Corinthian-Casuals 2-1 Herne Bay
Ryman League Division One South
Saturday 16th November 2016
Match Report - Cameron Smith

Goals from the sublime Juevan Spencer and the marvellous Mahrez Bettache
secured a hard-earned three points for resilient ten-man Corinthian Casuals against
a direct Herne Bay side.

Tiring midweek clashes plagued both teams’ fitness with Casuals travelling to West
Sussex for an away day extravaganza against Three Bridges. The visitors made light work
of the opening forty-five minutes; Byatt, Clarke and Uzun scored to leave Casuals 3-0 up
at half-time. However, the second-half was arduous as the Bridge scored twice to set up a
terrific finale. The game ended 3-2 in favour of Casuals as James Bracken’s side took
three points from Three Bridges.

Adam Woollcott’s 78th minute winner separated the sides last time Corinthians and Herne
Bay locked horns. A horror start to the season, Bay were deep inside the relegation zone
at the start of October before there was a turning point. After conceding a monstrous
seven goals versus Hastings, Bay have snatched thirteen points from a possible eighteen
to rise out of the bottom three and establish themselves in a respectable eighteenth place.
Would the Seasiders would make it 2/2 in Tolworth?

Bracken implemented only one change to the starting lineup- Warren Morgan was
replaced by the flexible Juevan Spencer at right-back with trickster Maz Bettache filling the
empty slot in midfield.

Silky midfield play often resulted in distribution to the left flank where the darting runs of
Jordan Clarke and Dave Hodges lurked- causing havoc for the Bay full-backs. Inches from
connecting, a diving header from Jamie Byatt was created by the dangerous Clarke as
Casuals controlled the opening ten minutes. Herne Bay also generated chances as Danny
Bracken was forced to use his legs after a shot from Joe Nelder, which rolled out for a
corner to the away side. From the following corner, Casuals engaged in a goal-mouth
scramble as the set-piece eventually resulted in a goal for Bay; no.10 Danny Williams
side-footed the ball into the roof of the net in the 13th minute.

Instantly, Corinthians replied. In style. Spencer, who was tucked away at right back,
decided to edge towards a Casuals attack. Finding himself just inside the penalty area with
a yard of space (thanks to a super pass from Bettache), Spencer unleashed a remarkable
effort into the top corner and the ball satisfyingly nestled past Jack Delo into the net. A
well-deserved equaliser, Spencer had converted his third goal of the season so far and
what a goal it was!

For the rest of the half, Casuals and Bay exchanged opportunities on goal with Brandon
Johnson firing a powerful effort comfortably over the bar whilst Bay threatened the gritty
Casuals centre-backs. With minutes until half-time, drama wriggled its way back into the
match in the form of a dismissal. A scuffle at a Bay corner, the referee halted play to have
a chat with Casual defender Danny Dudley. Dudley was then shown a straight red card for
reasons unknown to most of the ground. Substitute Jack Strange replaced Johnson for
backup in defence. Luckily for the hosts, the score-line at half-time was 1-1.

As both teams emerged for second-half action, King George’s was bathed in a beautiful
sunset; the pink sky of Tolworth matching the colour on the Casual shirts. Re-ignited, the
game advanced into the latter stages with both sides giving their all. In the 63rd minute,
ten man Casuals did the unpredictable and took the lead thanks to a classy passage of
play. Josh Uzun, who had an unusually quiet match, cheekily slipped the ball to the
oncoming Bettache with a powerful assist. Bettache’s run split the defence as the
midfielder nudged the ball past the keeper before slotting into the empty net. Super Maz’s
name echoed around the ground whilst he punched the air jubilantly. Ten man Casuals
were in the driving seat.

Energetic and always keen to grab a goal, Josh Gallagher powered a shot towards the
near post of Jack Delo’s net but the shot was saved by the alert keeper. Bay were unable
to break the strong Casuals defence. Half-chances came and passed for both sides but
the score was not adjusted despite a late open goal missed by the unlucky sub Callum
McAllister. As the final whistle blew, Casuals nicked the victory whilst Herne Bay made
their journey back to Kent.

Herne Bay are on the road again on Tuesday with the on-form Sittingbourne their next
opponents. Meanwhile, Corinthians are awarded another home fixture against the
struggling East Grinstead Town on Tuesday evening.

