Hudson struck with 19 minutes left with a shot that curled away from the keeper and nestled in the corner of the goal to earn victory in a game when the Rocks were far from at their best.

They lacked a killer instinct up front and were fortunate to keep a clean sheet, but maybe that was the bit of luck they have earned many times over with some of the things which have gone against them this season.

They had Anthony Ender to thank for the result - for the second game in a row, he made some splendid saves first to keep the Rocks in the game, then to preserve their lead.

And as they reflect on their first back-to-back league wins this season, they head into another home clash on Saturday, when Aveley visit Nyewood Lane, knowing they have given themselves a big chance of staying up - when just a week ago it looked like time was running out on their time in the division.

Click here for Tuesday night's other Ryman premier results and the latest table

The Rocks were dealt a blow in the warm-up when Michael Birmingham was forced to withdraw from the starting line-up through injury. He was replaced by Selsey winger Ross Woolf, in for his Rocks debut.

On a freezing but still evening under the Nyewood Lane floodlights, a crowd of 226 witnessed a low-key start to the game, with the only action tasted by either keeper in the opening ten minutes a rush out of his goal and hurried clearance by Anthony Ender.

Barry Stevens got into a good position for Carshalton on 12 minutes but he fired a shot over when he had men waiting for a cross.

The Rocks' first decent chance saw Woolf played in on goal by a lovely long ball from Richard Hudson. He hooked it past the out-rushing keeper but it didn't have enough power and a defender got back to clear it.

At the other end, Mickey Demetriou had to be alert to concede a corner from a dangerous cross from the right. The kick ended with a long-range effort flying out of the ground.

As the first half approached its midway point, Carshalton were claiming a free-kick on the edge of the box as Richard Jolly went down under Demetriou's challenge.

The referee waved play on - as he did a minute later at the other end when Charlie Oatway went down under what looked like a mistimed tackle.

Ender almost gifted the visitors the lead on 23 minutes when a difficult backpass led him to clear to Kenny Beaney on the edge of the area but the Carshalton man couldn't get a shot away in the time and the chance passed.

The home defence were making it too easy for the Carshalton forwards and Jolly was presented with a pass just outside the box, but after turning one way then the other, Lewis Dunk got a foot in the way of his shot.

James Crane and Oatway combined down the right and the latter crossed for Jason Prior, but he misjudged his header and it trickled harmlessly out for a goal-kick.

With ten minutes to go before the break, Woolf was felled a couple of yards outside the area. The free-kick was central and looked just right for Hudson, but he curled it just wide.

Soon a Hudson cross somehow found its way to Prior at the near post but he was surprised by the chance and it was off-target.

It was a fairly open game and Charlie Ide lifted a shot wide of the oncoming Ender but the wrong side of the far post.

The visitors were finding an alarming amount of space in the Rocks half, but thankfully their final ball was poor.

The first half ended with the Rocks the more relieved that it was still goalless.

Five minutes into the second half, Matt Wood's flick-on put Oatway in with a sight of goal but he screwed a left-foot shot well wide of Nick Hamann's goal.

Two minutes later Woolf was replaced by his Selsey team-mate Charlie Marshall, another promising youngster on dual registration at Nyewood Lane.

Ender got down low to his left to make a tremendous save to tip away a goalbound Stevens shot after another Carshalton build-up which stemmed from the Rocks giving the ball away cheaply.

Crane tested Hamann with a rasping shot from 25 yards as the hour mark approached, but Ender showed anything Hamann could do he could do better with a reflex stop from Jolly as Carshalton broke quickly after their own let-off.

Ender was at it again on 63 minutes saving with his feet as he rushed out to deny Justyn Roberts from ten yards.

The crowd were getting frustrated as the Rocks kept on giving the ball away. At least the Carshalton forwards were still making hard work of benefitting from their gifts.

Nineteen minutes from time, the Rocks got the breakthrough thanks to the right boot of Hudson.

Dan Beck touched a free-kick to the wideman just inside the Carshalton half, and after he lofted it into Prior on the edge of the area, the striker brought it down and let it run away from him to Hudson, who curled a sweet shot from 25 yards beyond the dive of Hamann.

It was a moment of real quality on a night which had possessed little of it up until then.

And it might have been 2-0 four minutes later. Prior ran on to a long ball over the top and outmuscled his marker, but Hamann denied him with a classy stop.

Wood tried his luck from 25 yards soon after that but his drive fizzed just the wrong side of the post.

Carshalton thought they were in for the equaliser on 77 minutes but Jolly was anything but after seeing an effort from a tight angle beat Ender but dribble past the far post.

Sub Marshall was hurt in a challenge from a defender with eight minutes left and was replaced by Tim Bond, who moved into an unfamiliar forward role.

With five minutes left, Prior beat keeper Hamann to a long ball and was bundled over by him out wide. It earned Hamann a yellow card - the first of the night - but when the free-kick came over Prior blasted over from six yards.

An 88th-minute change for Carshalton saw Rashid Kamara replace defender Rob Watkins.

Prior and Carshalton's Lewis Gonsalves were both booked after squaring up to one another followimg a challenge for a high ball.

The visitors piled forward in the final minutes to try to grab an equaliser but man of the match Ender and his defence held firm to clinch three more valuable points in the battle to avoid the drop.

Rocks: Ender, Crane, Beck, L Ide, Dunk, Demetriou, Hudson, Woolf, Prior, Wood, Oatway. Subs: Bond, Marshall, Bowles, Lawrence.

Carshalton: Hamann, Ray, Watkins, Roberts, Gonslaves, Murray, Stevens, Beaney, C Ide, Jolly, Faulconbridge. Subs: Kamara, Gonella, Newman.

Ref: I Parsons.

STEVE BONE