Enfield Town 3 - 1 Corinthian-Casuals
Isthmian League Premier Division
Saturday 14th September 2019
Report: Cameron Smith. Photos: Stuart Tree (pics here)

An eventful first-half that included Shaun Okojie’s first goal since his return and a Danny Bracken penalty save was not enough for Corinthian-Casuals, who were defeated 3-1 by the efficient Enfield Town.
 
The FA Cup First Qualifying Round brought smiles back onto the faces of all at Corinthians last week; a 4-0 demolition of Sevenoaks Town was the first competitive win of the season. Perhaps the momentum from the brilliant victory would be brought to North London on a warm Saturday afternoon as Casuals were visitors to Enfield Town in the seventh match-day of the BetVictor Isthmian Premier season. Despite being drawn against National League South side Chelmsford City in the next round of the cup, James Bracken’s head would be firmly focused on the task in hand.
 
The white and blue of Enfield were searching for their fourth win so far, whilst Casuals wanted their first. Fond memories from last season’s dramatic 2-0 victory at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium were remembered by the Casuals contingent as the pink and brown army walked out onto the pitch.
 
The opening twenty minutes’ main opportunities were distributed between the two sides, mostly dominated by the pink and brown however. Bakare, Okojie, Pinney and Serbony as an attacking force threatened the white shirts early on and emulated the attacking football from the previous week with half-chances and good passing. But as the Bracken Brothers know, football is cruel. Particularly when Billy Bricknell hit a twenty yard effort in the centre of the goal, but managed to evade the palms of Danny Bracken, who either saw it too late or was thrown off by a deflection. Enfield celebrated as they went 1-0 up, even if they did not completely deserve it.
 
Unable to break the defence proved costly when Muhammadu Faal netted the second after Blackman’s long ball in a baffling moment for the Casuals back four. But, Okojie was on hand to start a potential comeback as the no.9 scored to make it 2-1 after thirty-two minutes. Bakare’s pace and intelligence to burst onto the fearful Enfield through the middle was vital for Okojie to smartly peel away from a defender and offer himself up on the left hand side. The counter attack was great to watch as the striker took a single touch before simply slotting the ball into the bottom corner, which finally gave Casuals fans behind the goal something to shout about. Nathan McDonald was forced into another fine stop shortly after, to prevent Casuals equalising.
 
Edging towards half-time, centre-back Robert Jamison lunged into an unnecessary challenge in the Enfield area, which caused the referee to point to the spot. Three goals to one at half-time would have been detrimental to morale, so it was fortunate that Bracken stood in-between the sticks. Having already tipped an effort onto the bar previously in the half, Bracken confidently guessed Bricknell’s penalty and saved his spot-kick superbly. The ball bounced back into in the striker’s direction for a rebound that should have rippled the net… but did not! On the floor, Bracken jumped into action to save another Bricknell shot before the ball was cleared. It was two moments of genius from Bracken who kept Casuals in the game.
 
Unfortunately, the second-half never matched the energy of the first. Half-chances and set-piece opportunities occurred for the away side, with Bakare’s insane run after good work from Pinney nearly causing an own goal for Enfield and an equaliser for Casuals. The following corner was over-hit by Ekim, and started an attack for the Town, who managed to capitalise as Hatton’s chipped pass set up Faal to lob Bracken. From then on, it was mediocrity from both sides with Bracken avoiding the embarrassment of a fourth goal with a solid save late on. Overall, it was a frustrating afternoon for Casuals who recorded their fifth loss of the season against a strong Enfield team - it was 3-1 at full-time.
 
We wish Enfield Town the best of luck for the rest of the season as they rise to 4th. The ‘onwards and upwards’ attitude was adopted by Casuals supporters as a second qualifying round match in the magical FA Cup is next before Potters Bar at home in the league. The bottom of the league status for Corinth is deceptive- gutsy performances especially from Tucker, Pinney, Bracken, Serbony and Okojie as well as chances that would have easily been scored on another day gave the contingent hope.
 
“We’re always disappointed when we don’t win,” said James Bracken after the final whistle. “With our limited resources and what we have, there is such a thing as a good draw, which we’ve had a couple but we can never be happy with a loss.
 
“There’s been moments in all our games this season where we’ve been within a shout. Even today, in the first ten minutes we had two key moments which if we got right, we’re two-nil up and playing well.
 
“We’ve had other moments. We came back into it at 2-1 and had periods where we were in the ascendency. But the biggest disappointment was the last twenty minutes, where it petered out. The first goal after half time was always going to be massive and it went their way. You go 3-1 down here on a hot day, against a decent side – we had a mountain to climb.
 
