Carshalton Defeated Late At Chatham
Carshalton Athletic suffered a narrow defeat at Chatham Town after conceding a penalty in added time.
The Robins had endured a challenging few weeks but showed promise in last weekend’s 2–2 draw with Cray Wanderers, entering Saturday’s game full of confidence. Chatham, meanwhile, came into the fixture in excellent form across league and cup competitions, having recently beaten Cray Valley PM 3–1 in midweek to move up to third in the table.
Peter Adeniyi made two changes to the side that faced Cray Wanderers, with David Smith returning to lead the line. Grenada international Parish Muirhead was handed his first start after impressing from the bench in recent games.
Carshalton kicked off, immediately launching the ball into Chatham’s half. The hosts quickly regained possession and attacked down the right. The ball was played inside to Sam Sene Richardson, who cleverly skipped past Hamstead and finished calmly past Kerbey – just 24 seconds into the match – giving the Robins the worst possible start.
After the frantic opening, the game began to settle, and Carshalton grew into the contest, putting together some tidy passing sequences. On 15 minutes, they nearly equalised with a clever free-kick routine. Bradford played a short pass to Smith, who was challenged in the box and went down, prompting loud penalty appeals from the away fans – but the referee waved them away.
Nine minutes later, Carshalton had another opportunity from a free kick.
This time, Smith stepped up and curled a 25-yard effort toward goal, but Molyneux did well to push it away.
At the other end, a moment of controversy followed. After Kerbey made a save and then picked the ball up, the referee adjudged that the Carshalton goalkeeper had held it twice and awarded Chatham an indirect free-kick inside the box – much to manager Peter Adeniyi’s frustration.
Carshalton defended the resulting set-piece well, blocking the shot. However, Chatham recycled possession and delivered a cross from the right, which found the head of a forward, only for Kerbey to produce a brilliant save.
Carshalton had a couple more chances before the break, both falling to Ifeanyi. First, Atewologun made a strong run down the right and squared to Ifeanyi,
whose shot flew high and wide. Then, just before half-time, Ifeanyi attacked down the left, beat his marker, and cut inside onto his right foot before curling an effort just wide of the far post.
Despite the early setback, the Robins would have been relatively pleased with their first-half response but knew more was needed to get back into the game. The second half began with Chatham again threatening – goalscorer Richardson forcing another save from Kerbey.
On 56 minutes, Hamstead was booked for a late challenge, and Adeniyi reacted by making attacking changes, withdrawing both Hamstead and Shonibare in favour of Sankoh and Salami. The change paid off almost immediately. David Smith was brought down in the box, and Carshalton were awarded a penalty. Captain Tommy Bradford stepped up and confidently slotted it to the keeper’s right – Molyneux guessed the wrong way. The Robins were level.
Both sides pushed for a winner in an open final half-hour. Sankoh delivered a dangerous corner which Smith met with a powerful header, but it went over the bar. Chatham responded with a dangerous free kick that just missed a touch in the box.
Ladapo was then introduced for Smith as Carshalton looked to freshen up the attack. On 83 minutes, Salami made an incisive run down the right, cleverly letting the ball run through his legs to gain space before driving forward. After a mazy dribble, he laid the ball off to Bradford, whose shot was blocked by a determined Chatham defender.
In the closing stages, Chatham enjoyed a dominant spell, forcing Carshalton to defend deep. Kerbey made another smart save to keep the scores level.
But in added time, disaster struck. A corner from the right led to jostling in the box, and as Ladapo and a Chatham player fell to the ground, the referee pointed to the spot. The decision drew protests, but the penalty stood. Oldfield stepped up and fired low to Kerbey’s right. The keeper got a hand to it but couldn’t keep it out.
Carshalton threw everything forward in the final moments in search of an equaliser, but it wasn’t to be. The referee’s whistle confirmed a frustrating defeat – one that saw a strong performance end with nothing to show for it.
The Robins will need to regroup quickly as they prepare to travel to Burgess Hill Town on Tuesday for another crucial Isthmian League fixture.
Up Next
Date: Tuesday 23rd September 2025
Opponents: Burgess Hill Town FC
Competition: Isthmian Premier League
KO: 7:30pm
Venue: Leylands Park, RH15 8AQ
Admissions: Adults £12, Conc (65+/Students) £8, 12yo-18yo £3, U11 £1
