Little Common 0 – 3 Corinthian-Casuals
FA Cup 1st Round Qualifying
Tuesday 22nd September 2020
Report and Pic: Stuart Tree
 
Corinthian-Casuals eased into the 2nd Qualifying Round of the FA Cup with a convincing 3-0 win at Little Common on Tuesday night.
 
Second half goals from Ben Cheklit, Nat Pinney and an own goal secured Casuals’ place in Friday’s draw as they rolled over their Step 5 opponents.
 
A long journey down to the coast in midweek had ‘banana skin’ written all over it – saying Corinth could find themselves slipping up to a Southern Combination Premier side unbeaten in the league and already won two games in this season’s premier cup competition.
 
One look at the playing surface didn’t alleviate fears either; dry like straw, perfect for a spin bowler, the undulating surface wasn’t conducive for slick passing. That told the story in the first half. The ball spent more time in the air than on the ‘grass’ and the wicked bounce deceived both sets of players.
 
Whilst Casuals weren’t at their free-flowing best, they had the crop of the chances. Max Oldham had his cut-in and shot well charged down by the Common keeper. Ben Cheklit almost scored from 40 yards, spotting the goalie stranded off his line. Keiron Cadogan also fired a rasping shot over the bar. Nerves frayed as the two sides were in stalemate at half time in what cannot be called a classic.
 
A reminder from Boss James Bracken on playing and passing saw a resplendent Casuals emerge. Suddenly, the passing was crisp. The interlink play was flowing and it wasn’t long before the Amateurs took a grip of the game. The first goal wasn’t a blinder, but they all count. A set piece into the box caused a kerfuffle and eventually fell to Cheklit to thunder home.
 
Six minutes later and Casuals doubled their lead after Kev Serbony was bundled over in the box and awarded a penalty. Amongst eerie silence, Nat Pinney converted the spot kick to give the Casuals a comfortable margin.
 
Common never rolled over and looked to impose themselves into the game. This opened the game up and Casuals had a few more chances to extend their lead. It finally came with five minutes left. Cheklit’s swashbuckling run met a neat pass and fired in the cross for Common’s Lewis Parsons to beautifully head home into his own net.  
 
It was job done on a difficult pitch miles from home and as the players departed, Bracken thanked the supporters for their excellent support.

Corinthian-Casuals 1 - 2 Haringey Borough
Pitching In Isthmian League Premier Division
Saturday 19th September 2020
King George's Arena. Att: 365
​Report and Pics: Stuart Tree. (full set of photos here)

Two second half goals in three minutes condemned Casuals to an opening day defeat at King George’s as Haringey Borough ran out 2-1 winners in the Pitching In Isthmian League Premier Division.

Daniel Akindayini and Laste Dombaxe’s 51st and 54th minute strikes dealt a fatal blow to James Bracken’s Casuals but not before a potential late comeback when Brad Wilson reduced the arrears with two minutes left.

King George’s looked resplendent as it hosted its first Corinth opening day fixture since 2016 but sadly it wasn’t to replicate the 2-1 win as seen against Whyteleafe that day. Haringey were the visitors and came to rectify the loss on their last visit.

Casuals opened brightly and Max Oldham and Ben Cheklit on the wings caused Borough defensive problems. Michael O’Donaghue came close as he dragged his shot from ten yards wide.

Haringey asserted themselves into the match and had a decent spell of possession for the bulk of the first half. Danny Bracken was called into action on occasion and the defence held firm.

Casuals perhaps should’ve gone into the break with the lead but Robert Paratore’s turn and shot in the box was well smothered by Jonathan Miles in goal. Cheklit also went close with a header at the back post.

But it was two goals in three minutes that decided the fate of the match. Bracken saved well from a Haringey attack but his parry was followed up by Akindayini who couldn’t miss. Three minutes later and a real piece of quality sealed the deal; Dombaxe unleashed a curling shot from the edge of the box that whipped inside the post, past a despairing Bracken.

Haringey were happy to hold onto the lead but Casuals threat grew. With two minutes to go, they gave the majority of the 365 in attendance hope. Keiron Cadogan broke into the box and chipped a cross to Brad Wilson who fired home from close range.