“That said, the last twenty minutes from us isn’t good enough. I’ll back our players all the time, if they get out there and fight for the shirt. Today, either they quit trying or they weren’t fit enough. We allowed Enfield far too much time on the ball. They were able to get into dangerous positions under no pressure. That can’t happen. We do need to take stock that Enfield are a good side. They beat Bishop’s Stortford 5-0 recently and they’ll finish in the top four.
 
“We didn’t have enough ‘attitude’ about us throughout the match. The only one that comes out with credit in the last 20 minutes is Ollie Sitch. It looked like he gave a damn about winning the ball back.
 
“I truly believe we should have around 8 points by now. That would be a fair reflection on the first six games. Not today – we didn’t do enough to get anything. But 7-8 points would be around our ability level. When you look at the table and see Merstham have 10 points, I’m telling you now, we’re a better side than them. But they’ve gone away and won 4-0 today so we must look at what we’re doing and make sure we start getting some points of our own.
 
“But it’s that cumulative effect of game on game. We’re only human and it’s tough. The boys will have to show fight. If they don’t, then it’ll be time for changes. But we’ll go again next week against Chelmsford City, though that’s no easy game for sure! However, you wouldn’t put it past us to cause an upset. We’re capable. Another day, we could’ve scored three or four here at Enfield. Sharpen up a little and we’ll be close.”

Corinthian-Casuals 4 – 0 Sevenoaks Town
Emirates FA Cup 1st Round Qualifying
Saturday 7th September 2019
Match report and photos: Stuart Tree (full set here)
 
Corinthian-Casuals earned a place in the next round of the Emirates FA Cup with a resounding 4-0 win over Sevenoaks Town on Saturday.
 
A brace from Nathaniel Pinney was added to with goals either side from Coskun Ekim and Reyon Dillion to give James Bracken his first victory this season.
 
Fans were buoyed in seeing the return of Shaun Okojie – the talismanic striker who received the golden boot for Casuals back in 2017-18 when he notched up 40 goals. The big man was added to the first XI to pair with Nat Pinney. Perhaps the only other person in the ground that could’ve displaced the returning Okojie would’ve been Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha, in attendance to support his friends playing in the chocolate and pink.
 
The game started at a good pace and Sevenoaks showed early endeavour. Frankie Sawyer forcing Danny Bracken into action on a couple of occasions. Casuals soon took control and forcibly imposed themselves on Oaks’ penalty area.
 
But it was a spectacular effort that got Casuals off and running. Nearing the half hour mark, good pressure from Casuals saw a half-cleared ball fall to Ekim who unleashed a 25-yard screamer, leaving keeper Ben Bridle-Card no chance. The purity of the strike would leave you not believing it was Ekim’s first goal in open play for Corinth.
 
Casuals should’ve been two-up shortly after when Kev Serbony linked well with Okojie who slotted under the body of Bridle-Card, with only the Assistant Referee’s flag preventing the lead from doubling.
 
Despite this, the Amateurs still found time to grab a second before the break. Pinney chased down a poor Sevenoaks backpass and calmly slotted home from an angle to put daylight between the two sides.
 
Casuals were always one step ahead of their counterparts throughout the match and once again told leading to the third. Serbony pounced on another under-hit backpass and Bridle-Card felled the midfielder who’d nicked the ball before the keeper could intercept. It was down to Pinney to fire home his penalty kick low into the bottom left corner to effectively seal the tie.
 
The players began to enjoy themselves and free-flowing football was order of the day. Chances continued to stack up. Reyon Dillon and Juevan Spencer both went agonisingly close and Okojie hit the post on a burst through the middle.
 
It was left to Dillon to round off the match, when he cut inside his marker and shot from 18 yards low into the right corner. There was still time for Serbony to grab a fifth, but his effort hit the bar, down onto the line and clear. Was it in? It didn’t really matter – the tie was won and Casuals earn their place in the Second Round Qualifying along with the prize money of £4,500.
 
We’re talking about a win,” said Bracken after the match. “That makes a change from what we’ve had so far this season.
 
“Today, we had a real cutting edge about us. We’ve scored four – though I believe we’ve scored six. The offside given in the first half looks harsh and something tells me, when we watch the replay of Kevant’s header hitting the underside of the bar, looked like it dropped down and was a goal.
 
“We had the edge today. That’s not through anything else apart from the work we’ve put in on the training ground. But we’ve applied that all the way through this season so far. Today, we’ve reaped the rewards.
 
