Leatherhead 0 - 0 Corinthian-Casuals
Emirates FA Cup 2nd Qualifying Round Replay
Saturday 18th September 2021
​Report and photo: Stuart Tree

When Corinthian-Casuals last played Leatherhead back in October 2020, it ended in a goalless stalemate which Manager James Bracken described as ‘one of the worst football matches he’d ever been involved with.’ Eleven months later and lightning struck twice in a tepid affair which never got going.
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Therefore, the two sides must do it again on Tuesday evening, as per with the Worthing tie in the previous round. Casuals will be confident in finishing the job off but truth told, this was the type of performance that would’ve seen us dumped out of the Cup in previous years.

It’s not all doom and gloom though. Casuals fans had been treated to some wonderful football in recent matches, not least in the 4-0 win over Cray Wanderers in the week. Conversely, Leatherhead were losing 4-0 to Worthing on the same evening, with the score kept down thanks to newly acquired stopper Manny Agboola – who we know very well, from his time here.

As so often happens, Leatherhead tightened their defence up and Casuals were probably a little too… err, Casual. Never getting out of first gear, Corinth laboured for large parts of the game, yet never really looked threatened themselves. Ben Cheklit fired one over the bar and Keiron Cadogan saw his shot blocked at one end, whilst Leatherhead’s Jack Skinner forced a fine save from Danny Bracken.

Would the second half provide a spark that was most needed? Not really. Again, the sides toiled away in the heat. If this game was to be decided, it’d likely be by a solitary goal. The Tanners went close from a corner, hitting the post and at the other end, Bobby Mills forced a very fine stop from Agboola on a chance worthy of winning a match.

Casuals grew into the last fifteen minutes looking for a winner and wide play looked to be the route to take but as the clock ticked down, it was ever more clear we were destined for a replay (and a disgruntled programme editor to thrash out a last minute edition).

The two sides will meet again at the United Business Group Stadium at Tolworth on Tuesday evening to decide who progresses in this most famous competition.

"It wasn’t a classic today," said James Bracken after the match. "The game lacked quality from both teams. We failed to reach the levels that we’ve achieved recently. But we’re not going to go out and blitz teams every week. Sometimes, you’re away in the FA Cup to a side at the same level, get a 0-0 draw and bring them back to ours on a Tuesday night and beat them in a replay. That’s now our goal.

"We defended well. We didn’t give them too much and I don’t remember any sustained spells of pressure. We kept giving away sloppy free kicks which was another little learning curve for some of the young boys we have. But in open play, you couldn’t see where they were going to get a goal from.

"We started really well and perhaps it’s that age old human reaction. We’ve started off too well and the boys think that this’ll be an easy win. That creeps in and the levels of pace and intensity drop. We lacked a final ball ourselves – except for that one great save. Against another keeper on another day, that’s your winning goal. It wasn’t to be, but we’re in the hat for the next round.

"We have to be careful though. This was a game we could’ve slipped in and lost and it’s a game that we could lose on Tuesday. We could win 5-0 too – it’s football. Anything can happen. But with the players that we have, we’ll be ready to do far better than we have today. We’ll ensure we create far more chances and if we take those, I fully expect us to progress in the competition.

"That’s taking nothing away from Leatherhead. They’ll be thinking the same. They’ll think ‘we could’ve nicked a goal today and they’ll be thinking they can nick this tie on Tuesday. So we need to make sure we more than match them and put pressure on for sustained periods. That’s something we lacked. If we get that, then the win will hopefully come."

Corinthian-Casuals 4 - 0 Cray Wanderers
Pitching In Isthmian League Premier Division
Tuesday 14th September 2021
Match report: Stuart Tree. Photos: Andy Nunn

Corinthian-Casuals notched up their third win in seven days with a resounding 4-0 victory over Cray Wanderers in the Isthimian League Premier Division on Tuesday night.

A hat-trick from striker Warren Mfula and a first goal for Emmanuel Mensah ensured Casuals first ever victory over Cray at King George’s Arena.

Coming off the back of two fine wins, 3-1 at home to Worthing and a 1-0 away day victory at Haringey Borough, James Bracken’s side looked to make the perfect week. Conversely, Wanderers were coming off the back of four straight defeats with the most recent just 48 hours before at the hands of Potters Bar Town.

