A single goal separated the two sides at the end of 90 minutes, but again the Robins had to pay dearly for their weakness in front of goal.

Despite Eban Allen being signed in time to start up front for the Robins and Adrian Toppin taking over the captain's armband, it was only in the late stages of the game that Carshalton demonstrated the urgency that will be needed if they are move away from their current lowly position at the wrong end of the Ryman Premier Division.

The first chance fell to Sean Marks for the visitors when he squeezed between challenges from Cartledge and Graves only to put his shot on the run wide of the upright.

For the Robins, a tremendous volley from fully 35m by Alijee Jabbie was well held by Danny Gay and Allen's free-kick shortly after from just outside the area eluded the defensive wall, but not the alert keeper who clung onto the ball on the goal line.

The later stages of the first half were marred by an ugly aerial challenge for the ball by Marks which resulted in Robins defender David Graves receiving several minutes treatment.

The game looked in danger of boiling over not long after when a series of late tackles by Swift's defenders on Matt Howard finished with the Carshalton midfielder being felled and a brawl involving several players followed.

When the combatants were eventually separated, it came as a surprise that only Dundas and Burrell found their way into the referee's note book.

Finally Heybridge's Michael Shinn was cautioned for a poor tackle on Colin Hartburn.

As in the first period, Heybridge had the early opportunity after the break when a mix-up between between Cartledge and Robins keeper Seuke almost presented Richard Jolly with a chance, but fortunately Hartburn was on hand to clear the danger.

It wasn't long into the half before Carshalton made the ineveitable substitution with Mark Marshall coming on, this time for Matt Howard, and the move almost had an immediate dividend when Marshall skipped round the Heybridge defence.

The run ended with a pass to Drewett, but the midfielder's attempted shot was a poor effort. The only goal of the game arrived with 20 minutes remaining when a long ball to the right stretched the Robins defence.

Burrell took the ball past Boxall and a simple pass across the face of the goal was stabbed home by substitute Giani Frankis.

The Robins were forced to throw caution to the wind and Dave Garland put on another striker, Sean Rivers, to try to get back on terms, but it was only in the dying minutes that the Robins looked likely to snatch the vital goal that would have given them the draw that their overall play just about deserved.

Craig Dundas picked up the ball in the right hand channel and burst forward, holding off several challenges before firing in a drive that was parried by Gay.

Rivers failed by inches to make contact with the loose ball, the Robins were beaten and their Cup hopes were gone for another year.

Robins: Seuke, Hartburn, Graves, Cartledge, Boxall (Rivers), Drewett, Howard (Marshall), Toppin, Jabbie, Dundas, Allen Subs not used; Harwood, Fontana, Platel.

Next games: Saturday 11 November Carshalton Athletic v Ramsgate Ryman Premier Division - Kick off 3.00 Saturday 18 November Boreham Wood v Carshalton Athletic Ryman Premier Division - Kick off 3.00 Tuesday 21 November Carshalton Athletic v Slough Town Ryman Premier Division - Kick off 7.30