Carshalton Athletic 1 Newport (Isle of Wight) 0 - Carshalton reached the third round of the FA Trophy for the first time in six years thanks to a late goal, writes Roger Fear.

Newport came to Colston Avenue with a good defensive record, but with a reputation for not scoring many goals.

And with the Robins also having problems, the first goal was always going to be crucial.

In a fairly even first half, Matt York came close to scoring for Carshalton after heading a Stuart Massey free kick into the goalkeeper's arms.

Newport then failed to take advantage of a mistake in the Carshalton defence as the ball was scrambled away from the edge of the penalty area.

A thrilling three-man move involving Kevin Lock, Mark Hynes and Nick Hegley ended with Hegley driving the ball wide of the Newport goal.

A strong appeal for a Carshalton penalty was then turned down after Hynes was up-ended in the area.

At the other end, Carshalton were grateful to Simon Bassey and Neil Robson for making crucial tackles in the goal area.

Remarkably, Newport's Dave Wakefield squandered three chances. First, Stuart Searle was able to catch a deflected shot at the far post.

His second miss was in front of an unguarded goal as his header failed to hit the target.

He should have reached a cross from the right-hand side but the ball went out for a goal kick.

In the second half Carshalton took control of the match and created a number of chances.

Now it was time for Newport's defenders to get in crucial blocks as Carshalton turned on the pressure.

Lock might have done better when he raced down the left-hand side, but he skied his shot over the bar.

Newport claimed a penalty when one of their forwards appeared to be impeded in the box.

At the other end, another York cross caused problems but Orlando Hollingsworth failed to convert the opportunity.

With time running out and the Robins facing the prospect of a Tuesday night Isle of Wight replay, Carshalton broke the deadline.

Man of the match Robson sent over a cross from the left-hand side and Elliott delicately touched the ball into the net with his head.

The final whistle brought great cheer for the Robins and they look forward to a visit to Farnborough on January 12 in the next round.

December 6, 2001 09:31