It took 38 minutes of prodding and probing before any kind of deadlock was broken. Mfula pounced on a chance inside the box and made no mistake on capitalizing on the opportunity. It was almost 2-0 a minute later but the striker was flagged for offside, despite the neat finish.

Cray supremo Danny Kedwell introduced himself to the game at half time in a bid to turn his side’s fortunes but if anything, it was Casuals who dominated the second period. Ben Cheklit’s brilliant cross found Emmanuel Mensah at the far post who delighted himself, team-mates and the supporters by claiming his first for Corinth.

It was all Casuals from here. Just after the hour mark, the game was put to bed when Mfula grabbed his second of the night, slotting under Jack Turner for 3-0. And when the striker was felled in the box ten minutes later, no one was going to deny him the chance to claim the hat-trick.

All season, Casuals have been playing to these standards but hadn’t capitalised on chances as well as perhaps they should. There were no issues in that department on this night and Bracken can be delighted with how his side had put Cray Wanderers to the sword.
 
“For a 4-0 win in this division, it can only be a great night for us,” said Manager James Bracken following the result. “It’s two clean sheets on the spin, three wins in the space of a week against teams that are perceived to be top half sides, pushing for playoffs.

But to us, it’s just another game of football. We just look to get out there on the pitch, take our chances and bring intensity that other sides will struggle to cope with. We’ve done exactly what we’ve set out to accomplish.

“I’m enjoying the football at the moment. It’s entertaining. If you’re a Casuals fan and you’re coming down here, you surely must be enjoying it. If you aren’t, there’s clearly something wrong with you. It’s brilliant that everyone’s been jumping on board for the ride with us. Once again I thought the noise was great – it was a top atmosphere. It keeps us going. There’s no reason why that won’t be the same again come Saturday. We’re capable of putting a performance in once again like that, not just against Leatherhead in the Cup but every single week.

“The boys that are starting are playing so well and we have a strong bench, so I’ve not even had to mention that we’ve got seven players missing! If we’d been losing, you’d probably hear me saying we’d need them back. But the boys who have the shirts at the moment are doing so well, we’re not particularly missing them. There’s not too many sides in this division who could have seven players out and still do what we’re doing. We’re doing a lot that’s right at the minute and we need to carry that on.

“Come Saturday, the Leatherhead cup game is winnable. We can beat anyone in this league. We’ve beaten Worthing, we’ve beaten Haringey. We’ve beaten Cray. We should’ve beaten Kingstonian; if we’d taken half our chances, we’d have won that game.

“Five and a half of the last six league games, we’ve been far better than the opposition. We need to carry that on.

“We’ve put a lot of work in pre-season to get this side to where they’re at. We have them settled into a way of playing that is effective. The boys we have are fantastic. They have discipline, they have all the work ethic you could ever ask of them. We have quality, we have guts, we have determination. I’m looking at them and I cant see what we lack. If we were playing against us, I can’t see how we’re going to score a goal. It’s a problem for the opposition. How are they going to stop us?

“Hopefully we’ll start to get a little respect now. I’ve spoken a lot about this over the last few weeks. Too many just say ‘they were poor tonight’ rather than giving us credit. We’ve beaten Worthing and we’ve beaten Haringey and we’ve beaten Cray and now if we go and beat you, perhaps it’s time they gave us credit and say ‘Corinthian-Casuals are a decent side’, rather than ‘oh, they must catch everyone on their off-day’.

“We’re hungry for the next game. We have points to prove. We’re back at it now. We want to achieve something. I’m into my seventh year here. I don’t want another season of scratching around mid-table or the bottom of the table, losing by one goal each game.

“Every year, I rebuild a team here. Of course, I have a core of players who are very loyal to me and are great lads. But ultimately, each season is a rebuild. This isn’t a side that’s developed into a Step Three team over the last three years and now starting to blossom. This is a team that I’ve built in the space of around twelve weeks. We’ve shaped a brand new squad in that time. Obviously, we had players returning but we also have a lot of new faces. Some people don’t understand this. With the nature of this club, I typically have to rebuild every year… and that’s not easy.

