A combative and interesting game where Carshalton might have won by a greater margin against a spitited but somewhat limited Guernsey side. The reality was that other than an excellent long range goal from Ross Allen, Guernsey hardly threatened at all and their cause was not helped by the sending off of Tom Martin for a reckless challenge.
Carshalton are an interesting team to watch at the moment playing football in a real way with skill and passing and kept calm mostly by the experienced player/manager Peter Adeniyi playing the ball calmly out and around in defence. They are definitiely in the mix for promotion and maybe need 1-2 more players in select areas to make that happen.
Carshalton goal
Tommy Bradford free kick
Sean O’Toole goal
Ross Allen goal
The preliminary and qualifying rounds of the FA cup often produce a few surprises and with financial rewards around £2000 for winning, teams have more than a vested interest. On a damp and occasionally rainy evening Worthing ran out clear winners over Carshalton, however the scoreline fails to reflect a fascinating game that surely Carshalton will learn from.
Some spectators decided that an umbrella was the best option even sitting in the main stand.
Carshalton took an early 2-0 lead and looked the better footballing side but a scrappy Worthing goal minutes before half time put them back in the game.
The first Carshalton goal
The second half was one way traffic not helped with the sending off of their captain Jahmahl King for two probably unnecessary yellow cards. This led to a non-stop attack on the Carshalton goal and Alex Kozakis had this view for most of the second half.
The crowd of 286 saw a good game with a scoreline not really a fair one. Although Carshalton played good football their heads went down particualrly after the sending off of their captain and towards the end were playing the ball around at the back as a form of damage limitation.
Heads dropped a little
Both goalkeepers had work to do through the game and the score does not also refelct that they had decent games.
Worthing score in the second half
Worthing score again
Peter Adeniyi will feel a little unlucky overall however with some defensive strengthening this will become a very good side indeed.
A reasonably entertaining game but one which the hosts won too easily and the result was never in doubt.
One normally does not associate Ryman South with wonderful flowing and skilful football. Those people may be wrong. Essentially to give context this was a middle table game with nothing depending on it between two very different teams. The War Memorial ground is an excellent ground at this level and might easily host Conference South football with a few strategic amendments. The superb 3G pitch looks like a huge success and it was difficult to tell any difference from a grass version.
War Memorial Ground Carshalton
Some of the best non league terracing Carshalton
Even in the warm up it was clear to the casual observer, one of the 288 present, that the Carshalton team was young and mostly looked 10 years younger than a slightly gnarled older looking Three Bridges team.
The styles also were a huge contrast with Carshalton favouring a fluid skilful game playing the ball out of defence and using the wings, whilst Three bridges were more physical, forceful and at times presented Carshalton with some rigorous tackles.
Three Bridges also favoured the opportunity to debate regularly with the referee Chris Felton , whether his decisions were correct and give input as to which Carshalton players should be booked and for what reason.
The game was played in the first half in bright sunshine and by the second half light rain.
The crowd of 288 was a very respectable number considering the league positions and the paucity of away following from Three bridges.
The reality was that Carshalton won this game easily 4-1 and in Ricky Korboa had a winger with unreal talent and balance, who scored a goal worthy of goal of the month at any football level.
Ricky Korboa
Ricky Korboa
This current Carshalton team if kept together will be interesting to watch over the next 12 months.
Tommy Bradford
Tommy Bradford
The costs of football have been spiralling out of control in some clubs, the recent debacle of Liverpool trying to recoup a few extra pounds on a few extra seats and in that process pushing prices up to £77 have been well reported. As have the fans response, by walking out of a game and the subsequent result was a retraction of that ridiculous pricing.
The Championship side Huddersfield Town have however followed other clubs like Bradford City in making their season ticket prices so cheap that it remains to be seen the numbers that will take up this offer. For next season 2016-17, adult season tickets are priced at £179 for the first 10,000 season tickets sold. The rationale is mathematically simple. Championship clubs have an extra 2 million pounds TV revenue next season, and Huddersfield are diverting 1 million of that to fund this season ticket pricing reduction. This equates to a per match cost of £7.90 which is often less than I might spend in the tea bar at half time at Brentford on a burger and tea.
