Chipstead’s under-18s can consider themselves very unlucky to come away from Carshalton without at least a point to show for their efforts in their latest match in the Isthmian League Youth Central Division on Monday night, but they lost 3-2

They started brightly, with Josh Burr sending Myles Amadi away wide right, he crossed to Farid Salifou, but the young winger couldn’t get his shot away - Burr then saw a drive go wide, before Amadi’s free-kick was just too strong for Aaron Joseph

As Carshalton seemed to be getting a foothold in the game, Chipstead took the lead, as Burr scored from an incredibly acute angle to make it 1-0

But the lead lasted barely 5 minutes, as the home no. 10 shot home to make it 1-1

Chips tried to regain the momentum - Leon Starkey-Dyer hit a shot from distance, but straight at the keeper - then Salifou made a great burst through the middle, before feeding the ball to Kobi Asante, but the home defence held firm, & it remained 1-1 at the break

Into the second half & Chipstead nearly scored their second goal, as Asante set Starkey-Dyer free through the centre of the park, & he seemed to hit the perfect, sublime lob over the home keeper, only to see it bounce back off a post to safety - the same two then combined again, but Starkey-Dyer’s shot was again straight at the keeper

Chips’ own keeper Billy Springall had to be down sharpish to keep his side level, but he had no chance from a free-kick from distance wide on the right, which seemed to deceive him, coming down off the underside of the bar, with a Carshalton forward making sure it finished in the back of the net to make it 2-1

Five minutes later & it was 3-1, as their no. 11 made a run inside left & fired home

Chipstead didn’t give up, & managed a consolation goal with 2 minutes left - Wayne Kuvi had already tested the keeper from distance, & now beat the defence again, the keeper could only parry his shot, & skipper Harry Pearson touched home the rebound to make it 3-2

As the game entered added time, the Carshalton no. 4 was sent off for a second yellow card, but, in spite of having a couple of late free-kicks, Chips couldn’t muster an equaliser, & will rue the defeat, which leaves them 8th in the league table, ahead of their next match, which is in the league cup at home to Eastbourne Borough on Monday 17th October