Match summary - Slough Town (a)

We finished third overall in the Hendon Invitational Cup after beating Slough Town on Sunday, writes John Kistner.

With just two of the starting eleven from the match against Hendon the previous afternoon, we opened brightly with Reiss Franklyn slotting in a fine shot in as early as the third minute to open the scoring. The conditions for this match were far better than the previous day being a lot cooler, although referee Lior Koskas allowed many water breaks throughout the match.

We'd started where we left-off against Hendon by keeping possession with some neat and intricate short passing and quick movement. Jarrell Gray had a solid and calm performance controlling the back four well throughout the course of the whole match, and was accordingly voted Vice Presidents Player of the Match, although it must be said that the whole team played their part throughout the 90 minutes.

Charlie Losasso equalised for Slough Town on 10 minutes after capitalising on a poor clearance, but we bounced back just six minutes later through a powerful shot by Richard Ismail that rocketed low into the corner of the net with Slough's goalkeeper soundly beaten.

Both sides played attacking football, with hard fought battles being acted out all over the pitch, with a fair degree of leniency being shown by the referee.

HALF-TIME: 2 – 1

We started brightly again in the second half, and Ismail scored an exquisite second from 35 yards out, timing his curved run to perfection from just inside the half-way line in order to avoid the offside trap before latching on to a superbly played through ball and racing past Slough's left-back and lobbing their advancing goalkeeper Sam Bunting.

Kalvin Morath-Gibbs came on for the injured Ryan Healy on 49 minutes and Losasso reduced the deficit on 77 minutes with his second of the afternoon, but we held on for an overall second win of our pre-season schedule.

Overall, this was a pleasing performance all round and a deserved victory which saw us finish in third within the tournament - but most importantly the squad played well as a unit across both day's play.

Next up: We face Metropolitan Police at home on Saturday 30th July (kick-off 3pm), then Dulwich Hamlet visit Colston Avenue on Tuesday 2nd August (kick-off 7.45pm).

Carshalton Athletic: Minchin; Panton, Ayah, Okuguni, Gray, Del Alcasal, Franklyn, Healy (c) (Morath-Gibbs - 49), Ismail, Salgado; Kaiser (Adeniyi - 81).
Unused subs: None
Goals: Franklyn (3), Ismail (16 & 49).
VP's Player of the Match: Gray.

Slough Town: : Bunting, Fraser (c), Jacobs (New - 29), Hollis (James - 46), Hicks, Stockill (Jackman - 46), Putman (Sear - 46), Cook (Jacobs - 46), Barney (Allam - 70), Losasso, Gormen (Gilkes - 70).
Unused sub: Stonehouse.
Goals: Losasso (10 & 77).