“When we’ve not been scoring goals and winning games, it gets everyone down, but we all know we’re not far off where we need to be.
 
“We had a chat in pre-season asking the centre-midfielders to contribute goals. Last year, we almost relied on one striker. When you looked at how many we scored last season, it wasn’t high enough to compete anywhere other than the bottom half of the table.
 
“So, we’ve looked within the squad as to who can contribute. Can we get other players in certain areas where they can chip in with goals? We’ve asked Mu and Coskun and all our centre-midfielders to keep pressure on opposition and if they get a chance to shoot, then take it. Pull the trigger… hit the target… force a save. It’s only been there in patches up until today but Ekim’s hit one and hopefully that gives him confidence to hit more.
 
“The players have everything here. If you get treated the way they do, they get managed the way they do, then we’ll always make them competitive. When you get all that and you add goals and victories, what’s not to enjoy? We’ve got a great set of fans, a lovely pitch, a great club – everything is here for a footballer. As a person, you can’t come here, win and not go home happy. Of course, when you’re not winning, it can go the other way. But that’s good. We need to be unhappy when we lose.
 
“I honestly don’t mind who we draw in the next round. The tie today could’ve been a lot easier – this was a real banana skin. They might have looked at our start to the season and not rated us – but we showed the difference in levels. We done our job, approached it professionally and applied ourselves in the right manner.” 

Corinthian-Casuals 0 - 1 Brightlingsea Regent
Isthmian League Premier Division
Saturday 31st August 2019
Report and Photos: Stuart Tree (pictures here)​

It was Groundhog Day once again for Corinthian-Casuals as they suffered a third 1-0 loss this season, leaving them winless for August.

In parallels to last year, it wasn’t until September 15th that Casuals achieved their first league win, away at Harlow Town. From there, James Bracken’s side had climbed as high as sixth by the end of November. It’s still too early to begin worrying about league positions.

But Bracken will have plans to rectify the situation; the simple fact is the Amateurs are not scoring goals. Possession was good – probably one of the most commanding this season and work-rate is fine. As the Manager said after the game, had we already notched up a couple of wins, this would be put down to ‘one of those days’.

And it was one of those days. Brightlingsea Regent were the visitors and snuck home back to Essex on a smash and grab raid that was gifted to them by a solitary mistake.

Regent had started strong, looking to press for the first ten minutes but as the players settled, Casuals looked more threatening as the half continued. Reyon Dillon and Warren Morgan used the channels to advance on goal. Sadly, there was plenty of endeavour but lack of a finish. Kev Serbony had the best chance of the half when he found himself through on goal, but one heavy touch was enough for keeper Charlie Turner to smother the ball.

The second half started where the first had left off, with Casuals pushing forward. A fine cross from the left channel was met by the head of Nat Pinney, but despite its pace, was aimed down the throat of Turner.

The heavens opened and the ball zipped off the surface, with too many through passes not finding their target. Mike Dixon made excellent progress along the byline and looked in a promising position to score but was denied by a Regent defender at the last. Whilst it was one-way traffic, the goals continued to evade Casuals.

Then a brief foray for Regent into the box was cut out but Coskun Ekim but despite clearing his lines, erroneously overplayed it. Adam Hampson played a simple pass to substitute Ace Howell who’s scuffed shot bobbled over the line via the post.  

Despite a late flurry of corners for Casuals, one of which was almost bundled over the line, the visitors clung on for a vital win and left Corinth wondering how they’d come away with nothing. Casuals didn’t deserve to win, solely on the fact they didn’t find the net, but most will scratch their heads as to how this match was lost.
 
“It’s hard to take,” admitted Bracken following the loss. “We keep saying this though. I’ve got to be careful that I don’t start to sound deluded, seeing something that perhaps isn’t there.

“We probably had 70% of the possession. We attacked with purpose. We put lots of bodies in and around their box. But we never found that bit of quality in the final third that we needed to create more chances. Saying that, we’ve had a few good efforts. Kevant’s one on one in the first half, where his heavy touch saw it slip away. We had another where Dicko couldn’t sort his feet out quick enough and was caught by the defender.

“Against Merstham, we entered their final third 49 times, but we never put any balls into dangerous areas. Today, we were able to deliver a few, but they didn’t fall our way.

“It’s very frustrating and it’s become a bit repetitive. Today was the first time I’ve pointed fingers at them in the changing room telling them to do better.

“We’ll watch the match back as it’s very easy to lay blame straight after the whistle. I’ll be armed with the knowledge to see exactly what’s gone wrong. It’s easy to lose the plot over mistakes so we’ll address it the right way. I’m in full support of all the lads today. They stuck to the game plan, approached the match in the right manner.

