CAFC vs Hendon FC - Match Report -

CAFC vs Hendon FC – Match Report

Paris Hamilton-Downes’s dramatic 98th-minute last-gasp leveller snatched a hard-fought 2-2 draw with Hendon in the Isthmian Premier on Saturday afternoon.

The stalemate extends Carshalton Atheletic’s unbeaten streak in the league to four games.

The Robins completed the signing of former Sheffield Wednesday forward Luke Cook this week and Manager Peter Adeniyi gave the 21-year-old an immediate first start. There was also a much-welcomed return to first-team proceedings for midfielder Florian Kastrati who has been absent since pre-season owing to injury. Club captain Hamilton-Downes and Mason Saunders-Henry, meanwhile, were the only changes from last week, Darnell Goather-Braithwaite replaced the latter in the starting XI.

It was a lively start to Carshalton’s return to league football, Fabio Saraiva demanded the front three push high and Cook obliged, spearheading an intense press where he almost dispossessed Luke Campbell between the sticks inside the first minute. Moments later, Saraiva and Dominic Vose combined for a well-worked short corner, the latter’s first-time side-footed delivery towards the near post was taken with ease by Campbell. Attacking left, Bryan Ifeanyi cut in on the edge of the penalty area and lashed an effort into the defender.

A lofted pass in behind then slipped through Azez Sankoh down the left channel with only Campbell to beat; however, the assistant raised his flag for offside. The Dons first real chance came in the 11th minute when Kai Brosnan battled through Hamstead to forge a shooting opportunity in the box, the resulting strike failed to trouble Mackenzie Foley. Despite controlling the opening 10 minutes, the game gradually opened up and before long it was the Robins who had to subdue wave after wave of attack following a momentum shift that came as a result of cheap turnovers. Billie Busari paid for his complacency and indecisiveness when he squandered a one-on-one, a huge let-off for Carshalton; however, Samuel Adenola sparred his blushes when he pegged back the Reds. The ball was worked to Adenola just outside the box and with acres of time and space he guided it into the far corner almost in slow motion. Sloppy goal to concede.

The Greens were having lots of joy down the left flank thanks to full-back Anduan Hajdini and winger Kai Brosnan. Hajdini drifted inside and sent an effort the wrong side of the post, while a burst of pace on the 20-minute mark enabled him to carry the ball up the pitch and almost tee up Brosnan if it were not for some crucial defending from Ollie Hamstead. Mid-way through, Fabio Sole attacked left and pulled it back to Niko Muir, who struck into Read – the half-hearted appeals for handball were waved away.

Up to this point, Cook had struggled to get into the match, but entering the final third of the half, Robins fans received a quick glimpse of his capabilities. The former Owls striker latched onto a lofted pass in behind and proceeded to fashion it onto his stronger right foot before whipping it towards the back post, forcing Campbell to backpedal and tip it behind for a corner at full stretch. Tommy Bradford’s resulting outswinger found the head of Fikayo Atewologun, who directed it into the hands of Campbell. Ten minutes from the break, the Reds had their best chance of the half when Sankoh’s byline cutback fell nicely into the path of Goather-Braithwaite; however, the winger’s shot was diverted around the post by the legs of Campbell.

Ifeanyi, Carshalton’s main attacking threat, carried on pushing for the leveller and skipped past a couple of defenders, sitting one down in the process, before flashing it into a Hendon body. The Dons went close to a second in additional time after the Robins were caught playing out from the back and Muir’s curling effort sailed over the bar. Heading into the break, the hosts would have felt disappointed to have not gone in all-square, especially after the golden Goather-Braithewaite chance. That said, on the break, Hendon had proved extremely dangerous, and we had lost several crucial 50/50’s.

It was the perfect start to the second 45 for the Robins, largely thanks to the brilliance of our latest addition Cook. The forward announced himself to the Carshalton faithful in spectacular fashion, flicking the ball up and blasting in off the post on the volley from an extremely tight angle. There were jubilant scenes among the home supporters as the striker wealed away in celebration.

A few minutes later, Cook was teed up down the right channel and aiming for Bradford languishing in the centre of the penalty area, he delivered a low-driven cross that Campbell cut out.

Ten minutes in and we were pegged back once again, Busari put away the Brosnan cross with a close-range header at the back post, quashing the good feeling that had been garnered. In a strange turn of events, Hajdini was brandished two cards in quick succession on the hour, which saw him exit proceedings and the Robins subsequently gifted an avenue back into the match. Probing for the equaliser, the Reds moved the ball nicely in the final third, and Ifeanyi, twisting and turning, won a corner where Read’s tame dipping flick-on was claimed by Campbell.

Adeniyi made several changes as the 75th minute beckoned, Sankoh departed for Hamilton-Downes, Bradford made way for Saunders-Henry, and Vose came off for Kastrati. The latter stages of the match played out as expected, Hendon sat deep and invited the pressure, surviving a number of shots and crosses from Carshalton. Eleven minutes from time, a lovely pattern of play found Cook out wide to cross to the front post towards Saunders-Henry, it was deflected for another corner. Not long after, a deep Frimpong delivery ensued controversy when Campbell spilt the ball and a sea of Carshalton bodies swarmed the shot-stopper to apply the follow-up into the empty net; however, the keeper was rescued by the referee’s whistle penalising a foul.

The clock ticked down and Hendon’s defensive resolve was making them impenetrable. Drifting inside, Ifeanyi attempted to inspire hopes of an equaliser, but he failed to generate any power on the effort. Frustration grew and incited a couple of clumsy challenges – substitute Charlie Kennett was booked for a mistimed sliding challenge.

In the dying embers of the six minutes injury time, it seemed less and less likely that Carshalton would snatch a richly deserved last-gasp leveller. That was until a moment of brilliance from our skipper. Frimpong laid the ball off to Hamstead, he whipped in an inch-perfect delivery towards Hamilton-Downes, who rose and somehow managed to direct the header from just inside the penalty area to nestle into the far corner in front of our faithful supporters going wild behind the goal.

In truth, the attacking intent platformed by the Robins in the first 10 minutes failed to be sustained, opening up the match and giving rise to a brief shift in momentum. We made it hard for ourselves, conceded two poor goals, and perhaps became a bit predictable at times. Despite that, the result extends our run to four league games unbeaten and leaves Carshalton in 12th place on 13 pts having played a game less than maximum (10).