Three Bridges 2-3 Corinthian-Casuals
Ryman League Division One South
Tuesday  22nd November 2016
Match report  -  Darren Pasley

Casuals made it back to back wins in the league for the first time since September as they survived a late scare to overcome Three Bridges.
After his coming on to score the winner against Horsham Jamie Byatt was recalled to the starting line-up whilst Danny Dudley and Terry Murray continued their partnership at the back.
 
The home side on the back of a fine victory at Whyteleafe started well as expected with Devon Fender powering down the right in the opening minute with the ball nearly breaking to Michael Wilson.
Despite the atrocious weather from the previous 48 hours the pitch was holding up well and the slick surface promised for an exciting encounter with both sides attacking freely.
It was Casuals who opened the scoring- Josh Uzun sending a delightful through ball into the path of Jamie Byatt who expertly guided the ball home past Thorpe.

A shocked Bridges immediately gave the ball back to Casuals from the restart and Uzun nearly doubled the lead himself with a low effort that just skidded past the left hand post from the edge of the area.
Within a minute though Casuals did score again and this time it was Jordan Clarke (pictured) who stepped inside from out on the right and bent a magnificent effort into the right hand corner.

With their tails firmly up the visitors went in for the kill and the base of the post denied Juevan Spencer a 3rd goal for his side following a flowing move as his volley from Dave Hodges left wing cross smacked the upright before bouncing clear.

The chances continued to come and Clarke this time the instigator saw his lofted free kick volleyed over by an unmarked Spencer 8 yards out.
With half an hour gone Casuals thought they had wrapped up the game as Josh Gallagher reached the byline and cut back for Byatt to have an effort cleared off the line. Spencer too foiled at the last before Hodges saw the loose ball tipped over by Thorpe.

Despite Casuals dominance the home side in patches showed their danger with Kieran Djilali in particular having to be watched down the left hand side.
With half time approaching Byatt again was played in this time by Brandon Johnson but this time he poked wide after stumbling inside the area. Moments later however Casuals had a deserved third and it was Josh Uzun rifling home after the ball broke kindly when Johnson burst into the box.
There was still time for Warren Morgan to be denied by Thorpe. The keeper keeping his side in the match blocking the low effort with his legs.

​Into the second half and Jordan Clarke looked to repeat his first half goal from the opposite side. On this occasion however his effort was just off target.
The home side however were showing signs of improvement and Tony Garrods sliding effort was saved smartly low down by Casuals skipper Danny Bracken.

The second period so far was lacking the excitement of the first with the home sides change in formation proving a more solid base. That said Terry Murray was denied a 4th after stabbing home from a corner. Referee John Pike indicating he had fouled his marker.

With 14 minutes remaining and out of nowhere the home side had a route back into the match. Garrod turning and finding the top corner from 25 yards. It was a magnificent strike from the hosts Talisman.
Naturally the goal spurred the hosts into life and yielded a second wind but Casuals rear guard stood firm until a 85th minute corner saw centre back Dan Mobsby rise well to head home.

The last few minutes naturally saw the home side pour forward but after a lengthy spell of injury time Casuals first half performance was sufficient enough to secure the points.

Speaking after the match assistant manager Joe Davies commented

“It was tough conditions out there but first half I thought we did really well and could easily have come in 4 or 5 to the good if we had taken our chances. We had more balance to our play in both attacking and defending and moved the ball quickly going forward which allowed us to create the chances”.

Speaking of the second half showing Joe went onto add “For some reason a bit like Saturday after the break we didn’t get going again and probably sat off them too much which allowed them back into the game. We managed to score three goals however in the first period which gave us the cushion when, on other days this season when we haven’t scored enough I could be talking to you now on the back of another draw”.
 
“That’s two wins on the bounce now so confidence is coming back into our game but we can’t rest on that and have to carry on being consistent if we want to push on”.
 
 

Corinthian-Casuals 2 - 1 Horsham
Ryman League Division One South
Saturday 19th November 2016
Match report  -  Cameron Smith
Images: Stuart Tree (Full set here)

The inspired introduction of Jamie Byatt clinched all three points for Corinthian-
Casuals as an eighty-third minute winner devastated the gritty Horsham and
relieved creative Casuals on a wintry Saturday afternoon.