“I can’t bemoan any of that though. We’re in a good place though. We need to be relentless in continuing this form. I’m fully aware that we’re punching above our weight. No one thinks we should be here on our resources. In the past, I’ve given the players too much leeway based upon those circumstances. I’ve been reluctant to batter the boys if we’ve come away with a narrow loss, been so close to winning or missed a few vital chances.

“Now, the mentality is ‘so close isn’t good enough’. I don’t want to be the also-rans or the nearly men. I want to win. And if we don’t win, then I won’t be brushing it under the carpet. I want us to understand; What was the goal we conceded?’ Why did we concede it? Let’s not concede that goal again. What chances did we create? How do we create more? Do we need to work on our finishing?

“I have cut boys some slack in the past because when you’re not winning games and had some tough spells, you don’t want to ride them too hard, because they feel it as much as you do. You need to be human and pick them up. But now, I’ve been a human and now I want to win. And what better way to enjoy your football than to win?

“We always enjoy our football here. You won’t find a footballer that’s played here in the last seven years that hasn’t enjoyed playing football with me, Prings (Dan Pringle) and this club. Everyone’s enjoying it. But as I say to them, ‘what’s more fun than winning?’ You can’t show me anything that’s more fun than winning. If you show up to football and you don’t win, I’m telling you now, I haven’t had fun. No fun!

“If you come to watch, have a catch up with pals, have a few beers and a good laugh behind the goal, you’ve probably had a good night even if the boys lost. That’s okay. But that’s not for me. If I lose, and Prings loses, and the players lose, it’s sh*t! You want the ground to swallow you up. You’re waiting for the next win. We want to win. We’re not just going out there and saying we’re going to win. We’re asking HOW are we going to win? We’ve coached them to win. Now it’s about maintaining those levels of desire to win matches.

“I said to them before the game, I want a good performance with the ball, as I didn’t think we were particularly good with the ball on Saturday. I wanted a perfect defensive display. I love defending. I was a defender at heart really. I love defending. Give me a team from two levels above and battle out a nil-nil draw, f**king fighting for our lives, getting behind the ball and making it hard for teams. I get a buzz off that. I know that sounds wrong. Too many coaches these days are clipboard, positional play and possession. Well, you need to be hard to beat first. I think we’re getting that right. That side of the game is just hard work, desire, commitment and bravery. Nothing can affect that apart from the individual. If the player goes out there with the right attitude, that he wants to work hard, be brave and keep his discipline, then he’ll be hard to beat. And we’re doing just that at the moment.

“Long may it continue.”

Corinthian-Casuals 3 - 1 Worthing
Emirates FA Cup 1st Qualifying Round Replay
Tuesday 7th September 2021
Report and Photos: Stuart Tree (images here)

Corinthian-Casuals booked their place in the Emirates FA Cup Second Qualifying Round with an emphatic win over Isthmian League title contenders Worthing on Tuesday night.

An opening goal from Warren Mfula was complimented with a second half Bobby Mills brace as Casuals bested their Sussex opponents 3-1 following the stalemate between the two sides at the weekend.
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A replay at The United Business Group Stadium was required to decide who would face Leatherhead in the next round at Fetcham Grove. As with Saturday’s match, first blood was struck by Casuals, when sixteen year old Alfie Bendle put Mfula through who calmy ‘megged’ Harrison Male in the Worthing goal.

A blow was dealt to Casuals on the half hour mark as Mfula was taken off with a tight calf strain. It was down to Nat Pinney to lead the line of three forwards who caused Worthing’s back line problems all evening. Supporting them were the two livewires of AFC Wimbledon loanees of Bendle and Elliott Bolton, the latter of which unlucky to see his header go narrowly over.

The second half started perfectly for James Bracken’s side when the ever-impressive Kieron Cadogan started feeding pinpoint passes to the front three. Nat Pinney’s shot ricocheted off the inside of the post only to find Mills who made no mistake on the rebound.

Casuals looked to kill the game and were only thwarted by some excellent reflex saves from Male kept the Mackerelmen in the tie.