This is affordable and in fact brings the cost of league football to be cheaper than non-league. Many of the lower tier ” proper” non league clubs ( by which I really mean have a few stands and maybe terraces,and do not play in essentially roped off fields, trying to be descriptive not rude here!) who live at the Ryman league standard or above , charge £8-10 entrance, Molesey 8£ if I recall correctly and Carshalton 10£ ( both recommended by the way).
An interesting scenario and one we should watch avidly to ascertain the take up in Huddersfield of this exceptional offer. Other clubs should take note. Watching the Cardiff V Brighton game on TV last week one might be excused for thinking that the ground was empty as the cameras focused on the lower tiers only. Would it not be better to fill the ground? Numerous aspects are possible. Reduced prices for televised games? Buy one get one free? Free food, drink and a programme?
Bradford city are a class example. A club in League 1 not looking like an immediate return to the Championship is likely. For 2015-16 season their season tickets cost £149 for 23 home games. This is £6.50 per game, again little more than lower non league entrance costs. And this was actually £50 cheaper than the 2014-15 season ticket cost. Perhaps the only surprise was that junior season tickets were priced at £99, when a lower cost might seem a logical way to enhance the younger fan base. Especially with the curious meanderings at nearby Leeds United, for those not local these two cities share an airport, Leeds-Bradford airport. And anyone who might be cynical that this is a short term option consider that Bradford City have been running this cheap season ticket scheme since 2007 when the adult season ticket cost was £138.
An excellent individual goal from Luke Medley, taking the ball almost from the half way line and scoring. Its not so often that a sequence tells the story but enjoy these.
Luke Medley
Luke Medley
Luke Medley
Luke Medley
Luke Medley
Luke Medley
Luke Medley
A decent Ryman South game where some excellent match reports are already online.
http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/carshaltonafc/teams/109282/match-centre/1-1608057
A few photos from an end to end encounter on a blustery day.
Some weeks in football terms are best forgotten. Simply a bad week in the life of Brentford football club. A free saturday afternoon meant that I could go in search of a non league football game that might restore my sanity and belief in football as a game.
My first choice for a game is nearly always Carshalton Athletic who play in the Ryman South league and are assembling a young and enthusiastic side who are not paid the kind of excessive wages that some non league sides have resorted to in an attempt to buy success. Their season is a good one so far and they sit on the edges of the play off positions.
The ground is on the outskirts of Carshalton with a decent amount of parking at the ground. The terracing would grace many lower league grounds and a crowd of 257 gave a decent atmosphere.
The first thing one notices is that it is easy to walk around the whole ground so you not trapped in one zone all game. The food is generally better quality than league grounds and generally cheaper. One also has to mention the 3G pitch of which I am a fan and the ability of games to go ahead in often highly inclement weather.
The football played could be described as robust, a few tackles flying in which on a different day might have led to a few yellow and red cards. But the game and the result mattered to the 22 players out there. The physique and fitness may not be a league standard but these guys ran, well mostly, for 90 minutes.
Local builders did not seem to be doing much building during the game from their high perch behind the goal.
Away support at this level is varied but I had an excellent conversation with the seemingly sole South Park fan standing behind the goal.
People come for different reasons and many nowadays bring cameras, including myself, and some excellent photos end up online post match.
This football is real, played by amateurs and watched by genuine football fans who in many cases have followed their clubs for years or even decades. Those fans who only watch league football at higher echelons could do worse than spend around 10£ or sometimes less to occasionally watch non league football. It does restore your belief that football is a game, that fans of all teams can stand together and chat, and that the complaints over the referee and officials do not stop at a league level!
As a photographer I also enjoy the ability to bring my camera in and get all kinds of photos from different angles that would never be possible at a league game.
With all the insanity that surrounds professional football it made a nice change to watch a competitive if somewhat bad tempered affair at the lovely War Memorial Ground in Carshalton. There are ample match reports on this game so I will suffice to say that a penalty in the first 5 minutes by Carshalton was matched by an equaliser in almost the final minute. South Park also found time in the first half to have a penalty saved by the impressive Luke Colquhoun.
Here is the story of the game in photographic terms. Enjoy.
chris1957
Arcticterntalk.org 