A dominating Dorking Wanderers and a ruthless Egham Town left Casuals with back to back
losses as the league leaders Dorking edged a 1-0 win; the Surrey County Cup
opposition Egham dispatched three to progress into the next round. Hoping to return to
winning ways, Casuals were up against Horsham FC, who are maintaining a solid mid-table
position at the moment. The Hornets, based in West Sussex, also felt the wrath of
Dorking- but on a monumental scale. Conceding an enormous seven goals, Horsham left
Westhumble on Tuesday with a 7-1 defeat.

The Corinthians starting lineup featured four changes from the loss to Egham. Max
Oldham was replaced by the custom striker Shaun Okojie whilst Juevan Spencer reverted
to the right wing leaving Josh Uzun to take his place up-front. An unchanged defence,
James Bracken opted for two switches in the midfield- Mahrez Bettache sitting out on the
bench ahead of Josh Gallagher. Also, Joe Hicks was recalled by parent club Hampton &
Richmond so the slot in midfield was grabbed by the explosive Brandon Johnson.

As soon as the referee blew his whistle to start the game, a high, fast-paced tempo was
set immediately as the Casuals wing men bombed down the flanks and produced cross
after cross early on. Distributing the ball across King George’s, Warren Morgan had
enough of passing and ventured on one of his trademark mazy runs towards the area.
Skipping past Horsham’s Tom Lawley, the right back dribbled past two other yellow shirts
before teeing Jordan Clarke on the edge of the box. Timed to perfection, Clarke’s effort
took a deflection off a Hornet defender before rolling out for a corner.
Ten minutes later, Casuals still dominated the chances. Barcelona-esque, the triangle of
Johnson, Clarke and Morgan produced another delightful passage of play as Johnson
lifted a pin-point pass for Morgan. The full-back plucked the ball from the air masterfully
before crossing to the open Okojie in the six-yard box. The terrific move was agonisingly
spurned as Okojie’s powerful effort hammered against the crossbar- Horsham were
spared. Or were they?

Approaching half-time, Casuals were determined to leave the pitch 1-0 up. The uplifting
presence of the positive Josh Gallagher was a huge advantage as the midfielder edged
towards the box before perfectly setting up Josh Uzun through on goal. Taking a touch,
Uzun slotted the ball past Josh Pelling to score! Three Joshes- One Goal.

Half-time tea downed, floodlights ignited, the game re-started, the high tempo of the first
half deteriorated as Horsham slowly seized a grip on the game for the first time in the
match. Despite the switch in domination, it still surprised the gutted Casuals contingent
when Lawley impressively side-footed the ball into the top corner during a well-worked
move. The whole Horsham team celebrated as the travelling fans finally had something to
shout about.

However, James Bracken had a neat substitutes bench up his sleeve and decided to
boldly use all three changes in one roll of the dice. The energetic Max Oldham, the skilful

Mahrez Bettache and the diligent Jamie Byatt were trusted to instil a winning goal into the
currently-lifeless Casuals. One of them did.

Attacking Horsham where they were most tired, Dave Hodges sprinted down the line and
played a low cross towards the oncoming Byatt. First-time, ‘Busy’ thumped the ball into the
bottom left corner, leaving the keeper with no chance. With only seven minutes to go, the
club-legend had won the game for Casuals- cue frenzied celebrations as the striker ran
into the jubilant crowd.

Not getting ahead of themselves, Bracken’s pink and brown army defended for their lives
late on to secure a well-deserved three points. The Yellows march onto their third
consecutive away trip, this time to Cray Wanderers on Wednesday. We wish them good
luck for the rest of the season. Meanwhile, Corinthians face Three Bridges on Tuesday
before a home fixture on Saturday against Herne Bay.

Corinthian-Casuals (2) A – A (0) Molesey
Ryman League Division One South
Saturday 5th November 2016
Match report and photos: Stuart Tree (full set of pics here)

On a day that traditionally sees the night sky lit up, darkness descended on King George's Arena 19 minutes earlier than planned as floodlight failure caused the abandonment of Corinthian-Casuals' league fixture against Molesey.

