AFA Intermediate Cup Round 3 – 26th November 2005

Carshalton produced something of a shock at Enfield Grammar School on Saturday defeating their hosts Enfield Old Grammarians to book a place in the quarter-finals of the AFA Intermediate Cup where they’ll meet Wake Green from Solihull, West Midlands.

Both sets of players were very tentative in the early stages on what was a good playing surface but nevertheless an extremely small sized pitch.  However, once the sides had settled it was the visitors who seized the initiative and were unlucky not to take an early lead when in the 20^th minute Shane Bowes burst free of his marker to cross for Paul Pearce whose header was goal bound until cannoning off a defender and going out for a corner.  Moments later the Cars strikers again linked-up well – on this occasion Pearce finding Bowes who rifled a shot narrowly wide of the upright.  Although the home side was playing some neat football in the middle of the park they hadn’t really troubled the Cars goal until that is the 28^th minute when their centre-forward forced Terry Vinson into a great save down low at the near post and, though the follow-up was bundled over the line by the other Grammarians’ forward, the match official Mr. Last correctly ruled the effort out for a handball.  Finally, after Grammarians had failed to clear their lines from a 31^st minute corner on their right, Pearce broke the deadlock, crashing the ball high into the net from 8-yards having met Bowes near post delivery.  Just two minutes later Grammarians were indebted to their keeper when he produced a superb stop to prevent Pearce doubling the lead from 20-yards.  Cars definitely had their opponents on the back foot towards the end of the first half, which saw them create a host of further chances.  Firstly, Alex Corner got on the end of Steve Powell’s long ball to the back post but wasn’t able unfortunately keep his header down, defender Billy Andrews then blasted over the crossbar after a great run from the halfway line, and lastly, Pearce caused mayhem in the six-yard box from which his strike partner Bowes almost benefited.  Grammarians, having been under the kosh for almost the entire first half went very close to stealing an equaliser on the stroke of half-time – Vinson having to dive at full stretch to keep out a free-kick that appeared to be creeping in at his near post.

The first opening of the second half might have seen the tie put beyond the reach of the home side, but Cars’ Andy Clower from on the edge of the 18-yard box pushed his shot past the far post with the Grammarians’ keeper struggling to make up the ground and get across his six-yard area.  Following in the 56^th minute a corner on the left, the home side, capitalizing somewhat on the Cars inability to clear their lines, forced the ball in at the far post to get back on level terms.  The Cars response was immediate and a flowing move led to Bowes going agonizingly close to restoring the lead with a superb strike from 20-yards that went just the wrong side of left-hand upright.  If the Cars youngsters were in anyway intimidated by their more experienced opponents then they certainly weren’t showing it, regaining the lead in the 59^th minute through Neal Collard who slotted home from 6-yards after a near post Stuart Jefferys corner.  Grammarians, having seen their playmaker leave the field with an injury now began to resort to hitting long balls over the top in a misdirected belief that one of their forwards would eventually get on the end of one.  More often than not though these were dealt with easily by Cars skipper Chris Tilley and the rest of his back four.  With ten minutes remaining Bowes having been set-up by substitute Adam Taylor, effectively ended the game as a contest, nut-megging the home keeper from a couple of yards and thereby sealing his side’s progress through to the next round.  Two minutes later Taylor completed the afternoon’s scoring when he audaciously flicked the ball off his heel and in at the near post when arriving to meet yet another cross into the box from Bowes who, today had undeniably looked to be back somewhere near his form of last season.  Despite rallying well in the closing minutes Grammarians never looked capable of breaking Cars down again and looked positively relieved when the final whistle sounded.

This was unquestionably one of this Carshalton side’s most impressive performances away from Beddington Park since manager Ian Lewis at the start of last season brought the current crop of players together; indeed, the team’s recent performances have suggested that the promise of last season is at last beginning to show through.  Everywhere one looked in the Cars line-up today there had been good individual performances.  Perhaps the best of these though was that of MOM Terry Vinson who had with Cars holding a slender one-goal advantage, made two crucial saves to ensure his team went in at the break in front and with that advantage still intact.

Having been in cup action this week and without a league fixture last week Cars have understandably slipped from the top of the division two and will therefore be looking forward to the visit to Beddington Park this coming Saturday of second placed HSBC for what promises to be already, at this early in the campaign, a real six-pointer.   

Beddington Hotspur