“After the first fifteen minutes when Regent came and had a go with the wind at their backs, it settled and seemed only a matter of time before we opened them up, scored and gone on from there.

“We need that first win. I don’t care who it comes against. If it’s against Sevenoaks Town, then fantastic. But that win needs to come soon. We’re playing with confidence, but I don’t know if the belief is there that we’re going to score several goals.

“I think there’ll be a game where we hit three or four goals against someone. Today really should’ve been that win. Or at Cheshunt, had we taken our chances we’d have come away with a 3-1 or 4-1 win.

“Of course, that first win can be a catalyst. Once we get one victory, I don’t think we’ll have a problem finding more. It’s just deeply frustrating when you realise it should’ve been today.

“I don’t care if we play absolute rubbish next week and win 1-0 because I’ll probably come away from it happy. Because that’s where we’re at. We’re concentrating on the performances and we’ve put in another decent shift today. But it isn’t three points. So, if it’s a bad performance but we win 1-0, I’ll take it.” 

Cheshunt 1 - 1 Corinthian-Casuals
Isthmian League Premier Division
Monday 26th August 2019
Report and Pics: Stuart Tree (full set of photos here)

Mu Maan’s last minute equaliser ensured Corinthian-Casuals left Cheshunt with a deserved point following a 1-1 draw in sweltering conditions.
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Casuals had to come from behind, conceding a first half penalty but finished the stronger of the sides to earn their first point on the road this season.

Changes were made from the 3-2 loss to Carshalton on Saturday with Mark Jamieson slotting in at the back for the injured Jack Strange. Meanwhile, there were starts for Mu Maan and Leon Lalor-Dell.

Despite the heat, the game started in good tempo and the first real chance fell to Maan as he surged to within 25 yards before unleashing a shot which wasn’t far off the mark.

Despite the promising start, the Amateurs conceded a sloppy penalty when Warren Morgan upended a forward and Tom Hitchcock put the spot-kick past the outstretched hand of Danny Bracken.

Undeterred, Casuals looked to regain parity and a slick counter-attack almost paid dividends. Matty Bakare’s surging run down the right saw him cross deep to Nat Pinney whose volley was expertly tipped over by Harry Girling in goal.

The second half saw the game open up as both sides looked to take advantage of sapping conditions. Jo Re forced a fine save from Danny Bracken who had to be sharp on a few occasions to prevent the home side from adding to their tally.

But Casuals looked the stronger side in the last twenty minutes though chances went a begging. From a corner, Mark Jamieson will feel aggrieved that he didn’t bury the cross at the far post, just three yards out. And Mike Dixon, who raced onto a through ball, lobbed an oncoming Girling but sailed over the bar.

As the minutes ticked by, it looked like it was going to be a third, tight 1-0 defeat for the Casuals this season but Mu Maan had other thoughts. Turning neatly in the box, he scuffed his shot but still found the target – just, coming off the inside of the post.

Both sides still had chances to take all three points. Dixon and Pinney found themselves two-on-one but were unable to take advantage of a great situation. And the last kick of the game almost resulted in a goal for the Ambers as a looping header was only smothered by Bracken after it had hit the crossbar.

Honours even and earning a point away from home after being behind is always positive. Thanks to Cheshunt for being great hosts and we look forward to returning the complements in December.
 
“We’re pleased with the outcome because the longer the game goes on, you wonder if you’ll find the time to score," said Manager James Bracken after the match. "We deserved the goal, though it’s frustrating that we shot ourselves in the foot conceding a poor penalty. It’s poor from our point of view and I don’t expect that from players at this level to be that naïve and go for those tackles.

“On one hand, we’re pleased with the point but on the other hand, you look at the chances we’ve created, perhaps we could’ve come away with more. Two games in three hot days so I can’t fault the lad’s effort.

“We put a plan in action to improve how we start matches and we certainly achieved that at Cheshunt. From the first whistle, the players looked to be on the same page as each other and we didn’t put ourselves under undue early pressure.

“After the penalty, we grew stronger and the opposition faded. Had there been another ten minutes on the clock, I think we’d have gone on to win the match. But we need to take our chances. We had some real good opportunities. Ultimately, I’m happy with the point.

“Of course, we want to get more points on the board. In the games we’ve lost, it’s only been by one goal. We missed a penalty in the match against Carshalton last week which would’ve earned us a draw, coupled with a soft penalty at the other end – it could’ve ended up a win for us. We’ve been competitive in every single game but I cannot be happy until we start notching up those wins and competing for the playoffs, like every club is looking to achieve in this league.