It was too little too late and despite the pressure, Haringey held on for the win. Many thanks to our visitors – with special note to their superbly-singing supporters for making this league return a special day to remember.
​
Next up for Casuals is a trip to Eastbourne United’s Oval ground where we face Little Common in the FA Cup on Tuesday.

Corinthian-Casuals 0 - 5 AFC Wimbledon
Pre Season Friendly
King George's Arena
Saturday 8th August 2020
​Words and Pictures: Stuart Tree

Corinthian-Casuals were dealt a first half lesson by a strong League One AFC Wimbledon side, played behind closed doors, conceding five goals before the break.

It was an eerie, yet welcoming feeling to have football return to King George’s. Meticulous preparations were taken to ensure the club was best secure of any Coronavirus infection. Temperatures were taken of everyone and sanitising was the order of the day. It was sad that fans weren’t allowed to witness a Dons first XI down at Tolworth, though a few made good use of vantage points from beyond the perimeter fence to watch their favourite team in action.

Both playing their first matches since Covid halted their seasons back in March, it was Glyn Hodges’ Dons who were out of the blocks the quickest. It took just three minutes for Troy Chiabi to tap home Joe Pigott’s cross.

It didn’t get any better for Casuals as Chiabi once again grabbed his second just 15 minutes later, once again converting a cross. Nesta Guinness-Walker made it three with a smart finish past Keeper Danny Bracken into the bottom corner. Chiabi earned his hat-trick on the half hour mark after rounding Bracken and finishing from an acute angle before Terell Thomas’ towering header made it 5-0 by half time.

With both sides making extensive changes, the second period was much more an even contest. Dons had a chance to add another from the spot but Roscrow’s penalty was well saved and it finished five-nil to the League One side.

Thanks to Glyn and all at AFC Wimbledon for providing top opposition and being wonderful guests. We wish them all the best for the season ahead.

Corinthian-Casuals 1 - 1 Hornchurch
Isthmian League Premier Division
Saturday 7th March 2020
Report and photos: Stuart Tree (full set here)

Corinthian-Casuals earned another vital Isthmian League point on Saturday courtesy of a 1-1 draw with championship chasing Hornchurch.
 
It was another display from James Bracken’s side that pleased the boss following on from the midweek win over East Thurrock United.
 
There was an immediate place in the starting line-up for debutant Kieron Cadogan as Bracken looked to utilise four attacking players, including Nat Pinney, Gabriel Odunaike and Ben Cheklit. On the opposite side was arguably the most formidable strike force in the Isthmian League with Jamie Cureton, Chris Dickson and Adam Cunnington set to test Casuals’ back line.
 
Had it not been for some resolute defending and two superb saves from Danny Bracken, Hornchurch could’ve easily led from early on as they exerted pressure on Corinth. But it was the home side who came closest to breaking the deadlock when Cheklit cut inside his man and unleashed a shot across Joe Wright only for it to rebound off the inside of the far post.
 
With 20 minutes played, Casuals took the lead. Gabriel Odunaike was upended in the box and the referee took his time to deliberate whether it was a foul before correctly awarding the spot kick. Nat Pinney sent Wright the wrong way to make it 1-0.
 
Hornchurch were level 12 minutes later; from a Casuals corner, the Urchins broke up the field in quick fashion with Dickson making most of the running. His pull-back found Jordan Clark (no… not that one) who side-footed it past Bracken in a swift and effective counter.
 
The second half was a cagier affair, though had its moments. Jamie Cureton, a player that’s scored his fair share of excellent goals against Casuals volleyed a wicked shot narrowly over the bar. At the other end, full back Jack Tucker found his way through on goal and riding a clumsy challenge, decided to square the ball rather than take the shot. However, his pass to Odunaike was intercepted and the danger cleared.
 
The full time whistle was welcomed as Casuals had held their lofty opponents for the second time this season to a 1-1 draw. Considering all the other results affecting sides around them (only Merstham picked up a point), the draw was a pleasing outcome from the afternoon as well as how Casuals had applied themselves against strong opposition.
 
Delighted with the performance. Hornchurch have got some fantastic players and they don’t have any obvious weak links,” said Manager James Bracken after the match.
 
