Robins Beaten At Maidstone
Carshalton Athletic Women slipped to a 5 – 0 defeat against a strong Maidstone United side at The Gallagher Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Manager Georgie Edwards made three changes to the side that beat Hackney 8 – 1 last time out. Abbie Measures, Abigail Igbavboa and Emily McCarthy all returned to the starting XI, while Remmi Gardner missed out, and Taylor McCrea and Georgie Edwards dropped to the bench.
The game got underway in Kent, and the Robins had the first chance of the afternoon. In the 2nd minute, Abigail Igbavboa was played through on the right-hand side and struck a powerful effort at goal, but Cara Davies in the Maidstone goal did well to push the shot away.
The hosts were starting to create chances of their own and nearly opened the scoring in the 5th minute after a Stones forward got a shot away, but it was blocked brilliantly by Abbie Measures. Maidstone went close again a few minutes later when a ball in from the right was met by Emma Healy at the far post, but Yarrow did well to hold onto the effort.
Maidstone took the lead in the 9th minute. Annie White did well to find Aimee Ascott in the box, and she was able to calmly slot the ball home to make it 1 – 0, netting her first goal of the season in the process.
Maidstone should have doubled their lead in the 13th minute when Meg Wood had an open goal from outside the box, but she was unable to hit the target, firing the ball just wide. That was a let-off for the Robins, who looked to hit back. Igbavboa played a brilliant ball to Dee Badley, but the Robins forward struck her shot just wide.
Maidstone doubled their advantage in the 27th minute. Holly Theobald did well to play the ball to Aimee Ascott, who fired the ball under Beth Yarrow and into the back of the net to make it 2 – 0.
Carshalton then had their best chance of the game so far. In the 31st minute, Igbavboa played a through ball to Dee Badley, who went one-on-one with Cara Davies. Davies rushed out to close down the angle, and Badley’s shot was saved, with Maidstone keeping their clean sheet intact. Kaydence Kabadaki was next to try her luck, racing through on the right-hand side, but she hit her effort high and wide of the post.
The referee blew for half time, and the Robins knew they had work to do to get back into the game.
The 2nd half got underway, and it was the hosts who made the quicker start, extending their lead further in the 49th minute.
Holly Theobald was fouled inside Carshalton’s half, and Meg Wood stepped up to take the free kick. She launched the ball into the box, and Yarrow was unable to keep it out, giving the Stones a 3 – 0 lead, with Wood netting her 4th goal of the season in the process.
Despite the scoreline, Carshalton were still looking to get back into the game. Igbavboa did brilliantly to hold off her defender and made a mazy run from just inside the Maidstone half into a shooting position. However, Igbavboa couldn’t hit the target, firing just over the crossbar.
After scoring earlier, Meg Wood turned provider as the Stones netted their fourth goal of the afternoon. Wood whipped a free kick into the penalty area, and Georgia Pearch was on the end of it, heading the ball into the corner to make it 4 – 0.
With time running out, Maidstone put the icing on the cake with a 5th goal in the 89th minute. Substitute Erin Fox played a through ball to Meg Wood, who was able to curl the ball past Beth Yarrow to make it 5 – 0.
After a period of stoppage time, the referee blew his whistle for full time, with Maidstone running out 5 – 0 winners.
The final scoreline perhaps flattered Maidstone slightly, with a few errors from the Robins making the margin of defeat look worse than the overall performance suggested. However, Carshalton can have no complaints about the outcome, as Maidstone were strong, well organised and clinical when their chances came. The Stones showed exactly why they have now won all five of their competitive games so far this season, making it a tough day at the office for the Robins.
The Robins now have one win and two defeats from their first three games, but it has been a tough start on paper, with all three matches coming away from home. Manager Georgie Edwards will now be looking for her side to regroup, rally the troops and produce a response ahead of another game on Sunday.
Up next, the Robins are in league action on the road again on Sunday, making the short trip to take on early league leaders Dulwich Hamlet Reserves.
Up Next
Date: Sunday 20th September 2026
Opponents: Dulwich Hamlet Reserves
Competition: League
KO: 1:30pm (TBC)
Venue: GREEN DALE FIELDS, LONDON SE22 8TX (TBC)
Admissions: Free (TBC)
