Carshalton Stunned by Chichester
Carshalton were unable to bounce back from Saturday’s defeat at Dartford, as Chichester took all three points back to West Sussex.
On a warm Bank Holiday Monday, both Carshalton and Chichester were looking for redemption after losses to Dartford and Welling respectively. Robins manager Peter Adeniyi, back in the technical area after serving a two-match ban against Billericay and Dartford, made two changes to his lineup, with Laurence Ernest and Michael Dada coming in for Luke Read and Mason Saunders-Henry.
It was a slow start to the game as both sides settled in and adjusted to the conditions. Carshalton were the first to try their luck. A mazy run from Bryan Ifeanyi
ended with the ball played to Ansu Janneh, who made space for himself and unleashed a right-footed shot from just outside the box. The effort looked destined for the corner, but Kieran Magee was equal to it, pushing it away for a corner. From the resulting set piece,
Carshalton spurned a golden opportunity to open the scoring. The Robins went short with a clever routine – Aziz Sankoh received the ball in the box and squared a low pass across the face of goal. David Smith, Carshalton’s top scorer last season with 18 goals, looked certain to tap home, but couldn’t sort his feet out, and the ball bounced away.
Chichester struggled to create much in the first half. Their best effort came from Lloyd Rowlatt, but his shot went wide of Matt Kerbey’s goal. In the 39th minute, Dylan Pepe was booked for a strong challenge. There was some frustration and tension from the Chichester players and bench, but the referee’s decision to show yellow looked fair.
Just before the break, Carshalton found themselves in a promising position again. Ifeanyi won the ball back on the left and cut it back to Salami, but he couldn’t get a clean connection and sent his effort wide of the post.
The second half had barely begun when the visitors took the lead. Isaac Bello found space on the left and whipped in a delicious cross that picked out Lewis Rustell, who tapped in to give Chichester the advantage.
Carshalton looked to respond quickly. Ifeanyi and Salami combined again, with Salami cutting inside and firing a low shot, but Magee got down well to save. Josh Shonibare also had a chance, cutting in from the right and letting fly, but his effort was headed away by a Chichester defender.
Things went from bad to worse in the 64th minute when Carshalton were reduced to ten men. Chichester were attacking down the left, and Pepe’s challenge by the touchline earned him a second yellow card – a major blow to the Robins’ comeback hopes.
Manager Peter Adeniyi shuffled the pack, bringing on Donte Augustus and Sanchez Ming as Carshalton chased an equaliser. But soon after, Chichester doubled their lead. Substitute Billy Vigar was played through with acres of space and calmly slotted past Kerbey to make it 2–0.
Despite being two goals and a man down, the Robins continued to press. Smith cushioned a header into the path of the marauding Ming,
who let fly with a shot – but again, Magee was equal to it.
In stoppage time, Chichester put the result beyond doubt. Another substitute, Ciaran Martin, was played through and applied a composed finish to twist the knife into the hosts.
The full-time whistle confirmed a second defeat in three days for Carshalton, who were left with nothing to show for their efforts over the Bank Holiday weekend. The Robins will look to bounce back on Saturday as they kick off their FA Cup campaign at Colston Avenue against fellow Isthmian Premier League side Wingate & Finchley.
Up Next
Date: Saturday 30th August 2025
Opponents: Wingate and Finchley FC
Competition: FA Cup 1st Qualifying Round
KO: 3.00pm
Venue: Colston Avenue
Admissions: Get Tickets Here
