Robins Draw At Chertsey
Carshalton Athletic played out a 1 – 1 draw at Chertsey Town on Saturday afternoon in the FA Cup 1st Qualifying Round, setting up a replay at Colston Avenue on Monday evening.
Manager Steven Bates made two changes from the side that lost 3 – 2 at Three Bridges on Bank Holiday Monday. Joshua Koroma was handed his first competitive start of the season in place of Tyrese Osbourne, while Ethan Kaiser returned to the starting line-up in place of Nico Jones.
Chertsey got the game underway on a warm afternoon in Surrey. The Robins had the first chance of the game in the 4th minute. Carshalton played a clever ball over the top, and Nathan Young-Coombes latched onto it. Racing through on goal with a defender closing him down, Young-Coombes attempted to fire the ball across the goalkeeper and into the far corner, but Luke Roberts in the Chertsey goal was able to save with his feet.
The Robins had another chance inside the opening 10 minutes. Nathan Young-Coombes was cynically brought down, but the ball found its way back through to Matt Yates, allowing the Robins to play advantage. Yates struck a shot from just outside the box, but Roberts was able to deal with it comfortably.
Chertsey were getting forward well as the half progressed, but the hosts were struggling to seriously test Carshalton goalkeeper Ben Dudzinski. Chertsey did have an opportunity in the 26th minute, but Wayne Ridgley’s effort flashed across the face of goal.
The Robins took the lead in the 33rd minute. Carshalton put together a neat passing move, which led to Nathan Young-Coombes picking up the ball on the right-hand side of the penalty area. The former Brentford man was left with a tight angle, but was able to fire his shot right into the far corner to give the Robins a 1 – 0 lead, netting his 5th competitive goal of the season in just seven games.
However, just a few minutes later, Chertsey were awarded a penalty. A Curfews shot struck the hand of a Carshalton defender from close range, and the referee pointed to the penalty spot. Up stepped Luke Robertson, who struck the penalty to Dudzinski’s right, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way to level the scores at 1 – 1.
18-year-old midfielder Joshua Koroma was impressing on his first competitive start of the season. In the 43rd minute, the youngster played a perfectly weighted through ball to Nathan Young-Coombes. Young-Coombes latched onto it, but his shot lacked sufficient power to beat Luke Roberts.
Chertsey were also looking to go into the break ahead, but they were denied as Renedi Masampu made a great last-ditch challenge to prevent Abisogun from getting a clean shot away.
The referee blew for half-time with the score level at 1 – 1. Both managers knew that the game would be heading for a replay if neither side could find a winner in the second half.
Carshalton got the second half underway, and the game heated up in the 56th minute when both sides were reduced to 10 men. Following a scuffle in the Carshalton penalty area, the referee went over to speak with his assistant referee before showing both Jack Jebb and Wayne Ridgley straight red cards for their involvement.
With both sides now down to 10 men, the game became much more open and end-to-end. There was greater space in midfield, with both teams looking to take advantage and attack whenever possible. The tension continued to rise when Tope Fadahunsi was adjudged to have tried to kick the ball out of the goalkeeper’s hands while challenging for possession, with the former Chatham man shown a yellow card.
Carshalton had a great opportunity in the 68th minute to take the lead. Quick thinking from Matt Yates saw the full-back take a quick throw-in over the top, sending Young-Coombes through on goal. The 23-year-old struck the ball sweetly with his left foot, but the effort went just over the crossbar.
Chertsey were putting a lot of pressure on the Robins in the second half, with a number of cut-backs and balls played across the box, but the Carshalton defence defended resolutely, particularly centre-backs Ethan Kaiser and Prince Kandolo.
Carshalton were only able to create half-chances for the remainder of the game. Ethan Kaiser sent an effort from outside the box over the crossbar, while Nathan Young-Coombes saw a shot blocked by a defender before narrowly avoiding scoring an own goal with his clearance, which went just wide of the post.
After six minutes of added time, the referee blew his final whistle, with the game ending 1 – 1. Both sides will be in the hat for the 2nd Qualifying Round draw on Monday at 1pm, but will first have to navigate Monday’s replay at Colston Avenue to confirm their place in the next round.
Commenting on X after the game, manager Steven Bates said: “Wow! The FA Cup brings out the heat! Complete commitment from both teams – an excellent advert for the Isthmian League and Southern League. We go again on Monday at Carshalton! A massive thanks to the fans again, they were outstanding and the noise was off the scale!”
Up next, Carshalton Athletic and Chertsey Town meet again on Monday evening at Colston Avenue in the replay. A winner will be decided on the night, with extra time and penalties potentially on the agenda if there is no winner after 90 minutes.
Up Next
Date: Monday 7th September 2026
Opponents: Chertsey Town
Competition: FA Cup 1st Qualifying Round Replay
KO: 7:45pm
Venue: Colston Avenue, SM5 2PW
Admissions: Ticket Prices on the gate: Adult £14, Concession £10, U18 £7
Advance online bookings: Adult £13, Concession £9, U18 £6
Online booking closes 3 hours before KO
Tickets: Purchase Here or at the turnstiles
