We scored our first goals of pre-season as we just fell short against an energetic QPR team, writes James Barrett-Sterling.
Team news: Paris Hamilton-Downes, Ryan Gondoh and Mikhail McLaughlin made their first full appearances of pre-season, while boss Peter Adeniyi included himself in the squad for the first time this month.
The first chance of the game fell to the visitors on two minutes but Mathias Fanimo couldn't divert a low cross in front of our goal on target.
We responded as Hamilton-Downes, Gondoh and Raheem Sterling-Parker combined and the latter got Tommy Bradford in on goal, but goalkeeper Seny Dieng diverted his shot over. Jordan Cheadle got on the end of the deep corner delivery but the keeper got down to parry away the defender's low shot.
But we took the lead just four minutes later as Cheadle swept a 50 yard free kick out to an advanced Ricardo Panton. He teed up Bradford whom took a touch before whipping in a cross which the unmarked Sterling-Parker bundled home at the second attempt.
The game settled down after that, despite a driving rain prevailing, but it was the visitors that looked the most dangerous going forwards - Fanimo saw a couple of crosses just miss their target while Jay Emmanuel Thomas curled an effort wide from 18 yards.
Rangers midfielder Nasser El Khayati then twice had Alex Kozakis sprawling as he tried his luck from range, then McLaughlin timed a sliding tackle to perfection as the number seven was played into our area on 27 minutes.
Bradford was then denied by Dieng again as our man took aim from 15 yards, but Rangers equalised on the half-hour as Danny Dudley took down Illias Chair inside our box and Thomas converted the spot-kick.
Both sides continued to trade attacks as Chair dragged an effort wide, Bradford bent the ball wide of both Dieng and the far post and Fanimo somehow hit the crossbar from 12 yards after be
ing played in free by El Khayati.
But we fell behind on 39 minutes as Chair dummied a forward pass and Thomas neatly found his teammate's forward run. He approached our near post unchallenged and eventually dinked a shot past Kozakis.
We were almost gifted a way back into the game on 43 minutes as Dieng inexplicably sent a pass into Gondoh whom took the ball back into their area. He was eventually crowded out but he managed to find Brendan Murphy-McVey whom saw his chipped effort from 18 yards deflected off target.
And Bradford was left frustrated again on the stroke of half-time after we broke down the left and Gondoh teed him up on the edge, but last season's top goalscorer blazed the ball over the bar.
HALF-TIME: 1 - 2
We restored parity just five minutes into the second-half as Adeniyi robbed the ball in midfield and played Sterling-Parker down the inside left. He beat his man and slammed a low ball across their six yard area where Ali Omar, under no pressure at all, sliced into his own net.
Our joy was short-lived however as Rangers attacked straight from the re-start and, as we failed to clear a ball into our box, Chair plundered his second to restore his side's lead.
Team news: Paris Hamilton-Downes, Ryan Gondoh and Mikhail McLaughlin made their first full appearances of pre-season, while boss Peter Adeniyi included himself in the squad for the first time this month.
The first chance of the game fell to the visitors on two minutes but Mathias Fanimo couldn't divert a low cross in front of our goal on target.
We responded as Hamilton-Downes, Gondoh and Raheem Sterling-Parker combined and the latter got Tommy Bradford in on goal, but goalkeeper Seny Dieng diverted his shot over. Jordan Cheadle got on the end of the deep corner delivery but the keeper got down to parry away the defender's low shot.
But we took the lead just four minutes later as Cheadle swept a 50 yard free kick out to an advanced Ricardo Panton. He teed up Bradford whom took a touch before whipping in a cross which the unmarked Sterling-Parker bundled home at the second attempt.
The game settled down after that, despite a driving rain prevailing, but it was the visitors that looked the most dangerous going forwards - Fanimo saw a couple of crosses just miss their target while Jay Emmanuel Thomas curled an effort wide from 18 yards.
Rangers midfielder Nasser El Khayati then twice had Alex Kozakis sprawling as he tried his luck from range, then McLaughlin timed a sliding tackle to perfection as the number seven was played into our area on 27 minutes.
