Carshalton Athletic went out of the Alan Boon Cup via the lottery of a penalty shoot on Wednesday night after a 2-2 draw at Maidstone United, writes James Barrett.

Both sides slugged this one out like a pair of horses leading the pack into the final furlong, both nudging ahead at certain times but the hosts taking it by a nose at the death. Either side enjoyed decent spells of possession and had chances to win it in normal time but it was Maidstone that held their nerve during the spot kicks.

Tom Davis and Dean Lodge both missed in the shoot out to see the Robins exit after a 4-2 spot kick defeat.

“It was a disappointing evening all round,” said manager Paul Dipre after the game.

“We arrived with just 30 minutes until kick-off so our preparation was hurried, the pitch was very poor and our performance was on a par with it.

“There is not a lot I can say about the game, we didn’t look up for it and it felt more like a Sunday League fixture.

"Nobody played particularly well, but maybe I’m being a bit harsh because the conditions made short passing a liability not an advantage - it was like playing football with a rugby ball at times.

“We need to get used to travelling for two hours to play a game in poor conditions, however, as these kind of fixtures make up an important chunk of our season.”

Carshalton lost Laurent Hamici, Craig Tanner and David Ray to illness in the run up to the match. The impressive Luke Nolan retained the left back role, while Dean Lodge partnered Paul Vines up front and Francis Quarm got a start. Kieran Murphy was made captain in the absence of Ray and Billy Crook was one of only two substitutes despite feeling ill himself.

And, despite the game ending with eight spot kicks, there was almost one seen in under the first minute. Maidstone winger Faulkes ran onto a long ball and took on Michael Kamara in the box. The pair clashed and Faulkes appealed to referee Roguez, while Kamara appealed for handball. Both claims were waved away.

Carshalton’s first real attempt on the home goal came after six minutes. Tom Davis spread the ball wide to Tony Finn, who beat two men as he cut inside. He laid the ball off via a back heel to Lodge, but his weak shot dribbled wide of the target.

Both teams tried to play the ball on the floor when there was time and space available and it was from one of these passing moves that The Robins took the lead.

Davis released Nolan down the left who beat his opposite number Osbourne and pulled the ball back to a supporting Quarm. He spread it wide to Lodge who eventually won a corner. The delivery found Luke Pigden loitering on the edge of the box. The midfielder took a touch past a defender and enjoyed a slice of luck as goalkeeper Powell failed to gather his rolling shot which squirmed through his hands.

However the lead only lasted four minutes as the hosts rallied back with a bit of luck of their own.

Sam Bewick, a thorn in Carshalton’s side all night, cut a swathe through The Robins midfield and went to hit a shot on the edge of the box. He succeeded in only brushing the ball with the top of his studs and the now deft through ball deceived Jason Roberts and fell to the feet of striker Alex Waugh. He took it round the oncoming Nick Hamann and slotted it away to draw his team level.

Neither side could take the initiative those early strikes could’ve afforded them. When passing through the midfield, both teams looked capable of creating something but resultant long balls found both sets of centre backs clearing their lines admirably. Davis picked up a silly booking for shouting dissent at referee Roguez and Pigden tried his luck from distance again, but this time Powell was equal to the challenge.

Maidstone started to turn the screw on the visitors in the last 10 minutes. Kamara slipped under no pressure on 38 minutes and Faulkes crossed but Murphy and Roberts pressured the ball and a resultant shot was easily saved by Hamann. A minute later Waugh found himself in front of Hamann unmarked, but the German plucked his attempted lob out of the air.

On a rare sortie into the Maidstone box Nolan burst forward from left back and took Pigden’s pass in his stride. He bore down on goal but the covering Baff Addae made a great last ditch challenge to thwart his strike on goal.

Moments later Kamara was picked out by a great long pass by Roberts down the right. His cross was pounced on by Davis on the edge of the box but his attempted curler went high and wide – sadly a pre-cursor for the out-of-sorts midfielder.

Waugh flashed the last kick of the game just wide after Murphy only half cleared a ball up towards the Carshalton box as the sides went in even at the break.

HALF TIME: 1-1 Billy Crook was introduced for the second half in place of Quarm, but Maidstone nearly went under in the 46 minute but Bewick’s firm shot sailed just over the bar.

The home side had their tails up and were pressuring the ball when not in possession. Carshalton were looking to get Vines and Lodge away with long balls but to no avail as they battled to get a foot hold in the game.

However, on 50 minutes, Vines guided a free header wide from inside the six yard area from a Finn cross. It was a golden chance that would’ve given The Robins the advantage while under pressure.

The pendulum swung back in favour of Carshalton shortly after that though. Neither goalkeeper had much to do from that header until the visitors took the lead again on 57 minutes and Vines atoned for his miss by setting it up.

He spotted a short goal kick by Powell to James Abraham and charged the centre back’s attempted clearance down. He broke into the box and squared the ball to Lodge who raced to support the unexpected attack. The diminutive winger took a touch and almost lost the opportunity to score, but he eventually drilled it low past Powell despite the attentions of recovering defenders.

It was now The Robins who were in control of the game, with Hamann becoming a spectator for the next five minutes. Crook added some composure into the midfield and Vines had a shot on the turn that drifted just wide.

But, yet again, Maidstone hauled themselves back into the game after the disappointment of going behind again. Hamann performed a flying save and then took one to the midriff to deny Addae on both occasions, but he couldn’t do anything about the home side’s equaliser that came on 67 minutes.

Following a midfield skirmish, Maidstone worked the ball to Bewick on the right. He beat Nolan and delivered a wicked cross that sub Sean Johnson side-foot volleyed with aplomb to bulge the visitor’s net for a second time.

Finn almost responded immediately for The Robins as he burst onto an attempted back header by Tom Mills that Powell was slow to come and gather. He took it past the keeper but the angle was against him and his cross-shot flew across the middle of the six yard box.

Vines was then played in between Mills and Karl Knight down the inside right channel by Davis. He took the ball into the box and took a shot on the half volley, but he snatched it wide from 15 yards. Maidstone countered and Johnson flashed another shot just over the bar.

The home side were now in the ascendency and Bewick forced Roberts into a good block to deny him a clear shot on goal. Vines and Lodge became isolated figures as Maidstone looked hard for a winner. They forced four corner in the space of a few minutes and three more yellow cards were dished out, including one for Vines.

In the last minute Kamara produced an outstanding last-ditch tackle to deny Addae what surely would’ve been a goal after the winger looked set to pounce on Bewick’s cross and the tie went to penalties.

PENALTIES Davis took the first for Carshalton but scooped his shot over the bar. Vines scored the second by sending Powell the wrong way, but Lodge’s clipped penalty for the third lacked the power to beat Powell’s strong hand. Pigden hit home the fourth low and hard but by then the damage had been done.

Maidstone 4 (Bewick, Waugh, Green, Addae) Carshalton 2 (Vines, Pigden) Carshalton host Leatherhead in a Ryman League match on Saturday 19th November before travelling to AFC Hornchurch on Tuesday 22nd November. The Robins then go to Maldon and Tiptree in the third qualifying round of the FA Trophy.

Carshalton Athletic: Hamann; Kamara, Murphy (c), Roberts, Nolan; Finn, Quarm (Crook), Davis, Pigden; Vines, Lodge. Unused sub: A Joseph.

Goals: Pigden (14), Lodge (57) Maidstone United: Powell; Osbourne (c), Mills, Knight, Abraham, Bewick, Cackett (Johnson), Saunders (Phillips), Waugh, Addae, Faulkes (Green). Unused subs: Lye, Flisher.

Goals: Waugh (18), Johnson (67)