A 40th minute goal from Carshalton’s Luke Pigden sent Leatherhead to their 18th defeat of the season on Tuesday as they lost 1-0.

In a game with few clear cut chances at either end, the former Leatherhead midfielder headed home from under the bar to seal the points for the Robins.

The visitors unsettled Leatherhead as early as the fourth minute, with Tom Davis rifling a shot from 30 yards which Chico Ramos did well to turn away for a corner.

Tanners responded well, as Mu Maan ran half the length of the pitch with the ball before seeing his shot turned behind by a Robins defender.

The resulting corner gave Leatherhead their best chance of the match, with Vernon Francis getting his head to the ball, only for Robins keeper Nick Hamann to react instinctively and deflect it over for another corner.

Leatherhead missed another opportunity when Adam Gross fed a pass through to Tom Hutchings on the half way line, who then played the ball forward for Harry Ottaway. Hutchings’ final ball was just too long for the former Merstham striker to get in a shot and the chance was lost.

Carshalton continued to press forward and a series of corners culminated in the goal in the 40th minute. Tanners failed to clear their lines and Luke Nolan pumped in an inviting cross from the right for Pigden to nod home unchallenged under the bar.

Leatherhead missed a golden opportunity to draw level within a couple of minutes. Francis teed up a shot for Maan on the edge of the box, but the central midfielder ballooned the ball high over.

The second half was more disjointed, with Tanners hesitant going forward, while Robins produced few chances to build on their first half lead.

Of the few attacking moves from the visitors, a Billy Crook shot was well gathered by Ramos, while Robins captain David Ray headed over a free kick and Nolan fired wide from a narrow angle.

Leatherhead resorted to playing long balls into the heart of the Robins penalty area, which were either swallowed up by Hamann or dealt with comfortably by the visitors’ defence.

The final score was a fair reflection of play, as Carshalton just about edged it on the night.

Leatherhead’s fight against relegation was not helped by eighteenth placed Hastings beating play off contenders Lowestoft on the same night, meaning Saturday’s home match against lowly Harrow Borough becomes a “must win” for the Tanners.

Leatherhead: Ramos, Andrew (Richmond 77), Gross, Coyle, Dean, Maan (Thompson 60), Francis, Simmons, Ottaway, Hutchings, Terry.

Unused subs: R Hill, Thomas and Diedhiou