Carshalton Athletic 1-3 Kingstonian

Kingstonian got themselves right back into the race for a play-off spot with a 3-1 away win at Carshalton Athletic. Paul Vines and Sam Clayton scored either side of half time before the excellent Tom Hutchinson added a third half way through the second half. Carshalton skipper, David Ray, scored a consolation goal for the Robins.

The match was played on a dry, dusty and bouncy surface which, added with a strong breeze blowing straight down the sloping pitch, made conditions difficult. Infact both sides produced their best football when playing uphill into the wind. It was Kingstonian though who came out of the traps the faster and applied the early pressure with Alimi firing off a smart shot in the second minute which was well blocked by a defender. Carshalton immediately struck back and should have taken the lead within a minute. Full back Michael Boateng set off on a storming run down the right and his cross was only half cleared before it fell to the young centre forward, Darren Bryan. With only Tolfrey to beat from six yards he went for power and his fiercely struck shot crashed off the underside of the bar and was cleared.

The chances continued to flow as the match proceeded in frenetic fashion. First off in the ninth minute Alan Tait took too long to get his shot off when well placed and allowed a defender to block his shot. Shortly afterwards a dangerous Sam Clayton cross from a free kick was well cleared under pressure. In the twenty first minute MacDonald went down heavily and it looked certain that it would be the end of the match for injury prone K's defender. Fortunately he eventually rose to his feet and took his place in the backline.

By now the balance of power had swung in favour of the home side as they produced neat counter attacking football. A Ledgister shot from the right appeared destined for the top corner before Tom Hutchinson managed to deflect the ball away and then the same defender produced an outstanding tackle on O'Toole as he prepared to get a shot off.

Having soaked up twenty minutes of Carshalton pressure Kingstonian produced the sucker punch with only seconds of the half remaining. Tom Bird won possession with a brave header in midfield which broke for Huckle who knocked the ball over the defence. Paul Vines raced through and showed his class by calmly lifting the ball over the keeper.

Kingstonian managed to double their lead within a minute of the restart. A deflected Tait shot fell invitingly for Clayton and he made no mistake by gratefully burying his shot from eight yards. Now playing with confidence Kingstonian settled into a much better rhythm as they found it easier to play the ball to feet up the slope and into the wind.

In the seventy second minute Kingstonian extended their lead further still. Tait won a corner which was swung in towards the near post by Clayton where it was met by Tom Hutchinson with a powerful header which unerringly found the target. This three goal lead lasted less than a minute as Carshalton went straight back upfield and also scored from a corner. In what was to prove to be his only serious save of the game, Tolfrey turned a Ledgister shot around the post, but from the resulting corner Ray headed back across the goal and into the net.

This was to only prove to be a consolation goal as, bar the odd half chance, Kingstonian remained firmly in control. Bahiru Alimi tirelessly patrolled the midfield and won tackle after tackle. With the back four looking very solid and Tait holding up the ball well and using it intelligently, Kingstonian now rarely looked troubled. The only concern was the sight of Paul Vines limping off with ten minutes to go.

Whilst the scoreline was comfortable, Kingstonian scored their goals at good times in the game which relieved any pressure and enabled them to play with confidence. However, the finishing was clinical even in the absence of the most clinical finisher of all, Bobby Traynor. This was allied with a convincing defensive performance from all of the back four, where man of the match Tom Hutchinson in particular was outstanding.