Miles Rutherford, Danny Potter, Dabba & H made a couple of changes to the starting XI that beat Burgess Hill last time out with Emmett Dunn, who was away in Canada for a family wedding, returning at right back and midfielder Olly Munt slotting in instead of Misha Djemaili who broke his nose in that game. Curtis Da Costa again partnered Ben Pashley in the back four alongside skipper Rob Hutchings and Dunn either side of keeper Kieran Magee. Holder Moore lined up together with Lloyd Rowlatt, Joe Clarke and Isaac Bello in the centre of the park and Miles Ogobo up front. Djemaili, Lewis Rustell, Theo Bennetts, Mo Jammeh and a fit again Jimmy Wild warmed the bench.
The London-based side won the toss and elected Chi to play into the sun from the Archery End on a freezing cold January afternoon.
Magee, wearing a cap, had a couple of saves to make early doors when Da Costa got outpaced, and denied Sanchez Ming before Carshalton won a corner in only the second minute of play.
This was a clever one off the training ground with three touches that almost undid Chi but the ball was eventually cleared and the visitors were flagged offside.
At the other end, Rowlatt’s lofted pass towards Munt got snuffed out by Robins’ custodian Matt Kerbey and their No19 was also adjudged off by a lino.
Bello’s ball to Munt was cut out and Bryan Ifeanyi won the visitors another corner off Rowlatt six minutes in.
Next, Carshalton earned a set-piece after Rowlatt pushed Ming with the Sussex side struggling to get going in these opening exchanges.
Ming and Ifeanyi combined but the final cross went out for a City goal kick before Hutchings was fouled by Stanislaw Rzeznik on 10.
The Chi left back then cut out a dangerous move instigated by the opposition’s skipper Tommy Bradford and a lovely run from Fikayo Atewologun led to a further Carshalton corner which nearly resulted in an own goal but a corner on the Festival Theatre flank that Bradford delivered and Mathias Bakare blasted high and wide.
Pashley then broke a move up; Dunn impeded Bradford; and Bello and Ifeanyi were involved in some afters.
And then the visitors took the lead in the 20th minute when a smart one-two allowed them to overrun midfield and Noah Nzuzi finished clinically.
Bello went down for some lengthy physio treatment at the mid-point and should have subsequently tried a chip after linking up with Obodo before referee Josh Osofa booked Ming for a nasty tackle.
Clarke fired a pass from the consequent free-kick narrowly wide on the half hour mark and at the other end Magee had to clear for a Robins’ throw.
Obodo’s neat turn did Atewologun although he drilled his effort off target and Mr Osofa had a word with Kerbey for time wasting.
Next, Chi won a throw-in when Atewologun smashed one out, and he then got away with impeding Rowlatt with less than 10 minutes to go to the interval.
Magee collected Bradford’s corner kick without any trouble and Dunn made a fine intervention to end the threat caused by a Carshalton attack on 37.
Moore had a shot blocked at the Tennis Club End as did Rowlatt, and with five minutes left Clarke did magnificently to break up a Robins’ move.
Then Clarke should have levelled but hit his effort over the woodwork in the three minutes of additional time.
Neither side made any substitutions at the interval and swapped a couple of throws early on in the second half.
Pashley then cleverly let the ball roll back to Magee on 48 and Dunn’s brilliant cross as Chi attacked wasn’t capitalised on.
Munt got flagged offside as things started to crank up and Dunn defended intelligently to earn the hosts a free-kick.
Bello got pushed over again for another set-piece and a move where Rowlatt, Moore and Munt linked up broke down.
Magee did well to intercept when Kola Salami caused problems, and in the 55th minute collected despite pressure from the same player.
Bradford bought a free-kick on 57 but Magee gathered Bakare’s dead ball safely enough and the Chi keeper also bailed Hutchings out moments later
Nzuzi was then cautioned before Bello struck a shot wide of the left-hand stick.
Both sides made substitutions with Jammeh replacing Munt and Tolu Ladapo coming on for Rzeznik in the 62nd minute of the game.
A cross from the College Lane wing went out for a Chi goal kick before a brilliant one-two between Moore and Obodo led to a well-taken equaliser on 66.
Next, the visitors thought they had retaken the lead but it was rightly ruled out for offside and Wild replaced Clarke for his first City action in over nine months following that awful injury.
Magee then held Ladapo’s shot easily enough and Wild hit one over the bar.
A Bello bomb of a throw got claimed by the Robins’ keeper in the 72nd minute and Chi moved Dunn up into midfield and Bello to right back as they rolled the dice.
And what would prove to be the winner arrived with 14 minutes of normal time to go when Moore scored his and his side’s second with a delightful finish.
Next, Magee denied Salami with a fine stop before Bello headed safely back to him.
Hutchings then had a cross cut out and Chichester won a corner which Rowlatt took before Dunn wasn’t far off with a shot on 88.
The Canadian got booked for fouling Ming and Bello was impeded by Salami.
Mr Osofa added five minutes of additional time as the hosts dug in to protect their lead when two good defensive headers tidied things up and Magee denied sub Mason Saunders-Henry with an impressive save.
An obvious foul on Jammeh should have been given late on but wasn’t and at the death Magee pulled off one of those saves of a lifetime somehow clawing the ball away with one hand from the underside of the bar.
So, Chi move up to eighth place in the league after four wins and a draw in a five-game unbeaten run.
Next up is Canvey Island away on Tuesday 6th January (Kick Off 7.45pm).
Chichester – Magee, Dunn, Hutchings, Moore, Da Costa, Pashley, Bello, Clarke, Rowlatt, Obodo, Munt (Bennetts, Djemaili, Rustell, Jammeh, Wild).
Photos to follow.
