Carshalton Athletic v Cray Wanderers
Isthmian Premier – Saturday 15th March – Match Report
Carshalton Athletic 2
Saraiva 61, Saunders-Henry 90
Cray Wanderers 1
Damyanov 73
Cray Wanderers outside hopes of reaching the Isthmian Premier playoffs took a knock as Carshalton Athletic moved up to 6th after a last gasp victory as ex-Wand Mason Saunders-Henry bundled in a header in the last minute to edge a closely fought match at Colston Avenue.
Cray edged a goalless first half of few chances but fell behind in the 61st minute when Fabio Saraiva who was on the day the best Robins player fired in from Olu Babajide’s cross. However, Cray showed their resilience and levelled in the 73rd minute through substitute Victor Damyanov who showed great composure for one so young to slip the ball through Aaron Watkins’ legs. Carshalton though were not to be denied the three points can claimed the points with a scrappy winner when a free kick was glanced against the post and Saunders-Henry headed in from close range. The win keeps Carshalton just two points behind 5th placed Dover and must be considered live playoff contenders.
On a mild afternoon played in mid-March sunshine throughout the match pitted the teams in 8th and 10th at the start of the game and although it wasn’t a classic after a fairly sedate first half hour it became an intriguing contest between two confident sides with the Cray Massive in good hearty voice behind the goal.
There was a blow for Cray with Soul Kader absent through an injury picked up in training so fellow Bromley loanee George Penn came in his place with ex-Robin Nyren Clunis playing as the loan striker. Carshalton had lost just one of the last 11 league games and there was an unchanged lineup to the side which won at Cheshunt last Saturday with a couple of other ex-Wands starting in Josh Shonibare and David Smith.
The match started with Carshalton threatening with a shot wide from Michael Dada but Cray very lively and won a couple of corners and were playing the ball around nicely but couldn’t quite get into a real position to test Aaron Watkins seriously in the Robins goal.
For Carshalton Dada saw a shot held by Shaun Rowley but the game began to pick up and in the 30th minute Josh Williams cut inside from the right and hit a low shot saved by Watkins.
Four minutes later for Carshalton, Sharon Ifeanyi down the right put over a cross that was pushed away and came to Paris Hamilton-Downes whose shot was turned round the left post well by Rowley.
Cray came closest in the first half to breaking the deadlock five minutes before the break when down the right of the area Williams fired in a shot at the near post pushed out by Watkins and then saved the follow up strike from Lateef Adaja.
At half time it seemed like the game was just beginning to warm up and little to choose between the teams.
HT: 0-0
The second half began very scrappy but livened up when Fabio Saraiva received the ball for Carshalton and he hit a decent strike from the edge of the area which Rowley had to get behind and push over for a corner.
For Cray, striker Tom Borders came on for George Penn and showed some positive touches up front but chances for Cray were few and far between.
In the 61st minute Carshalton took the lead when a loose ball was picked up Saraiva who played the ball out to the left to Olu Babujide who had time to play in a cross into the box for Saraiva who hit the ball first time into the net from 12 yards.
Cray now had to stay in the game with Victor Damyanov coming on for Adaja and Eze Ebezoume fired a shot well over the bar.
The Wands though kept plugging away and over the game deservedly levelled when down the right Williams worked his way to just outside the area and unselfishly laid the ball across to Damyanov who with supreme confidence and assurance slotted the ball under Watkins for his first league goal of what could be many for the Wands.
A draw was probably not the score both were looking for in their quest for the playoffs and both tried to get a positive result. For Cray, Frankie Raymond fired over from a free kick in a central position twenty yards out.
Carshalton almost took the lead when Luke Read from outside the box hit a fine strike which Rowley did superbly to push over for a corner.
It was the final minute when Carshalton won a free kick out on the right and the ball into the box saw a header glanced against the left post possibly by David Smith but following up substitute Mason Saunders-Henry was nodded into the net.
Cray looked to respond in the added time with Tom Bonner playing up front but it wasn’t to be as the final ball into him was lacking and in the end ran out of time and made it back to back away defeats against fellow playoff contenders but had run them close and maybe a game where a point apiece would have been a fair reflection of the proceedings.
The Wands will next have two home matches to finish March with Bowers & Pitsea who need the points to move off the bottom of the table on Saturday 22nd March and then Dover who are now just two points clear of Carshalton and Chichester City on 29th March.
Carshalton Athletic: Aaron Watkins, Joshua Shonibare, Olu Atewologun, Luke Read, Paris Hamilton-Downes, Fabio Saraiva, Michael Dada, Kwaku Frimpong, Sharon Ifeanyi, Olu Babajide, David Smith
Cray Wanderers: Shaun Rowley, Ike Orji, Remi Sutton, Tom Bonner, Darion Dowrich, Lateef Adaja (Victor Damyanov, 62), Frankie Raymond, Eze Ebezoume (Quade Taylor, 90+3), George Penn (Tom Borders, 54), Josh Williams, Nyren Clunis: Subs: George Clark, Michael Ihiedi
Att: 588