“We’ve got to keep intensity up, get a few breaks and I said to the boys, if we can put at least three runs of five wins together this season, we’ll probably make the playoffs. Get that first win and we’ll build on it from there.

“We’ve not been battered by anyone. We should’ve beaten Haringey on the opening day of the season and they’ve gone and won four in a row. If teams want to underestimate us because we’re still without a win, then fine. Confidence is one thing but over-confidence will see anyone undone.

“Yes, I’d like that first win. Yes, I’d like to have maximum points. We haven’t, but if we’re pragmatic about it and the good performance levels are there, then I can’t ask any more. You could see, after the game in that heat, every one of those boys gave everything they had. So, what can I possibly say that isn’t positive?
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“Do that again, find the quality and finishing touch in the final third of the pitch and we could find ourselves in a comfortable lead, wondering if there was any panic at all. It’ll come. It’ll come good. We just need to be positive and keep focussing on our performances.” 

Corinthian-Casuals 2 - 3 Carshalton Athletic
Isthmian League Premier Division
Saturday 24th August 2019
Report and Photos: Stuart Tree (pics here)

​There were goals galore at King George’s on Saturday as Corinthian-Casuals will rue a slow start in the 3-2 loss to neighbours Carshalton Athletic in the Isthmian League Premier Division.

Manager James Bracken will take heart in the second-half fightback but once again, a tepid opening ten minutes ultimately cost the Amateurs any chance of points.

Nat Pinney returned to the starting line-up in place of the injured Ollie Sitch, whilst Hakeem Adelakun, who picked up a knock at Cray, was side-lined with Warren Morgan slotting in at left-back. Ever present in goal was Danny Bracken who was presented with an award for making 400 competitive appearances in a Casuals shirt.

Before much of the 271 in attendance could settle, Carshalton had taken the lead. Casuals looked slow to react to a swift Robins move which ended with Ernold Haxhiu sidefooting his effort past Bracken.

It was to get worse for Casuals, reeling from the initial shock. A poor judgement of a long ball allowed Ricky Korboa through and from inside the area, slotted past a helpless Bracken to make it 2-0 after just six minutes.

It could’ve been worse had Bracken not pulled off a smart save, tipping Jerry Amoo’s effort onto the post and to safety. Casuals were in danger of letting the game slip out of their hands within the first quarter of an hour.

The pace of the game slowed in the heat and Casuals gradually grew into the half, though chances were at a premium. Closest was Mike Dixon who raced onto a ball, beating an onrushing Pat Ohman in goal, but couldn’t convert after defender Luke Read cleared the lines.

But a lifeline was given to Casuals in the dying moments of the half, with Referee Andy Bennett awarding the first of three penalties in the match. Nat Pinney stepped up and notched Casuals first goal of the season.

An injured Jack Strange was replaced at half time with midfielder Coskun Ekim taking up a central defensive role. But it was Ekim who conceded a penalty, coming together with Korboa. Amoo fired to Bracken’s left, just out of reach of the keeper.

But Casuals weren’t done. A change of shape and added attacking options saw Morgan upended in the box after an impressive mazy run. However, Ohman was equal to Pinney’s spot kick and the scores remained the same.

That was until the 79th minute when substitutes Reyon Dillon and Leon Lalor-Dell combined to see the latter neatly finish from 15 yards to give Casuals hope. With wind in their sails, Corinth pushed forward. Serbony’s spectacular bicycle kick from 20 yards was sweetly struck but whistled inches over. Despite the late surge, Carshalton held on and take the three points back to Colston Avenue.
 
“We’ve had to thrash it out in the changing rooms after, because it’s not good enough,” lamented James Bracken after the match.

“We looked at the stats last season and we conceded three times more goals in the first half than the second. And that’s coupled with the fact we’ve scored twice as many in the second half as we had the first half. That’s frightening statistics.

“We’re a team who comes on strong due to good fitness levels, but when we’re conceding in the first half as we are, we’re always chasing games.

“Their penalty was soft. I didn’t think it was a spot-kick. It’s shoulder to shoulder and the lad threw himself on the floor as he did all afternoon. That’s not the way to play football. It was relentless. The referee got wise to it in the end, booking one of them for a dive, but by then, it’s too late.

“In a crazy way, we should’ve got something out of the game. At half time, I said ‘thank your lucky stars that we’re still in this game’. The way we played in the first half was appalling. We didn’t do anything right. But we’ve improved in the second and could’ve got a point had we not missed a penalty.”
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Casuals travel to Cheshunt on Bank Holiday Monday.