Thoughts of another ‘Wingate’ occurred when failing to put the game to bed, Aarran Racine’s excellent header just snuck past a despairing Danny Bracken to give Worthing hope. They rocked Casuals for a few moments, with the key chance falling to Reece Myles-Meekums who somehow blazed his excellent chance over the bar when it looked easier to score.

Turning points indeed as Casuals searched for some breathing room and found it with just two minutes remaining. Again, Bobby Mills on hand to finish the tie off to a rapturous contingent behind the goal.

There was one more heart-in-mouth moment when Jack Tucker’s pass back eluded Bracken only to come back off the post and into the Captain’s hands, but even with the two goal lead, it wouldn’t have been enough to save Worthing.

Overall, Casuals deserved this Tuesday evening victory with fine performances across the pitch. A fabulous evening’s entertainment once again lit up Tolworth in what was a thrilling ‘magic of the cup’ contest.

“We could’ve scored a lot more tonight,” said James Bracken after the match. “Their keeper’s made a couple of great saves just like my brother did on Saturday. We played well and we’re proving that we are a good side.

“Was this performance any better than the one against Kingstonian? Goals… that’s the only difference. We’ve created chances in every game. Even Saturday, we’ve missed two absolute sitters where we put them away and we win 3-1… same result as we got tonight.
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“We limited Worthing to few chances. We were far better at shutting them out.
 
“I’ll keep saying it; we’ve got a very good team here. We just have to keep these performances up. We’ve had great results in the past, where people don’t think we’re going to get them – and we deserve them. But we need to make it a regular occurrence. We need to ensure the levels of performance remain high. The desire, quality and chance creation stay where they are. If we take even half our chances, then other teams will need to score three or four to get anything against us.

“We’re playing some good stuff. We’re hard to break down. We’re not far off from having what I want.”

Casuals will travel to Leatherhead in the next round of the FA Cup to be played Saturday 18th September.  

Worthing 1 - 1 Corinthian-Casuals
Emirates FA Cup 1st Qualifying Round
Saturday 4th September 2021
Report and Photos: Stuart Tree (full set of pics here)

Corinthian-Casuals and Worthing will do it all over again this week after the sides couldn’t be separated in the Emirates FA Cup First Qualifying Round.

Two early goals cancelled each other out at the Crucial Environmental Stadium on the Sussex coast which takes the tie to a replay at Tolworth.

Ben Cheklit struck for the visitors first, when Alfie Bendle’s ball found Warren Mfula who laid it off for Cheklit to squirm a shot under the body of young keeper Harrison Male. Just three minutes had passed and Corinth were off to the best possible start.

It didn’t last long though. Just eleven minutes later, a cross to Mo Diallo saw the striker rise above Jack Strange to equalise for the home side. It felt like it could be an afternoon filled with goals but alas, didn’t transpire that way.

Casuals custodian Danny Bracken was sharp on this afternoon making a number of top class saves and even when he was beaten, the post came to the rescue. At the other end, Casuals looked to use the counter-attack with the best of the half chances falling to Bobby Mills.

The second half saw play break down more as both sides tired in the rare summer sight of the sunshine. James Bracken’s side defended resolutely but created chances of their own. Manny Mensah probably should’ve scored when Jack Tucker’s ball into the six-yard box was fluffed by Mensah who couldn’t untangle his feet quick enough.

But the two chances that Casuals will rue missing came from substitutes Kieron Cadogan and Nat Pinney. The former Crystal Palace strike force had a couple of gilt-edged opportunities to win it at the death. The first where Cadogan was just pipped to a through ball by the very alert Male. The second, deep into time added on saw Pinney’s ball to Cadogan juggled in the area with several chances to get the shot off, only to eventually be snuffed by the Worthing stopper. It was heart-in-mouth moments.
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Overall, Worthing bossed the majority of possession but it will be Casuals who feel unlucky not to be leaving with the win.

​"I was pleased with our performance," said Manager James Bracken after the match. "The way we set up, the way we defended well. I watched the Worthing game against Bognor last week and if they’d have scored ten goals against them, you’d have said they deserved all ten. And that’s against another team who’ll likely be pushing for playoffs.

"The early goal from us stunned them. Even when they drew level, there was an expectation that they’d go on and take the lead. Worthing will always create chances against anyone at this level and against us, they could’ve won it, maybe should’ve won it, if they’re honest, with the chances we had at the end, they were bloody lucky to come away with a replay.

