It was a tough day at the office for the Robins as a third away game in a week yielded no reward, writes James Barrett.
A goal in each half was enough for the hosts to send us home dejected on an airplane despite a more promising second-half display after suffering a red card before half-time.
Team news: Ricardo Panton, Austin Gacheru and Jordan Clarke all came back into the starting line-up, while Tommy Bradford and Bobby Price were named on the bench. Matt Males had to deputise at centre back meaning Jordan Higgs was given a start in his favoured midfield position.
We made a jittery start to proceedings but forced the first save of the game on six minutes – Sean O’Toole won a free kick 25 yards from goal but Brendan Murphy-McVey’s shot was held at full stretch by keeper Chris Tardif.
Real threat
The first real threat on our goal came on 12 minutes as Dominic Heaume beat Raphique Howell to a pass into our box to allow Ross Allen to spin and hit a shot millimetres over Jack Eden’s crossbar.
Mickel Miller had a shot deflected for a corner two minutes later which Guernsey defended. They broke but we in turn managed to get back on the attack with Clarke who took the ball forward 50 yards before sending it out to O’Toole. The winger pinged in an early cross which Gacheru met with a flick header but it was always going wide.
Murphy-McVey began to pull the strings in our midfield and he played several smart passes which almost developed positive attacks but for some good defending.
But we fell behind on 23 minutes as our hosts broke quickly from one of our attacks and Dave Rihoy forced our defence to backpedal to our 18 yard line before he slipped in Ross who beat Eden with an angled drive.
We traded attacks as Eden clutched a Rihoy shot and Clarke displayed quick feet to work an opportunity but his 20 yard effort dipped just wide of the target.
Decisive interceptions
Males and Tony Sinclair were called on to make decisive interceptions as Guernsey started to become the more dominate force in terms of creating chances, but Clarke and Howell combined on the left before Murphy-McVey dinked a pass into a run by Gacheru. The striker turned goalwards but his firm hit was blocked in the six yard box.
Eden made his first big save of the afternoon on 36 minutes as Ross outmuscled last defender Howell on a long ball and found himself one-on-one with our shot-stopper whom stayed big and blocked with his legs.
The game’s big talking point came six minutes before the break and originated from a scuffed clearance by Eden. Green shirts piled forward and it became congested inside our area before Ross went round a sprawling Eden and had his shot handled on the line by a covering Males. Heaume slammed the loose ball in but the referee cut the loud celebrations short by blowing up for a penalty and showing our man a straight red card.
Ross sent his spot-kick to Eden’s right but our man flew across and grasped it out of the air to prevent the forward getting his second of the afternoon.
HALF-TIME: 1 – 0
But that good start was undone on 51 minutes as a dummied through ball put Jamie Dodd in on goal and he beat Eden from a narrowing angle.
Price made an advance down the right on the hour and rode a lunging tackle by Tom Strawbridge before his cross was met by Gacheru but his goalbound header took a slight nick off a defender. Tardif flapped at the corner which was eventually half cleared. We kept the ball in and around the 18 yard box before O’Toole’s low cross wasn’t met by anyone in red.
Higgs bravely blocked a goalbound effort in front of Eden before our keeper fingertipped a Glyn Dyer piledriver around the far post as Guernsey threatened to extend their lead.
A flurry of substitutions took place as the game headed into the last quarter of an hour, including Ryan Young coming on for Miller, but we didn’t give Tardif any real problems despite looking neat and tidy in possession.
Young combined with Bradford down the left on 80 minutes and a cross tempted Gacheru to try an overhead kick which just failed to connect. The ball fell at the feet of O’Toole but he too failed to connect with it and the ball was cleared.
Our last good chance to salvage something from the afternoon came four minutes later as Clarke backheeled a pass for Price to cut across the 18 yard box. He used a defender as a screen and squeezed a low left-footed shot off only for Tardif to get down at the last second and stop it from rolling in.
Next up: we visit Faversham Town on Saturday 28th February before heading to Redhill on Saturday 7th March. We then welcome Hastings United to Colston Avenue on Saturday 14th March.
Carshalton Athletic: Eden; Panton, Sinclair (c), Males, Howell (Price – 46); Miller (Young – 72), Clarke, Higgs, O’Toole; Murphy-McVey (Bradford – 46), Gacheru
Unused sub: Sallis
Booked: Males, Miller, Panton
Sent off: Males
Guernsey: Tardif, Cochrane (c) (Steel – 76), Dyer (Winch – 68), Strawbridge, Dodd, Loaring (Prevost – 82), Rihoy, Black, Heaume, Ross, McGrath
Unused subs: Geall, Machlowski
Goals: Ross (23), Dodd (51)
Booked: Dyer, Cochrane, McGrath
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