a dipping half-volley resulted in an acrobatic save from Bull, shortly after the midfielder was penalised for a foul in the build-up and received a caution.
Pushing for the winner, Carshalton came close to succeeding in the most unlikely of circumstances. Substitute Andy Somo gave chase to a back pass and almost got his just deserts when the keeper fired it straight back at him and the rebound came agonisingly close to going in.
On the 90, Ifeanyi carried the ball left and lashed a shot into the defender before Saunders-Henry cutting inside slashed wide.
The Robins could breathe a sigh of relief when some neat passing from the trio of Sablier, Bassett, and Ghannam, saw the later blast over just inside the box.
That would be the final passage of the play, and the match finished goalless between the two sides.
Despite the result and going toe to toe with a team that have taken maximum points from their first five games, there was a sombre atmosphere among the players and staff, largely owing to their lack of a clinical edge, which disappointed Adeniyi.
That being said, Foley’s impressive performance was rewarded with a first clean sheet of the season and Carshalton avoided three consecutive league defeats after scorelines that have failed to reflect the displays by our lads.
CARSHALTON ATHLETIC: Foley Read Hamstead Atewologun Sankoh Vose Camacho-Saraiva Bradford (C) Stagg Gody Goather-Braithwaite; SUBS: Hamilton-Downes Ifeanyi Jackson Kabujko Somo Saunders Henry
LEWES: Bull Puemo Enkh Warren Allsopp Sablier Bassett (C) Mundele Allen Ladapo Muirhead; SUBS: Morris Williams Ghannam Hutchinson Jeffrey
UP Next
Next week the Red’s league campaign breaks for cup action as South Park Reigate take the short trip to Colston Avenue for the Second qualifying round of the FA Cup.
