Lewes FC 2-0 Corinthian-Casuals
Taylor 9, 59 (pen)
Pitching In Isthmian Premier League
Saturday 14 January 2023
Attendance 660
Match Report by Finlay Stubbs
Photo by Stuart Tree
Casuals were left frustrated after a spirited performance ended in a 2-0 defeat to a composed Lewes side on a dark Saturday afternoon on the south coast.
After a difficult defeat to Haringey Borough last time out, Casuals headed to East Sussex to take on an in-form Lewes side at their evocatively named ground, The Dripping Pan. The hosts came into the game full of confidence following a 3-0 victory at fellow play-off chasers Bishop Stortford. Meanwhile, Fevrier made two changes to the Casuals line-up, which included debuts for Finlay Lovatt and Shola Ayoola.
Casuals started on the front foot and got in behind the Lewes defence early, with Sam Dowridge driving in a low cross which just got away from the outstretched Ayoola in the box. However, it was Lewes who made the breakthrough after Casuals gave the ball away in the penalty area, following an excellent high press from the hosts. Deon Moore won the ball and found striker Joe Taylor, who clinically slotted home past Callum Coulter to put his side ahead.
Then followed a closely fought tactical battle in the midfield with both teams struggling to control proceedings. Lewes looked to play out from the back and Casuals pressed high, causing the hosts to go long in search of frontman Taylor.
A bizarre moment then occurred when a mysterious object landed in the Lewes penalty area, which goalkeeper Lewis Carey brought to the referee’s attention. The spectators were confused at what the object could have been, and it was to their surprise that they saw it was in fact a toy aeroplane, which the official snapped in half as he gave it to the hosts’ coaching staff. Non-league, eh!
As the game progressed, the visitors started to create chances. Dowridge’s free kick was headed just over the bar and Ayoola almost grabbed his first goal for the club but blazed his effort over. Dowridge continued to cause problems, this time cutting inside before his attempt landed over the bar.
Lightning almost struck twice, after Casuals gave the ball away in their own area and the hosts looked certain to double their advantage, but Coulter came to the his side’s rescue, smothering the ball to deny the onrushing Tarique Hyde.
Casuals almost got the equaliser with the last kick of the half after a corner was whipped in by Dowridge and was flicked on before going just wide of the far post.
The second half followed a similar pattern to the first, with both teams looking to break their opponents down and be positive in possession. However, the hosts were gifted an opportunity to grab their second when they were awarded a penalty after what looked like a good tackle from Simba Kudyiwa on Hyde. The referee pointed to the spot to the visitors’ disbelief, and Taylor stepped up to grab his second, coolly sending Coulter the wrong way.
Lewes continued to create openings after doubling their lead, with Moore driving forward on the left and drilling in a low cross which was blazed over from close range.
Casuals, undeterred, kept creating opportunities to break down the solid Lewes defence with some excellent passing sequences and Tom Jackson came close to pulling one back when he tested Carey from outside the box.
At the other end, Coulter was then called into action, producing an excellent save to deny Lewes skipper Tom Champion’s header, tipping it onto the bar and out for a corner.
The visitors were inches away from halving the deficit and forcing a grandstand finish when Luke Stokoe fired his effort off the inside of the post and the rebound was cleared by the Lewes backline.
In the final stages, Fevrier then gave a senior debut to 17-year-old William McDonald, who was called up from the youth section’s Under-18s squad. The youngster showed potential in the short period of time he was on, winning his side a corner with one of his first touches before the full-time whistle was blown.
All in all, it was a hard-working performance from Fevrier’s side, who at times showed real drive and promise in possession in front of a large vocal crowd.
“I thought we played really well,” the Casuals boss said after the final whistle. “I was actually really proud of the boys and we mixed it against a really good Lewes team.”
In the end, Lewes showed why they are looking to claim a play-off place, with some excellent patterns of play and quality in the final third which took the game away from Casuals.
Despite the defeat, Casuals should take a lot of confidence from the game after competing with one of the strongest sides in the division and will look to build on the performance on Tuesday night when they host Horsham.
Corinthian-Casuals: Coulter; Kudyiwa, Uyi, Hyman; Halsey, Jackson, Stokoe (Pinney 79), Dowridge (Chislett 73); Lovatt, Donkor (McDonald 88); Ayoola
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