​"I’m always happy with a clean sheet away from home," said Manager James Bracken after the 0-0 at Cray Wanderers.

"At Cray, over the course of the season, we’ll look back on it as a good result."

"They scored a couple in the week against Folkestone so we’ve come here and shut them out. We had our opportunities too. We had the ball in the net, plenty of promising attacks though our final ball just let ourselves down.

"There’s no complaints from me today. Nothing but positives.

"Defensively we’re looking good. We’ve let in two goals in the first three games – that’s the best record in the league. We’ll continue to work on our forward play, and it’ll come good. I believe when we score a goal, with the defensive displays we’re putting in, we’ll wrap games up on the counter-attack and that’s where we’ll win matches.

Speaking on his Brother, Danny Bracken making his 400th competitive appearance, James said, “He’s been a fantastic servant to this club, more so than anyone else I know. Today, he’s had a good game. He didn’t have too much to do but what he did have to deal with, he made it look easy. That’s pleasing from my part. 400 games, a clean sheet – he can enjoy that like the rest of the team should."

Looking forward to next Saturday, at home to Carshalton Athletic, Bracken had the following to say.

"Carshalton is another stern test. But we can’t take past records as an indication of what will happen. I saw the stats before the Merstham fixture which stated that I’d never lost a league match played on the 13th of a month… well I have now. We might have beat Carshalton three times last season but it certainly doesn’t mean we’ll beat them this time around. I don’t read into stats too much. I don’t believe in ‘Bogey sides’. There are sides that have your number and if that’s the case, the next time you meet, you approach it differently.

"If we play like we did at today and at Haringey, then we’re in with a massive shout of getting the win. However, if we play as we did against Merstham, we’ll get nothing from it. What we worked on in training was much more evident today and as a Manager, that’s all I can ask. You saw that from the boys, the amount of effort they put in and the commitment to what I asked of them.

"Yes, we’d like to have more points but as a start of a season, I’m happy with where we’re at. Just make those improvements in the final third. I’m not delighted with only having one point from three games. It’s not the best. But it’s early days. Cray have two points, Kingstonian three points. One win on Saturday and we’ll go above a lot of good sides. But I’m delighted with the attitude with players and the group as a whole."

Cray Wanderers 0 - 0 Corinthian-Casuals
Isthmian League Premier Division
Saturday 17th August 2019
Match report and photos: Stuart Tree (photos here)

​Corinthian-Casuals earned the first point of the season in a gritty 0-0 stalemate at Cray Wanderers that couldn’t see the sides separated.

Earning points at Hayes Lane has always been tricky. Memories of a 4-2 defeat when the sides last met at Bromley were still fresh. Undoubtedly, James Bracken will be the happier of the two Managers taking a point from home.

Wanderers - last season’s Bostik League South East champions had already drawn a blank at King George’s this season in another 0-0 draw against tenants Kingstonian. They were unlucky not to pick up at least a point against Folkestone in the week, losing 3-2 in time added on.

Casuals had been somewhat unlucky not to already pick up points, with two narrow defeats in the opening fixtures. Whilst the Amateurs were still awaiting their first goal, they also had the best defence in the league, only conceding twice.

Therefore, only two changes were required from the disappointing loss to Merstham last Tuesday; in came Matty Bakare for Josh Uzun and Mike Dixon replaced the absent Nat Pinney.

Ever present in goal was captain Danny Bracken, celebrating his 400th competitive appearance for the Casuals – a remarkable feat for a player about to enter his tenth year at the club, and all before the schoolteacher reaches his thirtieth birthday. A clean sheet was all he could ask for on this special occasion.
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A match report usually details pivotal moments in the ninety minutes, but there were few to pick out as both sides cancelled each other out. Casuals arguably started the brighter of the two sides and exploit space. Kevant Serbony found himself in the action firing wide on a couple of occasions. At the other end Freddie Parker’s low shot was well stopped by Bracken who wasn’t going to let anyone spoil his day.

The closest anyone came to breaking the deadlock was on the half hour mark. Juevan Spencer’s low cross to the back post was met by a sliding Ollie Sitch, who finished well, all in vain as the Assistant Referee raised his flag for offside. Fans would have to wait to celebrate their first of the season.

Mike Dixon also tested Lewis Carey in goal after a good run from the channel, taking on the shot himself and forcing the corner.

