CAFC Women vs Epsom & Ewell

CAFC Women vs Epsom & Ewell – Match Report

Carshalton Athletic Women secured an emphatic 5-0 drumming of Epsom & Ewell Sunday afternoon at Colston Avenue.

Heather Eade and Abbey Measures both came away with braces following a much-improved second-half performance where the Robins were ruthlessly efficient in front of goal.

There were three changes for the Robins following last Friday’s Isthmian Cup exit to tier 5 Haringey Borough, Eloise Williams returned to the starting XI after recovering from injury and was preferred to Demi Allen at the back, Daisy Olley came into the base of the midfield for Emily McCarthy, while Honey Dulley occupied the forward areas alongside Sarah Chapman with Kanita Throp unavailable.

Carshalton had a couple of early sights at goal inside the first minute, Abbey Measures dipping effort was just too high and Georgie Edwards supplied one of her quintessential long-range strikes. There was a heart-in-mouth moment a few minutes later when a defensive mix-up was thankfully rescued following some good defending from Williams. Her fellow centre-back Tanya Dady followed that up by cutting out a dangerous defence-splitting pass on the edge of the penalty area. Evie Nebbett’s long throw then fell into the path of Edwards languishing centrally, the captain’s first-time half-volley was tame and failed to test the goalkeeper.

The Reds carried on controlling proceedings. Aaron Lamont’s side put together a string of wonderful patterns of play in a bid to manoeuvre through the visitors’ backline. In the 11th minute, Carshalton took a well-deserved lead. The keeper’s stray pass gifted Dulley the ball, and the attacker drove unchallenged towards goal. She squared it to Eade, who applied the simple finish into the empty net.

CARSHALTON ATHLETIC WOMENS vs EPSOM AND EWELL 27/102024 COLSTON AVENUE, Photography by Linval Bartley @linbartley Photography

Pushing to extend their advantage, Chapper’s attacked left and produced a delivery aiming for Dulley free in space in the penalty area, the 17-year-old did not get the intended connection on the flick-on, however, Measures, arriving late, pulled it back across the face of goal to Dulley who mistimed her header. On the 20-minute mark, Epsom dragged an edge of the box set-piece wide of the post as the Robins went up the other end and won a penalty thanks to Dulley being caught driving on the outside of the defender. Carshalton squandered a golden opportunity to go two goals for the better after Eade’s side-footed spot kick rattled the bar.

Mid-way through, Reds shot-stopper Georgina Solley was sparred her blushes when she split the ball and almost presented the Salts with a chance to draw level if it were not for the alert reactions of her defenders who disrupted the opponent’s close range. Not long after, confusion ensued between Solley and Williams which caused the former to drive her attempted clearance into the onrushing forward, who latched onto it and stabbed it the wrong side of the post.

The match entered a bit of a loll in the final third of the half as both sides cancelled each other out. The Robins successfully got the ball in behind Epsom but struggled to create any clear-cut chances. With five minutes until the break, Carshalton displayed more attacking intent, Chapman’s dipping cross found Measures a couple of yards from goal, but the wing-backs touch let her down. On the stroke of half-time, Dulley brushed off her defender to carry the ball down the right channel and inside – skipping around another Salt, she tried to poke it through the goalkeeper’s legs from an extremely tight angle, but the shot-stopper diverted it onto the post.

In the opening stages of the second half, Eade found herself in a threatening position just outside the area, her loose pass ran for a goal kick. Dulley, gradually emerging as Carshalton’s main attacking threat, slipped through a chasing Eade, but she was beaten for pace by the defender. Eventually, the Robins received their just deserts and forged a two-goal cushion. An alert Eade came agonisingly close to latching onto a Salts backpass and despite the keeper reaching it before the striker, the shot-stoppers cleared only as far as Measures, who returned it goalwards, lifting it into the back of the net.

Growing in confidence, Edwards’ lofted pass in behind teed up Eade who took the ball down and lashed it into the side netting. On the hour mark, Measures completed her brace to give the Robins a three-goal lead over the visitors. Our wing-backs combined to devastating effect, Gueriani attacked left, drove into the penalty area, and cut it back across the face of goal to Measures, firing into the roof of the net.

Before long, it was two goals in as many minutes, Dulley finally had her efforts rewarded when she registered herself on the scoresheet. The forward maintained her composure one-on-one to guide the ball beyond the goalkeeper to nestle inside the near post. The No. 7 was back at it again 70 minutes in, her trickery almost paying dividends when she deceived the defender to drift inside and flash an effort into the side netting. Dulley carried on causing the Salts backline a lot of problems as Chapman poked it into the path of the onrushing attacker, who tried lobbing the keeper, but it did not quite dip in time to creep underneath the crossbar.

Approaching the final third of the game, Chapman and Dulley combined once more, the latter powering it straight at the shot-stopper before bravely following up and watching her effort trickle narrowly wide. Over the next eight minutes or so, Eade would be denied one-on-one on consecutive occasions; however, third time lucky, she netted after squandering the initial chance but converting the follow-up much to her relief.

Despite the result, Carshalton remain fifth in the Surrey Premier Division on 10 points after Sutton United Reserves thumped Old Tiffians 7-0.