"If apply ourselves in the same way again in the replay, with a bit more rub of the green, then we can look forward to a place in the next round. I relish these games. We have another opportunity to face up to a very good side. They’re the favourites for the league and rightly so. But if we can get a draw at theirs and knock them out this week, we’ll take huge amounts of confidence from that.

"Hopefully we can get a good crowd in for the replay. Your support means everything to us... but get behind the boys right from the first whistle. The atmosphere in the second half of games has been better than in the first. Maybe get on the beers earlier! Do what you got to do! Whatever it takes, get behind the boys on the pitch because we want to make the place rock."

Wingate and Finchley 2 - 2 Corinthian-Casuals
Isthmian League Premier Division
Saturday 28th August 2021
Report and Photos: Stuart Tree (full set of pictures here)

It was Corinthian-Casuals best result at Wingate and Finchley for years but James Bracken will feel aggrieved with not taking all three points home following a stellar first half performance.

A brace from Warren Mfula inside the first half put Casuals in the driving seat for their first win of the season but were pegged back by their hosts with just six minutes remaining.

Casuals had the better of the attacking play in the first period with the front three of Mfula, Kieron Cadogan and Ben Cheklit regularly slicing through the Wingate back line. A great ball to Mfula saw the striker calmly finish from 15 yards to give Corinth the lead within quarter of an hour.

Fifteen minutes later and Mfula was once again on hand to race through and put a second past Fergal Hale-Brown in the Wingate goal (see photo above).

The game could’ve been put to bed just before the break when once again, Mfula had broken through latching onto another delightful ball only for this occasion to see his shot saved by Hale-Brown. Had that chance been taken and Wingate would’ve faced an almost insurmountable task in getting back into the game.

As such with football, the third goal is always the key; Casuals could’ve easily snatched one early on in the second half. Again, penetration into the Wingate box was frequent, just the defending was more resolute. Elliott Bolton’s rasper of a shot was well tipped over the bar by the increasingly busy Hale Brown.

But Wingate struck back with a fine goal of their own. Bilal Sayoud placed his header from a cross perfectly into the bottom corner past a despairing Danny Bracken.

And that’s when it all started to shift in momentum. It wasn’t helped when Casuals lost Michael Abnett through injury only for Hakeem Adelakun, his replacement, to also be subbed off just ten minutes after coming on, again through injury. This forced players to be shifted out of position and gave Wingate even more impetus to mount a challenge.

It all went wrong for Casuals with just six minutes remaining. A failed roulette turn by Will Efambe was seized upon by Wingate who capitalised – Danny Bracken saved well from the original shot but Jack Strange’s clearance hammered into Darnell Goather-Braithwaite and as such with bad luck, flew into the back of the net.

It could’ve gotten worse for Casuals, who were hanging on by the end. Bracken collided with Coskun Ekim, allowing Wingate through on a keeperless goal but the final shot was deflected over by an unnamed Casuals rear-end. And Bracken pulled off an outstanding save to ensure it wasn’t an entirely fruitless afternoon.

Certainly a ‘game of two halves’ Casuals will need to put in more of their first half performance and less of their second half effort if they’re to get points out of Monday.

Corinthian-Casuals 0 - 1 Folkestone Invicta
Isthmian League Premier Division
Saturday 21st August 2021
Report and Photos: Stuart Tree (full set of photos here)

Corinthian-Casuals and Folkestone Invicta played out a closely-fought contest that won’t live long in the memories of either sets of supporters, but one that Invicta boss Neil Cugley will be happy with taking the three points.

More memorable for the off-field atmosphere created by Fiel Londres – a group of thirty-so Corinthians fans on their first pilgrimage to King George’s, the game was decided by a solitary goal in the 17th minute by the dangerous David Smith.

Casuals probably gave their title contender opponents too much respect in the first twenty minutes and despite going close via a deflected free kick, it was Folkestone who broke the deadlock with a cross to Smith who couldn’t miss from close range.

Invicta were close to adding a second late on in the first half when a goalmouth scramble led to the ball crossing the line, but Referee Shelby Elson had blown for an infringement in the melee.