The second half never reached the highs of the nearby Biggin Hill Airshow display as the pace of the game dropped and loose passes became more common. The adage of ‘it’s got 0-0 written all over it’ from local Palace fans rang true despite a late surge from Cray who had two good chances to win it. Bradley Prichard’s header from just yards out tested Bracken’s reaction time and the keeper made a sharp stop. More fortunately, Charlie Allen’s shot just wide of the post left a few Casuals hearts in mouths.

Just like last season, Casuals pick up their first point of the campaign in the third game of the season. The positives are how defensively tight James Bracken’s side are looking with the joint best record in the league. Start adding goals to the tally and Casuals will themselves, be looping the loop.

Read James Bracken's post match thoughts here.

​“Saturday was very different,” commented Manager James Bracken after the 1-0 defeat to Merstham. “We had four great chances to score and we’ve not managed to put any of them away.

“Tonight – debatable penalty aside, there were no chances. That’s the truth. I cannot remember their keeper needing to make a good save.

“When Merstham scored, it gave them confidence and by rights, their nine should’ve scored a hat-trick. So, we need to improve, certainly on that first half.

“We showed better intensity in the last ten minutes and became more of a threat. That’s not good enough. We must be intense right from kick-off. If you find yourself 3-0 up after an hour, that’s when you can play a little more comfortably.  

“We’re getting into good areas. We’re playing some good football, but perhaps overplaying at times. How many crosses have we put into dangerous areas? I don’t remember one. Too many crosses have hit the first defender or gone out for a goal kick.

 “For all our good play, we get into dangerous areas and then descend into stepovers, drag-backs and the like. We need to simplify things.

“No one will work harder than us to rectify that in training and analysing this week.

“This level of football is about being consistent. Dan (Pringle) said to me ‘that’s typical us. We never play the same way in succession.’ It’s frustrating because we approach each game in the same way, but it wavers between good performances and flat ones like tonight was.

“The team we picked for the first game of the season was what I thought is the strongest side I could pick. On the day, we were the better side. Tonight, apart from one change, we pick the same side and expected them to perform somewhat close to what they did at the weekend. Unfortunately, they haven’t.

“I’ll certainly analyse everything that we as a management team did. Have we made mistakes? Did we pick the right side? Should we have freshened things up? These are all great questions, retrospectively. The bottom line is the players should’ve done better. And they know that.

“The plan this season is to score more goals and we have goal-scorers in this squad. But where were the passes flying across the face of the goal for them to pounce on? Where’s the ball in behind that they can run onto? We can’t expect them to create their own chances.

“Anyone can beat anyone in this league. It’ll be topsy-turvy. Carshalton finished second last season and they’ve lost the first two games. Anything is possible. We must make sure we don’t panic and dramatically change things too much. There’ll be boys on the bench or not involved, who came down anyway because they’re great lads, who’ll be looking at me wondering if they’re in with a chance on Saturday.

And Bracken put out a warning to his squad for the need to step-up their game.

“Bottom line, I’ll never put out a side who I don’t think is good enough to win. If I don’t think they’re good enough, I’ll get new players in. That’s not a threat, just a truth.

“I won’t just watch us lose and lose again. I have people calling me constantly about bringing in new players… good players. And that includes pro-clubs offering me players, just this week that I’ve turned down.

“Why have I turned them down? On Saturday, I saw enough to believe in this squad. I want to build a side that trains with me every week, buys into your principals of what we’re trying to achieve. We’ve put a lot of time into these players over the last few months. They’re a good bunch with good attitudes and you want to back them.
​
“But the bottom line is, they must step up and deliver consistent level of performances, because this group of players are good enough to be better than the decent sides in this division.”

Corinthian-Casuals 0 - 1 Merstham
Isthmian League Premier Division
Tuesday 13th August 2019
Report: Cameron Smith. Photos: Stuart Tree (set here)

Corinthian-Casuals’ second attempt at drawing blood in the new season was gate-crashed by Merstham, who held onto a 1-0 win at King George’s Field despite two controversial refereeing decisions and a second-half domination of possession from the hosts.

“It’s an intense 90-minute battle for every point. Wins and draws should be celebrated. All sides have our respect because the level here is good. If your intensity is not up to scratch, you’ll lose no matter who you play.” James Bracken’s post-match comments after the 1-0 defeat at Haringey Borough on Saturday was a rousing and truthful omen of what is to come in the 19/20 Premier Division.

Just like Corinthians, Merstham were dealt with a difficult blow on the weekend in their season opener. Despite taking the lead, the Moatsiders conceded twice in the last thirty minutes to lose 2-1 versus Hornchurch- a short trip to Tolworth on Tuesday was their chance to rectify the lost points.

