Carshalton Athletic's interim boss Ian Hazel described his team's second half performance as lacklustre after they were dumped out of the FA Trophy 2-1 at home to underdogs Whitstable Town.

Despite leading through defender Adriano Moraes’ first-half strike – his second goal in a week – two Town goals in the last 15 minutes saw the Robins fail to make the first round proper of the competition for a second consecutive season.

The Oystermen are struggling at the wrong end of Ryman Division One South, although in comparison they have had a good record in cup competitions so far this season.

Hazel said: "My players got more comfortable with our 1-0 lead as the clock ticked down. We didn’t do enough to get a second goal and that contributed to our downfall, our second-half performance was lacklustre.”

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Hazel was also concerned about the amount of set-pieces his side gave away during the game, one of which led directly to Town’s equaliser.

“We gave away far too many free kicks in our own half, particularly in the second 45 minutes when Town began to exert a bit of pressure.

"We certainly need to cut that out of our game because any opponent would eventually capitalise,” he added.

Moraes’ two recent goals has seen the centre back become Carshalton’s second joint top goalscorer at the club, a fact which gives Hazel extra food for thought.

“We’ve relied on Tommy Bradford for goals so far this season so the likes of Kingsley Aikhionbare, Alex Addai and Kieran Woodley, who are all very capable, need to start chipping in,” he said.

“I’m sure Lewis Taylor will add a few throughout the season too but it is something we need to address moving forward.”

Hazel and his men can bounce back when they travel to Margate in the Ryman Premier tomorrow (Tuesday).

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