CAFC vs Dulwich Hamlet FC – Report
Carshalton Athletic cruised to a commanding 5–1 victory over Dulwich Hamlet in the Isthmian Premier Division on Easter Monday at Colston Avenue, capped by a sensational 25-yard thunderbolt from Dylan Pepe.
Peter Adeniyi made three changes to his side following the Robins’ 3-1 victory over Lewes FC on Good Friday. Aaron Watkins returned in goal, replacing Mackenzie Foley, who dropped to the bench. The defence remained unchanged, but there was a reshuffle in midfield, with Michael Dada and Tommy Bradford coming in for Nabeel Ghannam and Mason Saunders-Henry. Ghannam was unfortunate to miss out, having found the net in Friday’s win.
Carshalton began brightly, moving the ball with purpose and regularly working their way into Dulwich Hamlet’s final third. Winger Kalvin Kalala looked lively on the right, proving a handful for the visitors early on. It was his clever pull-back from a throw-in that set up Fabio Saraiva, whose audacious outside-of-the-boot effort dipped menacingly towards the far corner, narrowly missing the target inside five minutes. The Robins were measured in their build-up, probing with patience, while Dulwich looked to spring forward quickly whenever they won possession.
Following a brief stoppage as Josh Shonibare received treatment, the game opened up and turned into a breathless, end-to-end affair. Kalala’s short corner found Saraiva, who tested Dylan Berry with a well-struck effort that forced a smart diving save. Pepe’s follow-up, however, lacked conviction and was comfortably held by the Hamlet keeper. Moments later, Dulwich hit back on the break, and the dangerous Luke Wanadio drifted inside unchecked before rattling the outside of the post with a curling strike.
As the game approached the 20-minute mark, Carshalton were firmly on the front foot, applying relentless pressure as Dulwich struggled to clear their lines. Bradford whipped in a low delivery that flashed across the face of goal, crying out for a finishing touch that never came. Soon after, a slick one-two between Luke Read and David Smith inside the area ended with Smith tumbling under a challenge, but the referee waved away the penalty claims.
Kalala then found himself through on goal after a well-weighted through ball, but with the goal at his mercy, he dragged his effort wide from close range. Carshalton kept pushing for the opener, and Bryan Ifeanyi’s surging run down the flank saw him break into the box and get a shot away, but Berry stood tall to deny him from a tight angle.
Midway through the half, another flowing Robins move ended with the ball falling kindly for Smith to slice a half-volley wide of the post. Dulwich found themselves under siege as Carshalton peppered the box with crosses and shots. That said, Max Hudson issued a warning sign when he surged down the left and sent a teasing delivery to the far post, just beyond the reach of Kaunda’s head.
The pressure eventually told in the 30th minute. Saraiva capitalised on a defensive lapse, shifted the ball onto his favoured left foot, and drilled a precise low shot across Berry and into the far corner to give the hosts a deserved lead.
The Robins doubled their advantage just minutes later. Ifeanyi burst past his marker and squared the ball across goal for Smith, who made no mistake with a simple tap-in. Carshalton were not done yet—right on the stroke of half-time, Sankoh tore down the left and delivered a pinpoint cross into the path of Smith, who calmly side-footed home his second and the Reds’ third.
Two minutes additional time was indicated, and Smith was denied his hat-trick after Berry guessed the correct way to push away the No. 9s tame spot kick.
The second half exploded into life for Carshalton, who struck again just five minutes after the restart. Centre-back Pepe, unusually high up the pitch as the Reds piled on the pressure, found himself loitering just outside the Dulwich box. After a slick passing sequence, the ball fell to the Frenchman, who took a touch, set himself, and unleashed a thunderous 25-yard strike that screamed past the diving Berry and into the far corner.
The Robins faithful behind the goal erupted in celebration as their side made it 4–0 in spectacular fashion.
Dulwich looked to respond quickly and thought they had pulled one back minutes later. Danny Mills linked up well with Hudson, who broke clear and coolly lifted the ball over Watkins into the far corner. However, the assistant’s flag was raised for offside. The visitors’ frustration grew as Hamlet captain Jerome Binnom-Williams tried his luck from distance soon after, but his speculative strike failed to trouble the Carshalton goalkeeper.
Just past the hour, Ifeanyi once again found joy down the left flank, beating his marker to the byline and forcing Berry into a smart stop with a fierce drive from a tight angle. Dulwich began to show more attacking ambition, and Wanadio forced a routine diving save from Watkins with a low effort after bursting through midfield.
Carshalton, though, continued to threaten. Dada did brilliantly to bring down a high ball, carry it forward with composure, and pick out Ifeanyi down the left channel. The winger surged into the box and looked to square it for the arriving Smith, but a Dulwich defender read it well and snuffed out the danger.
There was almost a costly lapse at the back when substitute Jordan Wynter, attempting to play out from defence, gifted the ball to Kola Salami. The Dulwich striker found himself one-on-one with Berry, but the keeper was quick off his line. The two collided, and the ball rolled harmlessly out for a goal kick—a fortunate escape for the Hamlet, sparing Wynter’s blushes in the process.
As the clock ticked down, both sides showed signs of fatigue, and the game began to fizzle out. With ten minutes remaining, the tempo dipped and Dulwich struggled to maintain any defensive shape. Carshalton, however, were still pushing. In the 83rd minute, they grabbed a fifth. Saraiva delivered a wicked inswinging corner to the far post, where Saunders-Henry rose well and guided his header in off the underside of the bar, sealing a dominant afternoon for the Robins.
In a bizarre turn of events late in the game, Adeniyi took a bold gamble by sending goalkeeper Mackenzie Foley on as an outfield player in the dying moments. Foley’s unexpected shift to the role of No. 9 came after Dada was forced off, and with Kwaku Frimpong deemed not fit enough to take the field, the goalkeeper was the only available option. Foley had just five touches in his brief cameo, but one of those was an expertly executed five-yard pass followed by a composed chest. With just one minute of added time signalled, Dulwich finally found a consolation. David Bremang cut inside with intent and curled a precise effort into the far corner, giving Watkins no chance and salvaging a sliver of pride for the visitors. It was a disappointing note for Watkins, who continues to search for his first clean sheet in goal for the Reds.
That result makes it back-to-back wins for the Robins and lifts them to seventh in the league table on 67 points, leapfrogging Hashtag United ahead of the final fixture of the 2024–25 campaign. With momentum on their side, Carshalton will be looking to end their league campaign on a high against title-chasing Dartford, who must win to keep their automatic promotion hopes alive, before shifting focus to a Surrey Senior Cup semi-final clash with Dorking Wanderers at Meadowbank. For details of the latter, please watch this space.
Up Next
Date: Saturday, April 26, 2025 (Vs Dartford FC)
Venue: Princes Park Stadium
Kickoff: 3:00 pm
Admission: Adults (£15), Concessions (£10), Youth (£5), U12 (Free)
Tickets: Buy Tickets Online Here