Casuals were two goals to the good when referee Tim Donnellan called a halt to the proceedings after half the lights failed due to a power cut to the club, which affected all elements of King George's electricity supply.

It capped a frustrating week for Manager James Bracken following the exit in the FA Trophy and 2-1 loss to Sittingbourne in the week – arguably played under worse light than King George's with half power.

Bracken made several changes to his side; The returning ex-Captain Joe Hicks – on dual registration with National League South side Hampton and Richmond, was thrust into a familiar centre-back role in place of Danny Dudley. With Warren Morgan absent, Juevan Spencer took up the role. Injuries and suspensions kept out Niall Wright, Brandon Johnson, Jordan Clarke and Maz Bettache so there was room on the bench for new signings Luke Tan and Max Oldham.

Corinth started brightly which paid dividends after just five minutes on the clock. Josh Gallagher played through Jamie Byatt and the seasoned striker had the presence of mind to lift a delightful lob over oncoming keeper Liam Allen – the weight perfectly judged as the ball landed in the foot of the goal.

Casuals continued to dominate but frustratingly couldn't find the vital second goal. Shaun Okojie almost turned provider when his slotted pass found Gallagher and forced Allen to tip the shot round the post. Dave Hodges continues to haunt full backs and almost created what would've been a contender for goal of the season. Without the ball touching the floor, his cross found Okojie, who laid off to Byatt and his volley whistled narrowly wide.

Molesey had few chances of note and thus continued into the second half. Okojie should've made it two-nil from the kick-off, blasting over when a more calm finish would have done the trick.

The game started to slow and Molesey edged their way back in, without really testing Bracken in goal. The introduction of Oldham sparked Casuals into life and his first touch in a chocolate and pink shirt was a vicious cross that led to Byatt inexplicably missing the conversion at the far post. Hodges poked another shot into the side netting and it appeared the home side weren't going to add to their tally.

Then on 71 minutes, the lights went. Well... half of them. Light was clearly affected but play continued. Gallagher slipped a ball through to Okojie and this time made no mistake. 2-0. The game looked safe.

Alas, the officials consulted and determined that the light wasn't sufficient to continue. A half hour wait to see if the problem could be rectified passed and all went home frustrated, not least James Bracken who sees three points slip away as they have to re-run this fixture in the near future.

Sittingbourne 2 - 1 Corinthian-Casuals
Ryman League Division One South
Tuesday 1st November 2016
Attendance: 90
Match report and photo: Stuart Tree

As many of us will attest, football can be a frustrating game at times. Just ask Corinthian-Casuals’ Manager James Bracken following the 2-1 defeat to Sittingbourne in the Ryman League Division One South. He described the 4-1 win at Chatham Town ten days ago as ‘having zero frustrations’. How that had changed on this cold Tuesday November evening.

For all the possession, for all the territory, for all the chances… if you cannot convert your supremacy, then don’t expect to win the game. Despite playing with ten men for nearly the entire second half, Sittingbourne resolutely held out for a gritty 2-1 win.

Recent fixtures against the Brickies have yielded good results for Casuals in recent years. Bracken’s side did the double over the Kent side last season and Bracken was looking to extend that run.

Enforced changes saw Danny Dudley shift across from Right-Back into central defensive duties with Jack Strange missing and playmaker Maz Bettache was also absent from the line-up allowing Brandon Johnson his first start in six games. Jamie Byatt started ahead of Ben Cheklit who shared the bench with the returning Kevant Serbony.

Corinth started brightly under the dim floodlights of Woodstock Park. A quick succession of corners was well met by both Jamie Byatt and Shaun Okojie who the latter saw his shot from a few yards out cleared off the line by a Bourne defender. Jordan Clarke – on free kick duties saw his relatively comfortable effort spilled by Michal Czanner though made amends when he kept out Josh Gallagher’s follow-up. In truth, it was all one-way traffic as wave upon wave of advancements from Corinth gave plenty for the Brickies’ defence to deal with. Byatt snapping at the heels of Bourne saw the lively frontman go close with a header and then his snap-shot pass just wide of Czanner’s goal.

Squandered opportunities often get punished and this evening was no different. Dudley’s mis-controlled pass was gathered up by Steven Ita. Catching the back line on the hop, he laid it off to Tom Brunt who made no mistake in despatching the ball under Danny Bracken to give the hosts a surprise lead.