Casuals looked better in the second half and certainly had more endeavor in an attempt to get back into the match. Spurred on by constant authentic South American chants, backed by a samba beat, Warren Mfula forced a fine save from Roberts in goal. 

Corinth’s attacks were met with what could be one of the best defences they’ll face in the league this season and couldn’t find any sustained pressure. The best opportunity fell to Ben Cheklit, who, after the match had said the slightest touch by the Folkestone defender was just enough to ensure he didn’t made clean contact from a cross to the far post… his effort sadly falling just wide.

Folkestone Boss Cugley was happy with the win, commenting ““I thought we scored a good goal and battled hard.” Casuals could’ve walked away from this tough fixture with a point but now travel to Wingate and Finchley on Saturday in an attempt to get off the mark.

"Folkestone are a good side," said Manager James Bracken after the match. "The front pair are very lively with Draycott in behind them. I actually thought we done alright though. In the first half, we didn’t play our football. We didn’t run their wing-backs backward. We seemed to set ourselves up in a defensive block and struggled to break out from that. There was a lack of quality from us in trying to complete the first pass. We always had an out ball, but too often we didn’t find it."
 
"Second half, we concentrated on ourselves and came into it with a bit more belief. At the end, I think we deserved a draw. If we’d have scored in the second half, you’d say that was with the run of play. I got the feeling from their bench that they were hanging on for large parts of that second half."
 
"Folkestone will be a top four side. But we’ve given them a tough test today and be happy to get away from here with a 1-0 win." 
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Potters Bar Town 3 - 1 Corinthian-Casuals
Isthmian League Premier Division
Saturday 14th August 2021
Match report and Photos - Stuart Tree (full set of pictures here)​

Corinthian-Casuals extended their run of opening day defeats with a 3-1 loss at Potters Bar Town in the Isthmian League Premier Division following two late penalties to gift the points to the Scholars.

Casuals haven’t won a first day fixture since defeating Whyteleafe at home 2-1 back in 2016, though this looked like the best chance to end that run after Birthday Boy Ben Cheklit had given Corinth the lead early in the second half.

However, missed chances, a goal cruelly struck off and two penalties ensured the home side took all three points.

There were competitive debuts galore across the pitch for James Bracken’s side but he would end up missing key strikers Warren Mfula and Kieron Cadogan as Casuals lay waste a host of opportunities to score.

Casuals started brightly and although there wasn’t much to separate the sides, Corinth had the bulk of possession in the first half. Ola Williams had come closest for the visitors but headed narrowly wide.

The deadlock was broken just three minutes into the second half when Jack Tucker played a delightful ball to Captain Cheklit who made no mistake in front of goal to give his side the lead.

Casuals pressed for a second and a number of chances went begging. In an instant, the momentum switched – the Scholars scored from out of the blue. Corinth were sloppy; giving away a free kick in the middle of the park, players defensively switched off allowing a ball to be played into acres of space. Devonte Aransibia made the most of the opportunity and struck a well placed shot past Danny Bracken to equalise.

Arguably, the turning point came shortly after when Casuals were denied the chance to re-take the lead. Another great ball from Tucker saw Michael Abbnett head back across goal for Bobby Mills to finish. However, despite the ball being played back, the Assistant on the far side deemed the striker to be offside and the well worked goal was denied. Mills had another very good chance to score, front and centre but scuffed his shot into the arms of the keeper.

Thirty seconds later, Bar won a penalty when the giant Sydney Ibie was felled in the box. Ben Ward-Cochrane with the conversion from the spot. The game became ugly and chances dried up until the 90th minute when a second spot kick was given after Ibie was once again adjudged to have been fouled in the box. Cue Ward-Cochrane’s second from the spot.

The score line sounds harsh on Casuals who, at times played some delightful football, garnering plenty of positive comments from those in attendance. However, pretty passing is only effective if there’s end product and on this day, that went begging. The game could’ve very been different had the second goal stood. Congratulations to Bar on their victory and the three points won. We thank them for their kind and generous hospitality and, despite a dastardly M25 playing dirty tricks on many of the travelling contingent, a good day was had in glorious sunshine with plenty to refresh the crowd.

