Carshalton Draw At Aveley -

Carshalton Draw At Aveley

Carshalton Athletic put in a battling performance to earn a point in a 0–0 draw away at second-placed Aveley.

Manager Steven Bates made two changes to the side that lost 4–2 at home to Brentwood Town. Laurence Ernest replaced Renedi Masampu at left-back, while club captain Tommy Bradford started in place of Eddie Allsopp.

Carshalton got the game underway, and it was an even start to proceedings at Parkside. Both sides settled into the contest with good spells of possession, but neither created anything clear-cut early on.

Tolu Ladapo looked dangerous on the left-hand side and had the first shot on goal after 20 minutes. He drove forward and cut inside onto his right foot, but his low, curling effort lacked power and was comfortably held by Jonathan North.

Carshalton then had a fantastic opportunity to open the scoring in the 36th minute. After winning a throw-in on the right-hand side, Denzel Akyeampong reacted quickly to take it, launching the ball over the Aveley defence. Nathan Young-Coombes ran onto the delivery and struck it sweetly, but his effort flashed just over the crossbar.

From the resulting goal kick, Aveley goalkeeper Jonathan North slipped while attempting to take it and required lengthy treatment from the physio. It appeared the hosts’ number one might have to be substituted, but he continued, albeit moving gingerly for the remainder of the contest.

Despite that setback, North was called into action again in the 41st minute. He made an initial save before Nathan Young-Coombes’ mishit shot fell to Tommy Bradford, but the Robins captain was unable to direct the ball goalwards, allowing Aveley to clear their lines.

The referee blew for half-time, and Steven Bates would have been pleased with his side’s ability to restrict Aveley to very little in the final third.

Aveley began the second half strongly and were handed a golden opportunity to take the lead in the 52nd minute when they were awarded a penalty after Ollie Peters was brought down in the box. Peters took the spot-kick himself, striking it low to Graczyk’s right, but the Carshalton goalkeeper guessed correctly and pushed the ball away to keep the score level.

It was a let-off for Carshalton, but an excellent save from the Robins’ number one. They quickly broke on the counter-attack following the penalty save and nearly made the hosts pay. The ball fell kindly to Denzel Akyeampong around 18 yards out, and the former Torquay man rifled a shot that beat North but crashed against the crossbar before being cleared.

On 63 minutes, Fletcher Hubbard went close for the hosts. The 20-year-old created space for himself with clever footwork but ultimately fired his shot over the bar.
Nathan Young-Coombes came close again in the 67th minute. The former Brentford forward raced through on goal but, after getting into a promising position, fired his effort into the side netting.

Aveley began to apply more pressure and went close in the 70th minute. Substitute Jesse Nwabueze did well to get a shot away, but it drifted over the crossbar. Two minutes later, the hosts threatened again after good link-up play in midfield. Ollie Peters created space for a shot, but his effort lacked power and was gathered comfortably by Hubert Graczyk.

Carshalton continued to create chances of their own and came close in the 75th minute. A long throw from Denzel Akyeampong on the right-hand side reached substitute Charlie George, but he snatched at the opportunity and his effort flashed wide of the post.

Aveley then had two big chances to break the deadlock. Substitute Toby Aromolaran raced through one-on-one with Graczyk, but the Robins keeper reacted well to close down the angle and saved with his feet, conceding a corner. Graczyk was called into action again in the 87th minute when Nwabueze got into a good position and curled a low effort towards goal, but the goalkeeper pushed it away to preserve his clean sheet.

Despite sustained pressure from the hosts, Carshalton continued to push forward when possible. Another long throw from Akyeampong was met by the head of substitute Moussa Diarra, who flicked the ball on, but the Aveley defence dealt with the danger.

Carshalton’s final chance came in stoppage time. Fabio Saraiva’s inswinging corner from the left was met by Nathan Young-Coombes at the near post. His header was flicked towards the far corner and looked destined for the net, but a defender was able to head clear.

The referee blew for full-time with the score at 0–0, as both sides took what could prove to be an important point at either end of the table.

Aveley remain second and will secure the runners up spot if they win on the final day. For Carshalton, the result, coupled with Hashtag United’s win over Ramsgate, sees the Robins drop to 19th. They are now one point behind the Tags with a superior goal difference, while still remaining two points clear of Cray Valley PM.