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CAFC vs Cray Valley PM – Match Report

Carshalton Athletic suffered a slender 2-1 defeat to Cray Valley PM in the Isthmian Premier Division on New Year’s Day at Colston Avenue despite an improved second half performance. 

There were three changes for Peter Adeniyi’s side following the 2-0 defeat to Chichester City FC on Saturday. Mackenzie Foley made way for Dion Henry between the sticks owing to injury, while in attack Darnell Goather-Braithwaite and Luke Cook were replaced by Bryan Ifeanyi and David Smith respectively.

The first chance of the match fell the way of the Millers inside five minutes. Tom Beere’s right flank set piece just inside the Robins’s own half was whipped into the penalty area, and Mohammad Idris Oshilja’s resulting header failed to test Henry. A few minutes later, up the other end, Luke Read went to ground as he attempted to latch onto Tommy Bradford’s inswinging corner; appeals for a penalty were waved away. However, the visitors took the lead inside ten minutes when Danny Waldren squared the ball across to Tom Beere, who was languishing in the centre of the area in acres of space, and the former Robin applied the simple tap-in. 

Keen to capitalise on the opener, Valley’s Fumnaya Shomotun used his trickery to beat Read and arrow the ball across the face of goal; Henry got a crucial hand to it to divert it away from the dangerous Freddie Parker. Moments later, Read’s tenacity almost paid off as the full-back won the close-range header in the penalty area but could not quite prevent it from sailing high over the bar.

The inverted Azez Sankoh drove towards the Millers’ goal and cutely slipped through David Smith; unfortunately, the striker was stretching to reach the ball, and subsequently, the effort was tame. 

On the 20-minute mark, Saraiva tried to inspire the leveller himself, unleashing one of his quintessential audacious long-range strikes, and it was not far away, having Ovenden worried momentarily, diving to cover his near post.

However, Valley issued an immediate reply when Barney Williams produced a moment of brilliance out of nowhere, cutting inside and curling the ball beyond a diving Henry to nestle it into the far corner.

A succession of Carshalton crosses into the penalty area from either flank caused the Millers a few problems and sent a warning sign that despite the visitor’s two-goal cushion, the Reds were not out of the clash just yet. Udoka Chima’s low-driven delivery was for some reason left to run by Read, Smith, and Kwaku Frimpong, presumably because they each believed the other would apply the finish. Then Bryan Ifeanyi powered it towards Read at the back post, who dragged the diving header wide.

The Reds enjoyed the lion’s share of possession and probed the resolute Valley backline, struggling to break them down. That said, with five minutes until the break, the Robins started to create more chances of note. Bradford teed up Mason Saunders-Henry to come onto the ball and whip a delivery towards Frimpong at the far post; however, the winger proceeded to volley it over, albeit from a tight angle. Not long after, Read’s dipping cross was cushioned over by the head of Bradford. Towards the latter stages, a good passage of play saw Carshalton penetrate the visitors, and Saraiva flash the ball into the defender before pinball ensued and the linesman raised his flag for offside. On the stroke of half-time, Read made a crucial sliding block to deny Shomotun’s threatening low-driven volley that threatened to call Henry into action. 

In the opening stages of the second 45, it was the Millers who were demonstrating the attacking intent. Beere came close to completing his brace when he nearly poked the ball past Henry following a lofted pass in behind. There was also a speculative shot from range that followed, although it sailed well over the bar. Frustration grew as the Reds were nullified every time they got into the visitor’s half. Pushing for their third of the afternoon, a sustained period of defending ensued for Adeniyi’s side; Parker’s strike ricocheted off the defender and out for a corner, while Oshilaja’s effort just inside the penalty area deflected to rattle the bar; Henry was rooted to the spot. 

Ten minutes into the half the lads had settled. Carshalton broke at pace, and Ifeanyi worked it out wide to Read, who saw his threatening delivery cleared by the first man. Approaching the hour mark, the whipped touchline set piece took a couple of deflections and eventually fell to the feet of Fikayo Atewologun; however, his touch let him down. A few minutes later, Darnell Goather Braithwaite, who replaced Chima, delivered into the area and saw it narrowly elude the head of Smith. Saraiva’s corner then produced an acrobatic volley out of Read before Goather-Braithwaite’s close-range follow-up won another corner. Bradford’s inswinger nearly halved the deficit as pinball ensued and the ball trickled agonisingly wide of the post. The Millers thought they had scored a third in the 70th minute, but thankfully it was adjudged offside. 

Eventually, the Robins received their just deserts, and Smith converted his seventh of the 2024-25 campaign to forge Adeniyi’s side an avenue back into the match. The ball was arrowed across from the right, and the forward’s bullet close-range header beat Ovenden between the sticks.

With ten minutes until time, Ifeanyi’s trickery enabled the young winger to drift inside and manufacture the shooting opportunity to the right of the penalty area; Ovenden made the save with his legs before Smith failed to convert the follow-up and was ruled offside. Following a pause to proceedings so Parker could receive some treatment, Ifeanyi was brought down in the penalty area, and the referee controversially waved away the appeals. There was a huge let-off for Carshalton in the dying embers of normal time; Shomotun whipped the ball across to Adam Coombes, who, despite being under no pressure, stopped after tamely stabbing at Henry, perhaps thinking he was offside.

Unfortunately, the Reds suffered a third loss in a row and dropped to ninth in the Isthmian Premier Division on 32 points. There will be hopes that Adeniyi’s side can get back to winning ways on Saturday against Horsham.

Up Next

Date: Saturday, January 4, 2024
Venue: Fusion Aviation Community Stadium
Kick-off: 03:00 pm
Admission: £13 (Adult), £8 (Concessions), £3 (U16), Free (U6) – online prices – on the gate is a pound dearer except for U6s.
Tickets: Buy online tickets here