“They carry a lot of threat especially with their front three and have decent players to come off their bench. They’re a good team. But we’ve more than matched them today. I don’t just mean we’ve dug in and fought and ground out a point. We arguably had the brighter opportunities throughout the game. Even near the end, we’ve got our right back in their box looking to pull back for someone to tap in.
 
“We had a decent balance to our play. Our defensive shape was good and when we got the ball, we put moves together and played some fantastic football. Some of the moves throughout the thirds would’ve graced any level. Credit to the lads for that. We’re starting to get in the habit of picking up good points and believe we can beat anybody.
 
“We’ve never been also-rans. We know we’ll give anyone a good game. This season, it’s been hard to see wins coming at times. But now, I look at it and we’ve got goals in us, a number of avenues from which we can create chances and we still have the grit and determination to make it hard for sides to score against us.”
 
Looking ahead to the match at Merstham on Tuesday night, Bracken was under no illusion at how important this fixture is.
 
“Merstham have earned a decent draw against Bognor, after leading 2-0, so we have to give their forwards and them in possession a bit of respect. We’ll need to ensure our defensive side matches the levels against Hornchurch, etc. If we do that, and we play like we have this past couple of weeks, they’ll have to play very well to get any points.
 
“We’ll be prepared, and we’ll concentrate on ourselves – I rate these players and I fancy us to go out there, create chances, score and play good football. Why shouldn’t I after what I’ve seen the last few games from us? We’ll just keep it going.”

Corinthian-Casuals 2 - 1 East Thurrock Utd
Isthmian League Premier Division
Tuesday 3rd March 2020
Report: Stuart Tree

Corinthian-Casuals climbed off the foot of the Isthmian League Premier table with a convincing win over East Thurrock United on Tuesday night.
 
Two first half goals were enough to seal three points for James Bracken’s side with Gabriel Odunaike and Ben Cheklit finding the scoresheet.
 
The win was the result of hard work, desire and some very attractive first half football, topped off with resilient defending against a good side in East Thurrock. The Rocks have suffered a slump in form but are nevertheless challenging for a playoff berth.
 
There were two changes to Bracken’s line up from that which narrowly lost to Kingstonian last week. Jack Tucker came in for the departed Juevan Spencer and Kev Serbony took his place in the middle of the field replacing the injured Matty Bakare.
 
It only took two minutes for Casuals to score and Bracken will be delighted that both goals were courtesy of well-worked set pieces. A lofted free kick found the head of Jack Strange who flicked it on to Odunaike tapping home from six yards.
 
It gave confidence to the home side who surged forward with aplomb. Odunaike will feel he should’ve had two when he scuffed a close-range shot just wide. Nat Pinney caused problems all evening and Serbony danced across the edge of the area, consistently drawing fouls from late lunges.
 
Unsurprisingly, the lead was doubled on the half hour mark when Brad Wilson’s corner found Ben Cheklit at the far post who smashed his shot against the keeper and into the roof of the net.
 
The contest should’ve been over early in the second half when Pinney, once again finding good space had two shots, one well saved and the other, blasted just over. As it happens, the last half hour was a nervous one when Thurrock pulled one back. Danny Cossington header from a wide free kick reduced the arrears.
 
The visitors began to impose themselves territorially and held Casuals in their own half for large parts. Casuals began to use the counter attack as their outlet. Into stoppage time and Serbony could’ve ended any fightback, but his run and shot was charged down by Thurrock’s Jack Giddens.
 
With the full time whistle, there was much relief. Casuals had well and truly earned their three points with a fine display that moves them up four places to 18th. They’ll be eyeing up those above, especially Lewes, who are just three points ahead but having played twice more.
 
“Psychologically, it’s a big boost to lift ourselves off the foot of the table but we have another tough game on Saturday against Hornchurch,” said Bracken after the match. “We’d be daft to think we’re out of trouble with that win. We need to come again Saturday with these levels as an absolute minimum.
 
“I don’t question these boy’s desire; I don’t question their effort. That’s backed up by the stats – their GPS vests tells me how much they’re running. We’ve committed everything we’ve needed to commit to in games in the last few weeks. It’s been on point. They’ve been putting their bodies on the line, throwing themselves at crosses, committing to challenges. We’ve had that in abundance. In the position we’re in and what we need to get the job done, that’s exactly what you need.
 
