We lost our long unbeaten run as Herne Bay took advantage of our profligacy in front of goal, writes James Barrett-Sterling.
Team news
Peter Adeniyi played the same starting eleven that beat
Lewes last time out, with Mohammed Idris-Oshijala named back on the bench.
Ex-Robins Kingsley Aikhionbare, Nassim Dukali and Richard Ismail all started
for the visitors.
Kick-off
We started brightly and a couple of early crosses into the
visitors box just needed a red shirt to guide them goalwards.
Bobby Price was involving himself in a few of our early
attacks and a neat through ball by Mickel Miller got our captain free on the
right, but his low ball across the six yard area was met by a defensive boot.
Alex Kozakis’ first real action came on 13 minutes as Bay
won a free kick just outside of our area. Thomas Carlton stepped up but our
keeper got down to parry the curled effort away.
We won a free kick of our own on 22 minutes and Jordan
Cheadle whipped it in from deep. Kalvin Morath-Gibbs almost got onto the flight
of the ball and it bounced awkwardly for Miller whom almost had a free header
on goal, but the chance disappeared.
Miller took a short corner on 28 minutes and, on the return
pass, he made space before drilling a
low cross in which was almost turned in to his own goal by a man in yellow.
Cheadle fired a trademark free kick just wide and twice
Raheem Sterling-Parker couldn’t divert Miller crosses in from close range as we
kept pushing.
Miller burst through
on goal on 42 minutes and seemingly only had keeper Benjamin Hunter to beat but
a fine last ditch tackle by a recovering defender blocked the shot.
Bay went up the other end and Carlton floated in a free kick
from on the near-side and Kozakis had to spring quickly to stop the ball from
sneaking in the top far corner.
HALF-TIME: 0 - 0
We should’ve taken the lead in the 50th minute as
slip allowed Ricky Korboa to bustle free on the right. He found Sterling-Parker
by the penalty spot but he slipped as he turned and shuffled the ball to the
unmarked Miller. The slow pass allowed two Bay defenders to recover so Miller
returned the compliment but Hunter got a big hand to Sterling-Parker’s
side-footed effort – anywhere else and the net would’ve bulged however.
The game opened up a little after that – Kozakis and Danny
Dudley rather got in each other’s way while smuggling out a low cross along our
six yard area, while Hunter denied Cheadle’s angled drive at full stretch.
Another good chance went beggin on 55 minutes as Miller
pulled the ball back to the unmarked Price inside their area but his first-time
effort rolled the wrong side of the far post.
And Bay made us pay just after the hour mark as Jake Embery
got the better of Morath-Gibbs on a forward pass before rather scruffily
lobbing a shot over the oncoming Kozakis and into the back of the net.
We tried to re-establish our forward momentum but found a
visiting backline in no mood to give up their team’s lead – several crosses and
through balls we cleared away as we probed forward at different times.
We alomost fell further behind on 75 minutes as Embery
shanked a shot across our six yard box and Morath-Gibbs was on-hand to clear
the spinning ball away from an empty net.
Josh Phillips came on with 10 minutes to go and he already
levelled things up with his first touch – Miller did well to win possession on
the near touch line and his deep cross was met first-time by our substitute but
the ball flew into the side-netting.
And, during Bay’s next attack, Josh Wisson wasn’t picked up
as a game of pinball went on inside our box and he rammed a loose deflection
home from about four yards out.
We almost reduced the arrears in added time as Miller and Bradford tried to
force something inside their box and, while a sea of yellow tried to block them
off, a apss into Korboa saw him force another excellent save from the gloves of
Hunter.
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Next up
We travel to face Shoreham on Saturday 23rd December before Corinthian Casuals arrive to play us on Tuesday 26th December.
We travel to face Shoreham on Saturday 23rd December before Corinthian Casuals arrive to play us on Tuesday 26th December.
Carshalton Athletic:
Kozakis; Price (c), Morath-Gibbs, Dudley, Cheadle; Miller, Bradford, Adeniyi,
Aziaya (J Phillips – 80), Korboa; Sterling-Parker (Hamilton-Downes – 90)
Unused subs:
McLaughlin, Healy, Oshilaja
Herne Bay:
Hunter, Kamara (Myers – 55), Steventon, Ismail, Richardson, Schafer, Wilkins
(Wisson – 79), Carlton, Embery, Aikhionbare (Leonard – 69), Dukali
Unused subs:
Rumbol, Catmull
Goals: Embery
(61), Wisson (84)
Booked:
Steventon, Wilkins
Attendance: 263
Current league
position: 3rd (45 points)