Bracken was called into action again soon after when the giant defender Jono Richardson blasted a header down the keeper’s throat only to see Bracken palm it over the bar.

Casuals came again… Czanner once again bravely foiling another attack with a last ditch save to prevent Warren Morgan and Okojie from levelling the score. A little nutmeg into the six yard box gave Gallagher the time and space to pick his spot but the midfielder dragged his effort wide in what was the best chance of the game. Jordan Clarke curled a dipping shot onto Bourne’s crossbar… the rebound falling kindly for the clearance.

Then the sucker punch. On the stroke of half time, Joe Loft doubled the score for Sittingbourne. The goal led to the hardy home supporters to chant ‘two shots and we’ve scored them both.’

If Casuals were to get anything from the game, Bourne’s Stefan Wright made the task a bit easier for the visitors. Wright’s lunging tackle on Brandon Johnson gave Referee Mr Ryan Whittaker no choice but to brandish a red card, whilst seeing Johnson limp off injured.

Nine minutes later, the comeback was on. Dave Hodges, who’d been excellent on the wing all game, whipped in a delicious cross perfectly meeting the head of Byatt who nodded home from six yards. The celebration muted as ‘Busy’ gathered the ball and retreated to get the game going as soon as possible.

The goal should’ve been the catalyst for a dramatic comeback but if anything, it just made Bourne’s defence more resolute. Though Casuals had the lion’s share of possession, well inside the Brickies’ half, credit must go to the effort that the hosts put in to ensure they came away with all three points.

Alas, parity was not forthcoming and when Niall Wright sustained a bad injury and had to be lifted from the field, the sides were once again therein ended Corinth’s chances of taking any points from Woodstock Park this season.
Casuals remain sixth in the league whilst Sittingbourne climb into the top half of the table. Once again, thanks to our hosts for their graciousness in victory and welcoming hospitality… as well as decent Cheeseburgers!

Manger James Bracken had these words after the match.

"Two games ago, I described my feelings as having 'zero frustrations'. Tonight, we went back to maximum frustration.

"This was a game that we started brightly despite arriving late and not having much of a warm up. We dominated the possession, moved the ball around nicely and settled in our overall shape. We created more than enough chances to be two or three up before we go one down.

"Then we concede another just before half time despite not being under any kind of pressure. They're sucker punch goals. The first one is an individual error which gifts them the chance and that's just one of those things. By conceding the second one just before half time, we make it hard for ourselves.

"I said to them, if we score in the first fifteen minutes of the second half, we can come back and get at least a draw. We've scored one, had numerous chances and had so much of the ball to salvage something out of tonight... but we haven't.

"I'm disappointed but I feel were slowly evolving at the moment into the team that I think we're going to be. However, we need to do that quickly as games are marching by. We don't want gaps to open up in the league table.

"We're positive. Okay – the final ball in hasn't been the best and we have to turn that dominance into three points. I've said in the changing room, we cannot apportion blame elsewhere. 'Oh but this happened or that's unlucky... that's football'. We need to make sure that if we want to win this league or reach the playoffs, we get rid of those excuses, turn them into nothing and come away with three points. It's easier said than done but we'll work hard to accomplish it.

"I've openly said to the boys, I've not enjoyed much of this season. I love what I do but as far as this campaign goes, I've not enjoyed it. Purely because I've got lads on the bench that I want to play. I've got lads who can't even make the sixteen that I want to play. I can't play everybody but this weekend is an opportunity for changes – some enforced and maybe a couple out of my own choice. That's a result of tonight where they didn't perform as well as they should have.

"I'm a big believer that you're only as good as your last game. I don't care how good someone thinks they are, if they put in a substandard performance, I've got other good players that are chomping at the bit to get on the pitch and show what they can do. It keeps everyone on their toes as long as it's embraced the right way, it should make us better.

"It's a difficult balancing act. You see the teams that get promoted out of this league and you pretty much know their starting XI before the teamsheet goes up. With us it's very different. That's not to say it cannot be successful. Just as long as it's embraced the right way. That the boys give everything they've got when they get the chance yet support their team-mates when they're not playing. It's hard for them though. They want to play every game... of course they do. But I can't play everyone."