“We’re not going to cruise through games playing pretty football on boggy pitches. We need to put our foot in, put ourselves on the line and battle for every aerial ball. We need that desire to come out on top the majority of times. Tonight, we had the bit between our teeth as a group and that’s fair play to the boys.
 
“I think they’re realising that we really need to put points on the board. They’re going to accept nothing less. That’s the feeling I get from them now. They gave me that feeling against K’s too, where I felt we were worthy of the draw – had we took our chances in the first half, we’d have been 3-0 up and there’s no coming back from that.
 
“We showed tonight that we can defend leads, we can adapt to see games out. That’s evident in that display.
 
“From the supporter’s point of view, if they see that desire then that’s great. It’s my job to get the best out of these players and get them to fight for those fans and get the best results for this club, the badge, the shirt and what it represents.
 
“We’ll give it our best together, we’ll come out of this and we’ll look back at this season as a blip. Whatever happens, it’ll be a season I look back upon with disappointment. There’s a lot of ‘what if’s?’ What if we did get a few more decisions go our way? Losing Shaun Okojie just as we start to get it together with a striker that’ll score most games. The injuries to Danny and the others at the start of the season. The fiasco we had at Potters Bar where we had to play 85 minutes with no goalkeeper. But, we know these are all here to challenge us and we’re up for it and we’ll be ready once again to give it our all on Saturday.

Kingstonian 3 - 1 Corinthian-Casuals
Isthmian League Premier Division
Wednesday 26th February 2020

Two injury-time goals for hosts Kingstonian cruelly condemned Corinthian-Casuals to defeat on Wednesday evening in the Isthmian League Premier Division.

Casuals had led in the first half but were pegged back before the break. With the game entering stoppage time and the scores still level, referee James Simpson awarded a hotly contested penalty to Kingstonian, turning the game on its head. A third was added with Casuals urgently pushing for an equaliser.

Captain Danny Bracken made an enforced return between the sticks despite suffering from illness which kept him out against Potters Bar at the weekend. However, with Ibby Ugradar also injured, there was no alternative backup. Nat Pinney and Gabriel Odunaike were preferred to Ollie Sitch and Kev Serbony, with Matt Parsons making his full debut.

If ever there was a game of two halves, this would’ve been it. Casuals should’ve been out of sight in the first 45 minutes. Odunaike raced through only for Rob Tolfrey to make a smart stop. Ben Cheklit also tested the reflexes of the K’s veteran before Pinney found the net, only for the Assistant to raise his flag for offside.

But the pressure told just after the half hour mark; Brad Wilson flashed a shot across Tolfrey who could only parry it out to Cheklit who had no hesitation in burying it from close range.

Casuals looked to turn the screw and once again, Pinney broke the K’s back line and found the target, with a similar result – offside, though this one was close!

Kingstonian dusted themselves down and began to assert themselves. New recruit Eddie Dsane shot low past Bracken from 18 yards to restore parity between the two sides.

Casuals started the second half brightly with Cheklit once again hitting the target but the referee’s whistle pulling back play with a foul in the build-up. Then a pivotal turning point. Matty Bakare steamed through the K’s midfield and bearing down on goal, was upended on the edge of the box with a goalscoring opportunity denied… yellow card. Sadly, that was the end of Bakare’s participation for the evening, having been injured in the challenge. His presence in the middle would be missed.

Corinth sat deeper, looking to contain K’s. Whilst pressured, it appeared to be effective, with little to threaten Bracken in goal. But in stoppage time, despite the ball being won clean, the referee deemed the tackle to be stern enough to award a penalty. Tom Kavanagh smashed the resulting kick down the middle leaving Bracken no chance.

There was time for K’s to add a third with Casuals pushing up the pitch. Coskun Ekim was caught in possession at the back and Dan Bennett had the simple task to race free and lift the ball over Bracken to make it 3-1. Casuals hit the post late on, with the ball running along the goal-line, but it would’ve been pure consolation with the full-time whistle blowing after.

A fine first half performance from the Amateurs wasn’t matched in the second which allowed the home side more possession and more territory. It’ll feel like at least a point dropped but had Casuals taken their chances in the first half, it could’ve easily been three.

