Despite looking second best for long periods of this AFA Surrey / Kent Intermediate Cup Preliminary Round tie played at Old School Lane, Ewell. Carshalton nevertheless maintained their unbeaten start to the season, defeating a very impressive Old Salesians team and thereby booking their place in the next round of the competition, where they’ll meet the eventual winners of the tie between Reigatians and Old Westminster Citizens, which will now take place next Saturday after a waterlogged pitch had seen it postponed this week.

Salesians playing down the slope began much brighter than their visitors from Beddington Park, and twice in the opening minutes they went close to making a sensational start to the game – the second of these early opportunities, a 30-yard drive from their centre-forward that didn’t miss the target by more than a couple of inches.  However, in the 6^th minute, Cars striker Paul Pearce intercepted a back-pass intended for the Salesians’ keeper, whom he then went round, before calmly walking the ball into the net and giving his team an unlikely lead.  Five minutes later, Salesians should have found themselves back on level terms, but their centre-forward rather surprisingly blasted over the Cars crossbar with the goal at his mercy.  The hosts continued to surge forward, finally finding an equaliser in the 22^nd minute after Cars had failed to clear their lines from a corner on the right – the ball being hooked past Cars’ keeper Ross Sinclair from inside the six-yard box by a Salesians’ midfielder, who had got free of his marker.  Two minutes before the break though, Salesians were made to pay for giving away a cheap and unnecessary free-kick when Neal Collard nodded Cars back in front with a deft header from Steve Nicholls’ excellently delivered cross. 

Within two minutes of the start of the second half, Salesians thought they had grabbed a second equaliser.  But, a certain goal was denied them when Collard on the far post headed clear from on the Cars goal line.  As the half wore on, Salesians looked increasingly more threatening, and only a last ditch tackle from Tilley, a double block from Collard, a superb save from Sinclair, an uncharacteristic miss from a home forward, and an absolute sitter blazed over the bar by the Salesians’ centre-forward saw the Cars lead remain intact.  Having soaked up all that the home side could throw at them, the visitors went down the other end, scoring an all-important third goal in the 77^th minute to confirm their place in the next round – Pearce beating the full-back and crossing to the far post where his strike partner Martin Vincent lashed a shot against the post, which was then inadvertently chest into his own goal by a luckless Salesians’ defender.  Despite this setback, the home side continued to pour forward, but lacked now their previous conviction, which enabled Cars to play out the remainder of the tie without too much difficulty.

Next week Carshalton welcome Old Uffingtonians 1st team of the Amateur Football Combination to Beddington Park for an eagerly awaited tie in the AFA Intermediate Cup 1^st Round Proper.

Beddington Hotspur