There was one change from the energetic Casuals side that were condemned in North London: Hakeem Adelakun was at left-back ahead of Warren Morgan. 

Red shirts invaded Danny Bracken’s box in the opening ten minutes, with the visitors clearly starting the brightest. Splitting the pink and brown defence completely, Merstham’s impressive football allowed Omar Folkes to side-foot a cross from the left into the net with ease. The few behind the goal celebrated as King George’s seemed shell-shocked- it was 1-0 Merstham. Moments after the definitive strike, Frank Wilson’s team nearly grabbed another when Folkes blasted a golden opportunity over the bar. It was a lifeline for the Casuals, who began to read the game better and settle. Set-pieces failed to be capitalised upon even with specialist Josh Uzun donning the no.7 shirt again.

Merstham missed another great effort down one end, and in truth, Wilson's side could’ve easily had the game wrapped up at half time. For Casuals, there were clusters of half-chances when Oliver Sitch’s work-rate and Nathaniel Pinney’s hold-up play excited the Casuals contingent behind the goal. A Sitch effort was blocked by a Merstham player’s hand, but hadn’t been spotted by the referee, which riled the Casuals fans and players. These little sparks of anticipation carried on until half-time with the home side 1-0 down.

Improvements were clear from as soon as the game was re-started; a Pinney shot narrowly missed the keeper’s left-hand post as the new no.9’s quest for his first competitive goal for Casuals continued. It would be short-sighted to not speak of another clear penalty that were turned down by the referee but Casuals deserve credit for a lively second-half full of possession that just seem to fizzle out, whether it was Merstham’s committed defensive display or the lack of clinical finishing. 

If one penalty claim against was not enough, there was another one, which was worse. In the area again, Morgan was causing trouble and when Sinn Kaye Christie clattered into the no.15 with two feet without winning any of the ball, Casuals fans deserved to be outraged when the referee not only did not give the stonewall penalty, but decided it was a free kick to the opposition.

Casuals were determined to equalise but it was to no avail. Their second game of the season was another 1-0 loss. There can be no complaints about the visitors being the winners seeing as Casuals failed to seriously test Merstham stopper Matte Pierson on any single occasion. Merstham once again prove to be Casuals’ bogey side, with just two wins from the previous 17 Isthmian League encounters – a record that’s unlikely to be matched for its one-sidedness by any other club.

Find out what Manager James Bracken had to say after the match.

"​I felt we deserved to win," said Manager James Bracken following the 1-0 loss at Haringey on the opening day of the season. "We’ve created four or five clear-cut chances throughout the game and their goal has come via an error at the back.

"I’ll be honest, I thought we looked every bit the side I want us to be. Another day, I back us to take those missed chances and we come out of here with a 4-1 win, raising some eyebrows.

"But we lost and we’ll need to come back and do better. That’ll never change. We’ll always look to improve on our last performance. We have a good squad. They're capable. I’d hold my hands up and say if they weren’t. It was solely a day where we didn’t take our chances, made one error and came away with no points.

"I’ll look at it as we’re a point down on where we should be, because we didn’t score. The error has only really cost us a draw. I won’t look at it as three points dropped but they were there to be taken.

"I’m not worried though. In the past, I might have been concerned if we had the players that could take those chances, or even creating those opportunities. We’ve lived off half-chances at times but now, I back the boys in the squad to only get better. We created chances, we were hard to create chances against and the more we play, the more we’ll gel. With a few new boys in the squad, it’ll soon become a well-oiled machine and we’ll see the results from that.

"There’s no pressure on the next game following that result. If we want to challenge for the league then there’s pressure on every single match, but that’s on us anyway. We won’t approach it any differently. I trust all of the boys in the squad to be able to get us results and we’ll take it three points at a time. We’ll look to put a run of form together as often as we can. Realistically, we’re not going to win the next fifteen games on the bounce but it’ll be nice to put some runs of four or five matches together, supplemented with a draw here and there. If we stay fit and healthy, there’s no reason why that’s not achievable.

“After one season in this league, we know what the level of physicality and intensity is required. We must pick a side that is up for the challenge. If we look back to our opening match last season at Margate we had a few boys in that game that weren’t ready for it. Against Haringey on Saturday, I knew each and every one of those players were ready. It’s an intense 90-minute battle for every point. Wins and draws should be celebrated. All sides have our respect because the level here is good. If your intensity is not up to scratch, you’ll lose no matter who you play. 

"We found those levels last season when we won six on the bounce and we’ll approach it in similar ways."