“Hayden [Bird] said to me after the match that we deserved to win, as did half of their players, so maybe we believe them,” said James Bracken after the match.

“We had chances in the first half. We had the ball in the net three times. One was offside but the other was so tight, I’d like to see it again.

“But we played well. First half, we set about things differently. We changed our shape and decided to have an open game of football. Because if you put them under a bit of pressure, they don’t like it. That first 45 minutes, we didn’t allow them any period of control.

“Second half, we dug in, worked hard. We didn’t have as much of the ball as we’d have liked. There were moments but we probably weren’t good enough after the break. It’s disappointing, because we were relatively comfortable. You don’t always have to have possession to be in control of a game. For all their possession and play around the box, they never looked like they’d score.

“The penalty is a good tackle and he won the ball. So, we’re disappointed that we haven’t got more. Anyone would’ve seen that there isn’t a gulf between the teams that some may expect, with us the amateur club we are. Anyone watching will see we’re nobody’s mugs. We’re a decent side and when we apply ourselves, we’re more than a match for anyone in this division. Unfortunately, with the last few minutes, the referee’s decisions have gone against us. It’s not unusual; It’s the same old story.

“We said before the game, even if we won a point, and then win against Stortford on Saturday, we could’ve feasibly gone above Lewes in 17th. All those sides down there, including Stortford are in the mix. We need to ensure that come Saturday, three points come our way. We’re in okay form – coming into tonight, we’d taken a point more than K’s in the last ten games. You can’t say that we’ve fallen off. We’re still out there, battling.   

“It’s a pack of seven sides we’re competing with to avoid the drop. It’s not like we’re in a bottom three that’s adrift and we can’t catch anyone else. We need to do better than three of them. Finish mid-table in that mini-league at the bottom, then we’ll be fine.

“It’s a real season of frustration. I’ve never known anything like it. To be in every game, all so tight and then losing in circumstances like tonight, resting on a referee’s decision. There’s thirteen games left and they’ll fly by. We need to get a decent return from at least six of those games at a minimum. Let’s upset the apple cart. We’ve proved that we can get points from anyone in this league so that’s what we’ll be looking to achieve.”

Wingate & Finchley 1 - 0 Corinthian-Casuals
London Senior Cup Quarter Final
Tuesday 12th February 2020
Match report and pics: Stuart Tree (full set of photos here)
 
Corinthian-Casuals cup participation came to a close for another season as they exited the London Senior Cup at the hands of Wingate & Finchley.
​
A solitary goal from the wonderfully named Great Evans was enough to see the hosts progress to the semi-final where they’ll face either Hendon or Balham.

For Manager James Bracken, it was a frustrating evening where his side had started brightly but failed to capitalise and never found the level required until too late.

The side had been re-shuffled from the weekend with the likes of Coskun Ekim filling in at the back and Casuals playing an unfamiliar shape. It looked to be working at first, where the Amateurs had the bulk of possession and the best of the early chances.

But as the half progressed, Wingate grew in confidence and by the break, Danny Bracken had been the busier of the two goalkeepers. The Blues had also hit the post from close range and Warren Morgan produced a fine block to prevent Wingate taking a half-time lead.

Casuals began the second half as they did the first, and two great chances presented themselves in quick succession. Sadly, clinical finishing evaded Corinth and as with the Velocity Trophy exit the week before, it would ultimately be their undoing.

Just seven minutes into the half, Great Evans took down a weighted lobbed pass and slotted home from close range.

Wingate looked to finish off proceedings, but Bracken did well to keep out Charlie Ruff’s shot and the Blues also had a goal disallowed for offside. Casuals made changes and livened up in the last ten minutes. Substitute Gabriel Odunaike also had a goal chalked off by the linesman’s flag and fellow sub Matty Bakare finally tested keeper Fergal Hale-Brown, who got down well to keep out the midfielder’s low drive.

After the full-time whistle, where the players and management thanked the few hardy Casuals fans who braved the cold, Manager James Bracken apologised saying ‘it wasn’t good enough.’ He’ll be insisting a much better performance in the next few weeks when Casuals return to the Maurice Rebak Stadium for the all-important league ‘six-pointer’.

