Carshalton Athletic's 3-2 home defeat against Walton & Hersham left manager Matt Howard with plenty of food for thought.

The Robins led twice on Monday night, but finished the game pointless as Andrew Mensah's deflected shot in added time crept past wrong-footed goalkeeper Matt Willard.

Carshalton currently sit 15th in the Ryman Division One South table, but victory on Monday would have catapulted the club into the top eight.

"I was bitterly disappointed with the result but, in all honesty, we deserved it," said Howard.

"We missed a few chances plus I thought our midfield did not perform well.

"I think some of the players were starting to believe their own hype after four straight wins, but they let themselves and our fans down."

It seemed a fifth Carshalton win was on the cards after defender Alex Penfold, in the first minute, and forward Ricky Korboa gave the Robins a 2-1 half-time lead.

But Walton equalised around the hour mark before Mensah capped off a late sustained period of pressure with his deflected strike.

"I set certain standards and, while I can accept a player not being quite 'on their game', I can't accept people not at least working hard," Howard added.

"I have some big decisions to make ahead of our next game because I don't want to see a repeat of Monday night."

Carshalton Athletic host Worthing on Saturday (kick-off 3pm) and Howard wants to see a good response from his squad.

"We've already suffered highs and lows since taking over but I've always maintained this job is a long-term project," he said.

"Let's hope we can bounce back on Saturday with a spirited performance."