CAFC vs Boreham Wood FC – Match Report
Carshalton Athletic exited the FA Cup after a 4-0 defeat at the hands of a ruthlessly efficient Step 4 Boreham Wood away at Meadow Park on Saturday afternoon.
The National League South outfit opened the scoring inside the first three minutes through Kwesi Appiah and extended their advantage on the stroke of halftime despite the Robins being in the ascendancy. The Wood added a third as the hour beckoned before Appiah completed the brace heading into the last third of the match.
Manager Peter Adeniyi favoured a change in shape for the Robins trip, deploying the lads in a 5-3-2 formation instead of his preferred 4-3-3. Therefore, right winger Darnell Goather-Braithwaite made way for centre-back Fikayo Atewologun owing to the extra body in defence. For Adeniyi’s counterpart Luke Garrard, No. 10 Tyrone Marsh dropped to the bench for Abdul Abdulmalik, the Wood otherwise naming a strong team and giving Carshalton the respect their recent league form warranted.
As expected, the Whites and Blacks controlled the lion’s share possession from the get-go, probing Carshalton’s low block. The quality of the Wood was immediately apparent as the hosts took an early lead thanks to a defence-splitting Erico Sousa pass to Abdulmalik on the left side of the penalty area, who pulled it back for the in-form Appiah to turn in. That was the forward’s fifth goal of the 2024-25 campaign so far. Keen to capitalise on the momentum, the Woods high press got even more intense and forced a defensive error or two.
That said, the Robins gradually demonstrated more attacking intent, Mason Saunders-Henry made a scintillating driving run through the middle before he was bundled over on entrance to the Wood’s half. Also, Fabio Saraiva’s perfectly weighted pass sent Aziz Sankoh clear away to attack left and deliver towards Tommy Bradford; however, it was cleared away for a corner. Nearing the 20-minute mark, Garrard’s side came close to a second when the out-swinging corner was glanced over by the head of Charlie O’Connell.
The North London club carried on working the ball very well in and around the Robins penalty area, desperately trying to break down Adeniyi’s resilient backline, although wave after wave of attack was subdued. Mid-way through, Ollie Hamstead was adjudged to have fouled the attacker on the right-hand side of the penalty area, Tom Whelan’s set piece deflected off the wall and grazed the post as Carshalton players, supporters, and staff alike all breathed a sigh of relief.
A few moments later, the Reds won a free kick for a welcomed break in play which would incite an extremely promising 5–10-minute attacking spell. Adeniyi’s side were moving the ball extremely nicely in the Wood’s final third with an overhit Hamstead diagonal and an errant Atewologun pass warning signs of the Robins desire to secure a leveller. A stray pass teed up Bryan Ifeanyi one-on-one to bamboozle the defender before he went to ground after a couple of stepovers, having his claims for a penalty waved away. From the resulting corner, a quick give and go meant Saraiva found himself with the ball on the byline, lashing a powerfully hit low-driven cross at Nathan Ashmore’s near post, the shot-stopper parrying it for another corner.
Very much in the ascendancy, Carshalton attacked again through Sankoh after the young full-back was played through in behind down the left and beat the defender for pace to send a threatening delivery across the face of goal. Nobody in red was there to turn it in, much to the dissatisfaction of the travelling support; however, Read’s tenacity paid off as his follow-up was diverted for a corner which came to nothing.
Five minutes from the break, Whelan’s outswinger found Cameron Coxe in space, but he could not control the height as it flew over.
Unfortunately, the half ended in a similar vein to how it started, with a goal for the Wood. Hamstead had the ball stolen off him in our own third, the attacker carried it into the box and squared to Abdulmalik who controlled and calmly stroked it into the far corner to cement a two-goal cushion for Garrard’s side going into the break. Despite a nervy start, Carshalton had settled into the occasion and could have equalised towards the latter stages. While there had been a succession of shots and crosses, the hosts had taken their two clear-cut chances.
Following a brief pause owing to a head injury, Saraiva’s audacious 35-yard effort, which had Ashmore worried momentarily, searched to halve the deficit at the beginning of the second 45. Brilliant one-touch football then enabled Carshalton to work it into the final third and win a set piece in a dangerous position. Saraiva swung in the right-flank free kick deep towards the head of Read at the back post; however, he was beaten to it by the defender who cleared the danger.
Following Hamstead’s well-timed sliding challenge to deny Dixon, the Wood won a corner and made it three through a Coxe free header. On the hour, Sankoh, taking it upon himself to inspire the comeback of all comebacks, drove inside to lay it off to Read, who had his searching cross cleared. Not long after, Sankoh’s side-footed curling effort from the edge of the penalty area travelled through a pile of bodies and straight down the throat of Ashmore.
There was a double change mid-way, Charlie Kennett replaced Sankoh, while Atewologun departed for Kwaku Frimpong making a return to first-team proceedings following a prolonged absence due to injury. In the 72nd minute, Garrard’s side sealed a fourth of the afternoon when Erico Sousa drifted in from the left to slip through the wide man who pulled it back for Appiah to apply the finish.
Even though the Wood were four goals better off, Mackenzie Foley had spent large amounts of the game with very little to do in the way of saves. 76 minutes in and Foley was called into action, substitute Tyrone Marsh fashioned the ball onto his stronger right but failed to get the intended whip as the former Erith Town shot-stopper parried it away from close range. Up the other end, Ifeanyi flashed a low-driven delivery across the face of goal which neither Stagg nor Goather-Braithewaite could latch onto and convert into the empty net. The final chance of the game fell seven minutes from time, Ifeanyi carried the ball into the box and shifted it onto his left before unleashing a powerful strike which was seemingly denied by the woodwork.
While being knocked out of the FA Cup is disappointing for all associated with Carshalton, the lads did the club proud. The Wood sit seventh in the NLS and will have hopes of bouncing straight back up to the National League after suffering relegation last year. And even though Garrard’s side have netted 19 times in the league, our defensive resolve limited them to four clear-cut chances – frustratingly they took all four thanks to their ruthless efficiency. It also did not help that we conceded at the worst possible times. The boys gave it everything against full-time opposition, but sadly it was not enough and our FA Cup journey came to an unfortunate end.
Up Next
Date: Saturday, October 19, 2024
Venue: Colston Avenue
Kickoff: 03:00 PM
Admission: Admission: £11, £8, £5 (online prices) and on the gate is a pound dearer.
Tickets: Buy Online Tickets Here