“The performance was more disappointing than the result,” said Bracken after the match.

“We’ve set ourselves up to be good enough to win in both our last two cup matches and on both occasions, the performances haven’t been good enough.”

“We took our foot off the gas after 25 minutes because it seemed like it was a little too comfortable for us. If you do that at 0-0, then nine times out of ten, you lose the game.

“The final third from us tonight was really poor. For all the possession and domination in the first half hour, and with good spells throughout the game, we’ve not forced their keeper to make enough saves."

Now, Bracken looks ahead to the all-important league campaign and four vital games coming up.

“We’ve got a lot of tough games coming up but the next four are winnable. I’m realistic – every game is winnable but we don’t want to be relying on our run-in at the end of the season. We need to pick up as many wins as we can and see where we are. We can’t be looking at other team’s results – we need to take care of our own matches.

“Our results since the turn of the year puts us sixth in total points won, so we’re much improved. We’ve let in the same amount of goals as Worthing. If you’d had said to me, we’d have conceded the same number of goals as the league leaders, I’d have presumed we were third or fourth in the table.

​“However, we’re not and we need to be more clinical. Losing Shaun (Okojie) wasn’t ideal but other lads now need to step up to the plate and score goals.

“I think the players are good enough. But they’ll only get away with one or two more performances like that before we decide to make changes. I’m loyal as anything. We’re not a revolving door club and that’s why there’s an affinity with the fans and the players – they get to know them, appreciate each other and appreciate their qualities. We work with players here. We try to improve them as best as we can and we’ll always do that.

“But we’re here to win games of football. The next four are winnable but if we don’t look like winning them then we’ll look at changing things. It’s a wake up call.

“I’m optimistic though. There’s been some dark times this season and a lot of soul searching to be done. When you’re playing well but keep losing 1-0, then you question everything. But in 2020, we’re sixth in points earned, morale is good.
​
“Perhaps tonight, like with some of the cup competitions this season, have been overlooked by some of the players. This tonight was more than winnable with a semi-final place at stake. Maybe I wanted to win a trophy more than some of the boys who’ve played. But they know what’s required of them in the league. They’re up for the challenge and they’ll give everything.”  

Corinthian-Casuals 1 – 2 Burgess Hill Town
Velocity Trophy Knockout Stage
Tuesday 4th February 2020
Photos from the match can be seen here.
​More pics courtesy of Andy Nunn can be seen here.
 
Typically, being in a cup competition in early February indicates good progress into the latter stages, but Corinthian-Casuals crashed out at the first hurdle following a 2-1 loss to Burgess Hill Town on Tuesday night.

Hill remain unbeaten, notching up their sixth consecutive win in the Velocity Trophy this season. Radical changes to the tournament meant the Sussex club had to negotiate a group phase before qualifying to play Premier League opposition – in this case, Casuals.

For James Bracken’s side, this was their first foray in the League Cup this season and the second of nine scheduled matches in February – or nearly one game every 72 hours. Therefore, it was unsurprising that he named a changed line-up from that which defeated Lewes at the weekend. There was a debut for ex-AFC Wimbledon defender Jim Fenlon. Jack Tucker returned from dual-registration duty at Frimley Green and Nat Pinney was promoted to the starting line-up. Coskun Ekim returned in place of Matty Bakare whilst Gabriel Odunaike was rested, sitting in the stands for the evening.

Despite this, Casuals settled well and began to carve open Burgess Hill’s defence on multiple occasions. With 20 minutes gone, Corinth found themselves one-up. An excellent cross from the left unusually found makeshift forward Tucker sliding in to bag his first goal for the club.
 
Hill did go close themselves but an excellent clearance from Mark Jamison, from under his own crossbar, saw off the danger of Pat Harding when it was easier to bundle into his own net. However, with Brad Wilson also hitting the post, the half very much belonged to Casuals.

Seeking the all-important second, Corinth applied serious pressure after thebreak. Nat Pinney shot wide and Jack Strange’s header whistled past the far post, all before Brad Wilson’s effort was cleared off the line. However, in the resulting melee, Wilson was awarded a penalty for an adjudged foul. The midfielder himself stepped up but crashed his spot-kick against the foot of the post.

