Match report - Walton Casuals (a)

Despite a dominate second-half display we ended 2016 in defeat against Walton Casuals, writes James Barrett.

Team news: Jordan Hibbert returned from suspension and replaced Ricardo Panton, while Sekou Kaba came in for Brendan Murphy-McVey.

Casuals keeper Denzel Gerrar made his first of several decent saves on eight minutes after he got behind an angled Mickel Miller effort.

The pair sparred again five minutes later as Miller found space inside the Casuals box and Gerrar palmed his shot across goal, with Dominic Ogun thwarting Kingsley Aikhionbare coming in at the back post.

Miller rose to meet the resultant corner but Jordan Cheadle deflected his on-target header away. Casuals eventually broke from the second corner with Malachi Hudson travelling over 60 yards until the long leg of Kaba slid in to halt his progress.

It was Joe Tupper's turn to wow the crowd next as he turned away Gabriel Odunaike's effort after the forward had burst through on goal.

And our on-loan keeper was at it again in the 20th minute as Roscoe D'Sane just beat Hibbert to possession outside our box and unleashed a left-footed effort, but Tupper sprang to push it away at full stretch.

We had a golden chance to take the lead on 26 minutes after Paris Hamilton-Downes won the ball on halfway and we attacked quickly, ending with Gerrar taking down Aikhionbare inside the box.

But the keeper redeemed himself by getting low and turning Bradford's spot kick round his right-hand post.

Casuals broke again from our corner delivery and their attack ended with a backheel by Odunaike in our box finding Hudson, but he fired straight at the grateful Tupper.

We almost took the lead again just after the half-hour mark as Kaba controlled a Miller free kick inside Casuals' box. He spun and hit a shot in the same motion but Cheadle again got in an important deflection. We kept up the pressure from the corner delivery and Bobby Price played a neat one-two with Ricky Korboa to get a chance to thump a close range shot in goal, but Jake Nicholson threw himself in the way of it.

The rest of the half was a catalogue of poor through balls and solid defending as neither keeper was really troubled again - but the game's only goal arrived in added time.

Tupper got down to save a shot from distance by Jack Sammoutis, only for the loose ball to be turned in again from the left and Odunaike rammed it home.

HALF-TIME: 1 - 0

We began the second-half brightly and, on 50 minutes, Hibbert gathered a pass on the left before dinking an angled cross into the Casuals box. Korboa got the merest nick on it but a defender just beat Aikhionbare to it in front of goal.

But the game became quite scrappy for the next 10 minutes as niggly fouls and nervous defending crept in, although one move saw Adeniyi, Bradford and Aikhionbare get the ball out to Price on 58 minutes but his low cross was slammed clear.

Miller then cracked an 18-yard effort into Gerrar's midriff before an advanced Price dragged a left-footed shot wide of our host's near post.

We were now beginning to turn the screw and we created numerous chances including one from a corner in 62 minutes.

A headed clearance was kept alive by Korboa and Adeniyi to tee up Miller from the edge of the box but Gerrar pounced to save and then gather the loose ball in front of incoming opponents.

Then Miller got in on goal down the left only for Gerrar to deny him again with a low parry. Adeniyi retrieved the ball and laid it off for Korboa who smashed a shot in from 10 yards, but the home keeper had recovered to bravely throw himself in its path.

When we did eventually get past their  net guardian, as when Miller took a through ball round Gerrar on 68 minutes, his teammates were on hand to help out - this time Odunaike putting in a block on our man's goalbound effort.

It was Bradford's turn to run in on goal on 71 minutes and, as Gerrar advanced into his path, our man poked a pass out to the supporting Price but his curled effort was headed off the line by a recovering defender.

Murphy-McVey was sent on for Aikhionbare on 73 minutes but Casuals almost added a second two minutes later as Price cleared a Fitzgerald header on a corner off our line with Tupper beaten.

It was a warning that, for all our previous dominance, Casuals were still a danger on the break but we further limited them to a couple of breaks, while Bradford had an opportunity from an 18-yard free kick that fell softly into the grateful arms of Gerrar.

Next up: We visit Chipstead on Monday 2nd January before Sittingbourne arrive on Saturday 7th January.

Carshalton Athletic: Tupper; Price, Morath-Gibbs, Hamilton-Downes (c), Hibbert (Sobowale - 86); Bradford, Kaba, Adeniyi, Korboa; Aikhionbare (Murphy-McVey - 73), Miller
Unused subs: Phillips, King, Healy

Walton Casuals: Gerrar, Fenlon, Ogun, Nicholson, Fitzgerald (c), Cheadle, Odunaike, Coleman, D'Sane, Sammoutis, Hudson
Unused subs: Holness, Pinnock, Bello-Balogun, Rylah, Brace
Goal: Odunaike (45)
Booked: Ogun, Fitzgerald

Attendance: 105