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Carshalton’s involvement in this season's AFA Intermediate Cup was ended at Beddington Park on Saturday when they were defeated by an Old Finchleians side which somewhat surprisingly finds itself this season struggling in the league and currently occupying the first division’s bottom berth.

This tie kicked-off in treacherous conditions of driving wind and rain that saw the ball skidding off a watery pitch that stood up remarkably well to the soaking it received. Both sets of players struggled to combat the conditions with many passes going astray as they were misdirected or over hit, although the visitors did appear to have one or two players who were able to put a foot on the ball, and in doing so brought some welcome control to the proceedings. The opening 20 minutes saw the sides battling hard for territorial supremacy, but neither creating a chance of any note. However, the first real chance when it came along produced the opening goal in the 24^th minute for the away side, when a defensive mix-up on the edge of the area between keeper and full back led to the Finchleian’s centre-forward squaring the resultant loose ball to his fellow forward, who smartly drilled his shot low into the empty net. The half time break arrived without there having been any further scoring opportunities and with the home side having had by their normal standards a very poor first half.

The second half was only 10 minutes old when Cars suffered a further setback, midfielder Michael Winyard caught on the head by a high Finchleian’s boot which resulted in him going off to hospital with a badly gashed forehead. The next passage of play proved to be the turning point of the afternoon and came right on the hour mark when Cars, who had seen a couple of earlier penalty appeals waved away, had yet another shout when Paul Pearce appeared to be pulled back as he attacked the left-back in the area. Once again the referee turned down the loud appeals, and it was whilst Cars vented their frustration at the official, Finchleians hit them with the classic counter attack, breaking with speed down the left flank, swapping a series of passes, and nicking the crucial second goal. As the half reached its midway point the visitors were playing by far the better football and looked comfortable, in control, and good value for their two-goal advantage. So, what happened next was extremely disappointing. Young Cars right-back Michael Hammond having collected a loose ball was attempting to clear his lines when he was the victim of diabolical tackle that was late, over-the-top, had studs showing and caught him high on his knee. Even making an allowance for the very slippery surface there could be no excuses for this challenge, which left the referee no option, but to reach into his pocket, produce his red card, and show it to the offending player. Now playing against ten men the home side at last began to assert some pressure on the Finchleian’s back four as they went in search of the goal that would see them back in the tie. With 18 minutes remaining Cars best move of the game ended with a shot from Pearce hitting the base of the near post. Just moments later Cars had another good chance when second half substitute Jon Phillips saw his left foot drive whistle inches past the far upright. Cars best chance of the day though, came late in the game when Pearce came sliding in at the far post to make contact with a low driven cross only to see the keeper get across his six-yard box to pull off a tremendous save, which finally put an end to any hopes Cars had of a comeback. The ten men of Finchleians successfully played out the final minutes of the game to deservedly book their place in the next round.

In the dressing room afterwards Cars offered many reasons for their poor showing, but were also in agreement that the best team on the day had in fact gone through. In a bitterly disappointing showing there hadn’t been a Cars player that stood out during the match. Therefore, perhaps understandably the MOM was not a home player, but was, and surely there can be no argument, the Finchleians' left-back who gave one of the best performances from a visiting player seen at Beddington Park for many a season.

Beddington Hotspur