We’ve all seen what happens next; give away countless opportunities and it’ll bite you in the backside. Five minutes later, Hillian Aaron Smith-Joseph’s persistence paid off and forced his way through the defence to fire low past Danny Bracken’s left and into the corner.

Then, out of nothing, on 77 minutes, Mason Dougherty unleashed a wonderful 25-yard ripper into the top corner to send the small band of Hillians into hysteria.

Casuals attempted to rally. The best chance fell to Warren Morgan who met an enticing cross only to inexplicably put it wide. After the match, the stand-in forward still couldn’t understand how he’d missed. The Hill goal had led a charmed life at times, but the score remained 2-1 to the visitors and they booked their place in the next round away to Horsham next week.
​
For Bracken, it’s a return to important league action this weekend as the team travel to Margate. Next Tuesday night is Casuals’ last foray in cup competitions, heading to Wingate in the London Senior Cup Quarter Final.    

Corinthian-Casuals 1 - 0 Lewes
Isthmian League Premier Division
Saturday 1st February 2020
Photos from the match can be seen here
​
A sublime Ben Cheklit strike ten minutes from time was enough to lift Corinthian-Casuals out of the relegation zone for the first time this season.

Whilst fellow strugglers Merstham and Wingate & Finchley both won, and Brightlingsea picking up a point, the win was enough to lift Casuals two places, into 19th with a very favourable goal difference and games in hand.

Incidentally, the result drags opponents Lewes into the dogfight as Casuals close within four points. The Rooks have struggled to pick up any momentum and remarkably, have won only once at their Dripping Pan home this campaign. Ironically, that was against Casuals – a cagey 1-0 win secured in the last ten minutes. Ring any bells?

There was more parity with the corresponding fixture earlier in the season; this wasn’t a classic either. Lewes have struggled to score recently, with just two goals in the last six league matches (as well as a 1-0 loss to Peacehaven in the Sussex Cup). In contrast, Casuals form has been much better and a gritty 1-1 draw against promotion-chasing Bognor in the week would’ve surely boosted morale.

Lewes nearly rectified their goal drought in the very first minute, with Harry Reed’s cross narrowly avoided Tony Mendy. Early goals have haunted Casuals across the first half of the season, but this is one area that Manager James Bracken and his coaching team have worked hard upon to rectify. And with effective results too – Corinth haven’t conceded in the first half hour since the 12th November.
That run continued as either side rarely threatened their opponent’s goal. Gabriel Odunaike headed narrowly wide from a corner and Casuals captain Danny Bracken was only really called into action from set pieces.

Corinth had more of a spark about them in the second half enjoying the lion’s share of possession. Nathan Stroomberg-Clarke was certainly the busier of the two keepers. Despite this, Lewes had the best chance to score when Billy Medlock weaved between defenders only to blaze his shot well over.

Almost immediately, Casuals capitalised. It was a moment of divine interplay that finally broke the deadlock. Out on the wing, Kev Serbony dropped two Lewes markers with a cheeky backheel to Hakeem Adelakun. His cross found Ben Cheklit on the edge of the box and without hesitation, curled a beauty of a shot into the top corner, leaving Stroomberg-Clarke rooted.

The Lewes keeper was a little fortunate to remain on the field moments after, when he handled the ball outside of his area, denying Odunaike a chance to intercept. A yellow issued. Casuals were able to see out the rest of the match with Bracken being alert to a low cross that could’ve caused problems. The full time whistle marked the Amateur’s fourth win (with a draw) in eight games and Bracken almost certainly looking up the table.

Neither game against Lewes this season will go down as a classic, but for the majority of the 278 in attendance, they won’t care. They witnessed a side that once again battled hard, gave everything and topped it off with a sublime goal. They’ll also keep an eye on Lewes’ next league match – against Cheshunt, which after this result, has become a proverbial ‘six-pointer’ that could yet shape the relegation battle once again. In the meantime, Casuals have a break from league pressures as they host Burgess Hill Town in the Velocity Trophy on Tuesday night.

Corinthian-Casuals 0 - 1 Folkestone Invicta
Isthmian League Premier Division
Saturday 12th October 2019
Report and Photos: Stuart Tree (set here)

Corinthian-Casuals’ Boss James Bracken felt his side deserved more from the 1-0 loss to league leaders Folkestone Invicta on Saturday.
 
