SAL Division 2 - 16th September 2006 

In the only game this weekend to be played in Division Two of the Intermediate Section, Carshalton maintained their impressive early season form with a well-earned victory at the St. Mary’s Ground, Teddington Lock, over a very solid and workmanlike Weirside Rangers outfit.  And, to add to manager Ian Lewis’s delight, he saw his team record a third clean sheet from their last four matches.

Cars had the better of the opening exchanges, going close to taking the lead as early as the 2^nd minute when striker Martin Vincent was put clear and through on goal from Neal Collard’s defence splitting pass.  Unfortunately for both Cars and Vincent, his shot on the run, despite beating the Rangers’ keeper, flew inches over the crossbar.  Although the two teams were fairly evenly matched, it was Cars who created the better of the first half chances, especially from crosses, which time and time again whizzed across the host’s six-yard box without though ever getting the all-important touch that would have resulted in a certain goal.  However, the visitors weren’t having things all their own way, and they were indebted to stand-in keeper Terry Vinson, who on the half hour rushed from his line to save well from the Rangers centre-forward.  With half-time approaching Sam Johnson brought a good stop out of the home keeper, who did well to keep hold of the young Cars midfielder’s snap shot on the turn.

After the break Cars continued to press, finally breaking the deadlock when Collard was felled outside the Ranger’s 18-yard box – the resulting free-kick, an unstoppable strike from Billy Andrews, which gave him his first goal since joining the Club two seasons ago.  Then, just minutes later, Andrews doubled both his and Cars tally with a coolly converted spot kick after Vincent had been the victim of a clumsy challenge inside the penalty area.  On 62 minutes the game as a contest was ended when Johnson was quickest in the Rangers’ box to react to a flick-on from Collard, firing past the keeper, who now had been beaten three times in an eight-minute spell and couldn’t have done a thing about any of the efforts that had finished in the back of his net.  Straight from the restart Rangers came close to snatching a consolation goal, but remarkably their right-winger’s thunderous shot was tipped   onto the inside the far post by Vinson, who then saw the ball rebound into his arms as he turned expecting to see the ball nestling in his net.  With 15 minutes of the game remaining Cars added a fourth goal of real quality – Andrews, Pearce, and second half substitute Shane Bowes, all playing their part in a magnificent one-touch interchange of passes that finished with Badgie sliding the ball in at the far post.  Finally, in the 87^th minute the last meaningful action of the afternoon saw Cars skipper Chris Tilley blaze his team’s second spot kick of the game, high over the bar – Mr. Doe, the match official having awarded a penalty for what can only be described as a rugby tackle on Pearce by the Ranger’s keeper, who amazingly escaped with only a yellow card. 

Beddington Hotspur