Bradford was then denied by Dieng again as our man took aim from 15 yards, but Rangers equalised on the half-hour as Danny Dudley took down Illias Chair inside our box and Thomas converted the spot-kick.
Both sides continued to trade attacks as Chair dragged an effort wide, Bradford bent the ball wide of both Dieng and the far post and Fanimo somehow hit the crossbar from 12 yards after be
ing played in free by El Khayati.
But we fell behind on 39 minutes as Chair dummied a forward pass and Thomas neatly found his teammate's forward run. He approached our near post unchallenged and eventually dinked a shot past Kozakis.
We were almost gifted a way back into the game on 43 minutes as Dieng inexplicably sent a pass into Gondoh whom took the ball back into their area. He was eventually crowded out but he managed to find Brendan Murphy-McVey whom saw his chipped effort from 18 yards deflected off target.
And Bradford was left frustrated again on the stroke of half-time after we broke down the left and Gondoh teed him up on the edge, but last season's top goalscorer blazed the ball over the bar.
HALF-TIME: 1 - 2
We restored parity just five minutes into the second-half as Adeniyi robbed the ball in midfield and played Sterling-Parker down the inside left. He beat his man and slammed a low ball across their six yard area where Ali Omar, under no pressure at all, sliced into his own net.
Our joy was short-lived however as Rangers attacked straight from the re-start and, as we failed to clear a ball into our box, Chair plundered his second to restore his side's lead.
Rather than sulk, we rolled up our sleeves and McLaughlin won a header on the left that Murphy-McVey helped on into the path of Sterling-Parker. He worked some space in the box but bent his shot wide of the far post.
Rangers sub Arimide Oteh thought he'd scored a fifth just before the hour but, although his left-footed shot beat Beech's dive, the ball cannoned off the near post.
Both sides made a few substitutions as the game entered the last 20 minutes but, despite Gondoh hitting a shot straight at sub keeper Martin Herdman, we were flagging.
And the best goal of the game came via the right foot of Rangers sub Dan Derbyshire whom put a 20 yard shot over the dive of Beech and into the top right corner.
The closest we came to adding to our score came in added time when Bradford picked out Rio Davidson-Phipps on the right whom cut inside his marker only to then see his low shot deflected away from the target.
Photos from the game are available here.
Next up: We travel to Tooting and Mitcham Utd on Saturday 29th July before Dulwich Hamlet come to us on Saturday 5th August.
Carshalton Athletic: Kozakis (Beech - 46); Panton (McKenzie - 78), Dudley (Alexiou - 86), McLaughlin, Cheadle (Aditogun - 78), Hamilton-Downes (c) (Davidson-Phipps - 78); Opoku (Adeniyi - 46), Murphy-McVey (Swaby - 70), Gondoh (Opoku - 78); Bradford, Sterling-Parker (Winter - 70)
Goals: Sterling-Parker (8), Omar (50 og)
Assists: Bradford, Sterling-Parker
QPR: Dieng (Herdman - 46), Kioso, Williams (Derbyshire - 42), Comley, Adebowale, Omar, el Khayati, Stylianides, Thomas (Oteh - 46), Chair (Akinola - 54), Mathais (Rowe - 42)
Photos from the game are available here.
Next up: We travel to Tooting and Mitcham Utd on Saturday 29th July before Dulwich Hamlet come to us on Saturday 5th August.
Carshalton Athletic: Kozakis (Beech - 46); Panton (McKenzie - 78), Dudley (Alexiou - 86), McLaughlin, Cheadle (Aditogun - 78), Hamilton-Downes (c) (Davidson-Phipps - 78); Opoku (Adeniyi - 46), Murphy-McVey (Swaby - 70), Gondoh (Opoku - 78); Bradford, Sterling-Parker (Winter - 70)
Goals: Sterling-Parker (8), Omar (50 og)
Assists: Bradford, Sterling-Parker
QPR: Dieng (Herdman - 46), Kioso, Williams (Derbyshire - 42), Comley, Adebowale, Omar, el Khayati, Stylianides, Thomas (Oteh - 46), Chair (Akinola - 54), Mathais (Rowe - 42)
Goals: Thomas (29 pen), Chair (39 and 51), Derbyshire (73)
Attendance: 275
Attendance: 275