Keiron McCann’s first half strike was the only goal to separate the sides, despite being 21 places between the teams in the league. But Casuals cannot catch a break and condemned the Tolworth outfit to their seventh league loss this season.
 
The last two league matches have been against the top two sides, yet Bracken will be scratching his head as to how Casuals haven’t earned points from either.
 
Casuals have the sixth best defensive record in the league but scoring goals has been the major problem and with just five tallied up in ten games, the Amateurs have to resolve that problem sooner rather than later.
 
Keeper Manny Agboola was once again in between the sticks and the return of Andy Mills to central defence eased Bracken’s injury-led selection problems. The big comeback was captain Gabriel Odunaike, who’s lengthy absence has been felt and was immediately thrust into the team to give attacking options.
 
Odunaike looked lively and the most likely to score. He found himself with just keeper Tim Roberts in the to beat but Folkestone’s custodian smothered the effort well. Casuals had far more impetus than the limp FA Cup exit the week before and caused the Seasiders problems.
 
The visitors should’ve taken the lead, but for Agboola’s wonderful double save to prevent them going ahead. However, minutes later, Kieron McCann’s cut inside and low shot was too accurately-placed for Agboola to stop and Folkestone had the lead.
 
Casuals carved out a few chances; Shaun Okojie probably should’ve scored from a powerful free header in the centre of the box. On target, and that would’ve been a certain equaliser. The striker’s fierce shot from the edge of the box did force Roberts into a fine stop.
 
And Casuals continued to advance in the second half. Odunaike’s gone close from a quick corner and even full-back Jack Tucker’s drive from 20 yards was expertly tipped over by the busier of the two keepers. Even the gents from the popular blog ‘Two Men in Search of the Beautiful Game’ commented that you’d never have told who was top and who was bottom of the league.
 
But goals win games and Casuals drew a blank for the sixth time in this league campaign and thus, the solitary strike from McCann was enough to send the Kent side home happy.
 
It’s getting a bit repetitive, isn’t it?,” said Bracken after the match. “I probably said this about five games ago. It is getting repetitive.
 
“I said to the players in the changing room how unlucky they were today and deserved more from that, against a team that’s top of the league. I said there’s nothing between you and them. You get confidence from that knowing we’re there-or-thereabouts. All we can do is keep resetting, keep refocussing, turn up to training with enthusiasm and approach the next game with a positive mindset.
 
“Our goals against is decent. We’re sixth best in the league for conceding. We need to score more goals. We went with four attacking players up top but we have to find the right balance. We made a few changes. Gave a few boys opportunities and they did okay. The likes of Jack Tucker came in an put in a decent performance. Unfortunately, his man has come inside him for the goal, but he could’ve done that to anyone… McCann’s a good player – he scored two last week. Folkestone have been scoring freely – put three past Brightlingsea last week and scored four away at Potter’s Bar. They certainly didn’t run us ragged. There are positives, but until we start putting points on the board and getting that winning feeling back, we need to keep working hard.
 
“We know the league results haven’t been there. We’ve done okay in the FA Cup, even with that performance last week, where we haven’t turned up. But how many times can you say that we didn’t perform on the day? Maybe five times in the last five years. We’ve always performed even when we’ve lost. We had no right to beat Sevenoaks who are flying high at the top of the division below. We had no right to beat Chelmsford City here, but we did. We had an off day at King’s Langley. That’s all. The world hasn’t caved in. But of course, because of the league results, it feels like it’s a bigger loss.
 
“We haven’t got a game scheduled now for ten days which is nonsense. Then it’s a packed schedule for the five following weeks. We’ll have ten games in five weeks yet ten days without a match. The way the fixtures have fallen is crazy. We had four games in September and were due to have eight in October. But maybe that’s what we need. Just to get out there every Tuesday, Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday and within ten days, you pick up three wins and suddenly you have 12 points on the board.
 
“We just need to keep working. There’s no quick fix. There’s no bringing in three players this week that’ll make a difference. These boys have got to keep on showing good attitude. I don’t have a magic wand, so we just need work our socks off every week. If we keep doing that, then we keep believing.”