Tuesday 26 November 2002 Ryman League, Division One South Walton & Hersham 3 Carshalton Athletic 0

Swans certainly seemed to have benefited from a fortnight's enforced break as they put on their best home display for some time to inflict on Division One leaders Carshalton their heaviest defeat of the season.

It was also only the Robins' second league defeat and the first since the opening day of the season.

Swans were finally able to give Tony Tucker, on-loan from Woking, his debut in goal, and although barely troubled by the visitors, he impressed with his composure and clean handling.

Tucker was given fine protection as Swans' defence, with both Adam Thompson and Chris Whelan outstanding, barely put a foot wrong all evening.

Steve Warren was given a start, and he was arguably Swans' man of the match with his clean striking of the ball and incisive passing, the on-loan Reading player adding much-needed steel and energy to the mid-field. Rob Wimble had the first opening after a quarter of an hour, a firm strike from just inside the box unfortunately going straight at Robins' keeper Borg.

Warren then played a superb through ball to give Derek Bryan a clear run on goal, but Borg was out to block the ball before Bryan could get his shot away. After half an hour Warren played another excellent ball to give Francis Dolan space on the right, but when the ball finally came to Ross Pickett, he shot wide from 20 yards.

A minute later Dolan's long throw from the right was not cleared, and Marcus Rose drove a left-foot shot past Borg from the edge of the box.

Carshalton's first effort on target came shortly before the break, when Harvey beat Nicky Andrews on the right to force a routine save from Tucker with a low-shot. Then as the half entered stoppage-time Borg failed to cling on to the ball close to the edge of the area, and Warren was quickly in to lash a shot in to the far, left corner of the goal.

Swans then twice went desperately close to stretching their lead still further. Bryan played the ball to Warren to the right of goal, and he sent in a stinging, rising shot that Borg did well to get his fingers to, to tip over the bar. From the resultant corner Lee O'Donnell, who had just replaced the injured Pickett, got in a header that Wood had to clear off the line at the far-post.

Swans continued to look comfortable in the second-half, although Harvey did get a shot in for the visitors after 65 minutes, but again Tucker saved with ease.

With just over a quarter of an hour left Bryan burst past Wood to have a clear run on goal, only for the Robins' defender to pull him down just outside the penalty area. Wood was sent-off, and when Warren struck the resultant free-kick with tremendous power, Borg pulled off a fine save to turn the ball round his left-post.

With ten minutes left Richard Newbery replaced Scott Edgar, and almost immediately seemed certain to score against his former club as he burst clear on goal. A pursuing Robins' defender appeared to clip Newbery's heels to send him sprawling, but what seemed a clearer case for a sending-off than the previous one was ignored by the referee, who waved play on.

But justice was done in stoppage time when Thompson burst through to the right of goal, to gleefully thump home his first senior goal for Swans.

Match Statistics

Walton Team: Tucker, Dolan, Andrews, Thompson, Whelan, Rose, Warren, Pickett (O'Donnell 44), Edgar (Newbery 81), Bryan, Wimble. Subs. not used: Blackman, Edwards.

Goalscorers for Walton: Rose (31 mins.). Warren (45 mins.). Thompson (90 mins.).

Cautions & Dismissal: O'Donnell (Walton), caution. Hawthorne (Carshalton), caution. Wood (Carshalton), sent-off.