CAFC vs Farnborough – Report
Carshalton Athletic fell to a 3–1 defeat against National League South side Farnborough at Colston Avenue on Tuesday evening.
Just as he did against Bromley and Hampton & Richmond, manager Steven Bates named a large squad to give himself the opportunity to assess a number of players, as well as integrate some of the new signings. The side that started the game included former Farnborough man Ryan Huke, academy graduate Josh Koroma, and former Millwall winger Kavalli Heywood.
The game got underway, and it was the visitors who made the quicker start. In the sixth minute, Josh Parker played a clever ball through to Michael Reindorf, who struck the ball cleanly into the bottom corner to give his side a 1–0 lead.
Farnborough had started the brighter of the two sides and doubled their advantage after 20 minutes. Following some good work down the wing, Sam Okoye’s low cross found Sam Barratt unmarked, and Farnborough’s new signing had the simplest of finishes, tapping home to make it 2–0.
Carshalton were taking some time to settle into the game and created their first chance of note in the 34th minute. A cross from the right-hand side found a Robins player free in the box, but he was unable to hit the target, firing his effort over the crossbar.
Farnborough continued to threaten from set pieces and won a corner on the right-hand side. The delivery found Duncan Idehen free in the box, but although his header was powerful, goalkeeper John Rose was equal to it, pushing the ball away before the Robins cleared the danger. The visitors went close again from another set piece shortly afterwards. Sam Barratt’s free-kick from the right picked out Idehen once more, but this time his header drifted just over the crossbar.
The Robins went into the break 2–0 down, and Farnborough continued where they had left off by extending their lead early in the second half. In the 47th minute, Fernandes delivered an inswinging cross from the left-hand side. The ball took the slightest touch from Josh Parker, evaded Rose, and nestled into the net to give Farnborough a 3–0 lead.
Around the hour mark, Steven Bates turned to his bench and made 11 changes, introducing the likes of Tope Fadahunsi, Nathan Young-Coombes, and Fabio Saraiva. The substitutions freshened up the side as the Robins looked to claw their way back into the game.
The changes nearly had an immediate impact. The Robins won a corner on the left-hand side, with Fabio Saraiva standing over the set piece. Nathan Young-Coombes reacted quickly to receive the ball short before driving into the penalty area. The former Brentford forward let fly, but saw his effort drift over the crossbar.
The Robins created another opportunity in the 75th minute. Denzel Akyeampong did well to beat his man on the right before playing the ball across to Young-Coombes. He struck it first time, and although it looked destined to trouble the goalkeeper, the effort drifted narrowly wide of the post.
With time running out, Carshalton pushed forward down the left-hand side. Renedie Masampu delivered a cross into the box, with Young-Coombes stretching to divert it towards goal. The ball eventually fell to Saraiva, who fired wide.
Carshalton finally got on the scoresheet in the 86th minute. Young-Coombes slipped the ball through to Tope Fadahunsi, who calmly fired into the corner to reduce the deficit to 3–1, netting his second goal of pre-season in the process.
Following a short period of added time, the referee blew for full time, with Farnborough running out 3–1 winners at Colston Avenue. Although the Robins were unable to get a result from the game, plenty of players were able to get valuable minutes under their belts as preparations for the new season continue to ramp up.
Up next, Carshalton Athletic are on the road for the first time this pre-season as they travel to fellow Step 3 side Hanworth Villa on Saturday afternoon.
Up Next
Date: Saturday 18th July 2026
Opponents: Hanworth Villa
Competition: Friendly
KO: 3pm
Venue: Rectory Meadow, TW13 6PN
Admissions: TBC
Tickets: TBC
