Paul Dipre had to give his Carshalton Athletic a half-time talking to on Saturday before they saw off plucky Maldon & Tipree 1-0 in the FA Trophy, writes James Barrett.

Captain David Ray scored the only goal of the game in the second half which secured the Robins a first round proper tie at home to Bishop's Stortford or Tonbridge Angels.

But Dipre revealed he was less than pleased with his team's showing.

"Some players approached this game with the wrong attitude and they thought they could cruise it,” said Dipre.

“The first half showed how it can be so easy to possibly slip up if you don’t have the right mentality.

“The dressing room was not a polite place at half time but I was happy with how my players redeemed themselves by delivering a result.”

With Tony Finn cup-tied and Craig Tanner injured, Dipre brought Dean Lodge and Luke Pigden back into the starting eleven, with Luke Nolan reverting to left back. Trialist Al-Ammen Amodu joined the substitutes for the trip too.

The cold and windy conditions added to the potential cup upset atmosphere that some were predicting, but it The Robins that drew first blood; Lodge coming in at the back post to connect with Pigden’s deep cross which was blocked out for a corner.

Maldon and Tiptree seemed happy to allow Carshalton possession in the middle of the pitch and the visitors popped the ball around well, looking for openings and trying to get Laurent Hamici and Paul Vines to stretch the home defence.

However it was nice passing move by the home team that set Joe Pearman into Carshalton’s box but Justyn Roberts cleared the danger before he could get his shot off.

Tom Davis won a loose ball in midfield shortly after that, working the ball into Hamici. The forward laid the ball out to Lodge, whose cross almost found Vines at the back post. Maldon and Tiptree keeper Darren Behcet plucked the delivery out of the air.

As the match progressed it was obvious that The Robins were struggling to turn their territorial advantage into goals. Hamici and Vines were becoming frustrated by wayward passes or good defending.

Nick Hamann was forced into his first meaningful save of the game on 18 minutes. Neil Cousins drew a foul from Davis and left back Dave Collins curled a powerful shot in from 20 yards that Hamann saved down to his left. The German keeper than reacted quickly to the loose ball and gathered it in front of Cousins.

The home side now came into the game and kept Carshalton pinned in their half for a couple of minutes. Cousins almost shook the attentions of Davis and Pigden on the edge of the box during this period but Hamann wasn’t unduly threatened by any shots.

The windy conditions didn’t abate and when Roberts found himself in an unfamiliar position down the left, his driven left footed ball into the box swirled so much that Behcet had to be on his toes to safely gather it under his crossbar.

Behcet was called into action again just after the half hour. Davis’s dinked ball found Vines in the box and the striker’s headed lay off was met by a half volley from Lodge, but the keeper got down to his right well and parried.

Vines had to be replaced by Sonny Ayers shortly after that move after picking up an injury contesting a loose ball. The Robins’ cup of frustration was running over, Billy Crook had a shot from 18 yards that sailed wide and Kamara had to make a brave block on his own penalty spot from Leon Antoine as the home side forced a corner in the last minute.

The second half saw Carshalton up the tempo and press the home team more. Davis tried catching Behcet out with a 40 yard chip that the keeper dealt with and Crook got down the right just after, but no-one was on hand to put a touch on his low cross.

Hamici and Ayers worked their socks off trying to win possession high up the field but the ball wasn’t quite sticking. Both forwards got touches onto a Pigden cross on 56 minutes but neither turned into anything meaningful. Anthony Joseph came on for Lodge and two minutes later The Robins made the breakthrough.

Hamici unleashed a thunderbolt from 35 yards after turning his marker that Behcet parried up over the bar. It was a shot borne out of frustration, a real ‘I only need a second to punish you’ reminder to the home team of his presence.

From the resultant corner captain Ray rose at the back post to head the ball in and relieve the pressure on his side.

A Maldon and Tiptree corner was cleared and The Robins broke with pace on 65 minutes. Joseph picked out Luke Nolan, who had motored from his defensive duties to support the winger. The young defender took the ball in his stride, rode the challenge of Saltwell and got through one-on-one with Bechet, but the keeper kept out the strike.

A minute later the home side appealed for a penalty but referee Fissenden correctly judged Roberts’ sliding challenge on Antoine as fair. Up the other end Joseph pulled three opponents into the right hand corner before laying the ball back to Crook. His delivery was met by Ray with an attempted side-volley which sailed over the bar.

Three yellow cards were dished out as the game went into the last 10 minutes, including one for Hamici, and Pigden had a left footed free kick drop just wide of the near post as The Robins looked to put a gloss on the score line.

Roberts then received a caution for pulling back Cousins and giving away a free kick in a dangerous position. Collins tried his luck again, but the ball went through a forest of legs and into the arms of a grateful Hamann.

The game ended with the spotlight on Ayers as the young forward could’ve had two goals in injury time.

The first came from another counter attack led by Joseph who carried the ball into the last third of the field. Ayers and Pigden ran up in support and the winger picked out Ayers who slid the ball past Bechet. However the linesman on the near side flagged for a debatable offside.

The second originated from Nolan who picked out Joseph superbly with a 40 yard cross field ball. Joseph nodded the ball on and this time Ayers timed his run brilliantly. Bechet came out to narrow the angle and got down to his left to smother the young striker’s shot.

Carshalton next play Raynes Park Vale in the Surrey Senior cup at Colston Avenue on Tuesday 29th November before hosting Wingate and Finchley four days later.

Carshalton Athletic: Hamann; Kamara, Ray (c), Roberts, Nolan; Lodge (A Joseph), Crook, Davis, Pigden; Hamici, Vines (Ayers). Unused subs: Badialli, Murphy, Amodu.

Goal: Ray (58)

Maldon and Tiptree: Bechet, Saltwell, Collins, Wiffin, Burgess, I Cousins, Stevenson, Berquez, N Cousins, Antoine, Pearman. No substitutes named.