“The finishing touch just wasn’t there for us today”, said Manager James Bracken after the match.

“Had we scored three or four, no one would’ve argued that was a fair result. We had one goal ruled out with the ball coming back from the goal-line, so not sure how that’s offside – that’s very frustrating.

“It was a day of missed chances. We had a lot of opportunities with some very good balls put into their box.

“Had we been given the second goal, I don’t see the game unfolding the way it has. Unfortunately, we haven’t scored the goals to allow us the errors that we’ve made. Some of those errors were suicide. The goals we’ve conceded were ridiculous. The first, they were able to pop a ball into space after switching off from a free kick. As I said, it’s suicide.

“When you’re one-nil up away from home on the first day of the season, you don’t give away three goals. And that’s exactly what we’ve done. We have to make sure those errors don’t happen again.

“But we’re playing some good football. There’s no surgery required. It’s just a case of taking those chances that we’ve created. We’ve scored first away from home and we were the better team with the ball. We need to be seeing these games out. We’ve dominated the possession. They’ve not had any control in our half – only the odd counter attack. Dan’s only had to make one save in the whole game.

“The chances we created was encouraging. But not taking our chances is on us. We play well to get it to that point, so now we have to ensure we bury those.

“I’ve seen enough today to know what quality we have. I know exactly what we’re capable of. We’ve got two forwards to come back, both of which have quality and goals in them. We’ve got healthy competition… we’ve got good options. The boys can all see that too. They look at each other in training and they know that everyone is capable.” 

Corinthian-Casuals 0 - 0 Hemel Hempstead Town
Hemel win 4-2 on Penalties
FA Trophy 2nd Round
Saturday 19th December 2020
Report: Dan Richards. Pics: Stuart Tree (full set here).
More photos from Andy Nunn here.

As football returned to the United Business Group Stadium for the first time since October, it was a shame this FA Trophy second round game had to be played behind closed doors, although technically there were two fans watching after a pair of loyal Casuals found a vantage point on top of a shipping container just outside the ground.

The match started evenly, but the first chance of note went to the away side, when Reggie Young was sent through on the left-hand side. His cross was headed just over by striker Josh Oyisan from close range.

The National League South side then created another good chance down the same flank, this time Ryan Sellers with the cut-back cross, but Danny Webb’s shot went well wide.

Yet it was Corinth who had the first shot on target, which came from Harry Carter as he was played into the box on the right, and forced a smart save from the Tudors keeper Dean Snedker.

Just before half-time, we had the best chance of the first half too, when Kieron Cadogan was played through on the counter-attack. The forward opted to play in his strike partner Jerson dos Santos, who saw his low, driven shot go agonisingly wide across the Hempstead goal.

The heavens opened around the hour mark, but that didn’t stop the two Casuals fans on the container from showing their love for the club, chanting all game. Tremendous support!

In the 70th minute, Casuals forward Ben Cheklit had a fierce pop at goal that whistled just over the bar from 30 yards out – and you can see why after his beauties against Hendon and Dulwich Hamlet earlier this campaign.

A few minutes later, we had another great chance as a scramble in the box from a corner was cleared to the edge of the area. Carter curled a beautiful strike that just went past the right post.

In the dying moments of the game, former Aston villa player, Samir Carruthers set through Webb on a mazy run down the left. Danny Bracken then made a great save, smothering a Webb shot, before Andrew Mills cleared a Jonathan Lacey shot off the line. Relief for the Casuals.

As the final whistle was blown, it was straight to penalties. Casuals went first and Cadogan coolly dispatched his kick. Unfortunately, Coskun Ekim and Cheklit couldn’t convert after two brilliant saves from Snedker for the Tudors, including a fingertip onto the bar from Cheklit. The National League South side now face Bromley in the next round on Tuesday.

James Bracken was proud of his side despite the defeat.

“I thought we did great,” he said. “We got a clean sheet and had our opportunities.

“I managed to watch the opposition, which I don’t usually get to do with Saturday and Tuesday games, and they actually set up differently to usual, but it didn’t make too much difference because we were best-prepared today.

“It makes a massive difference when you can prepare properly, and the boys always focus when you give them the information – they did a great job.

“They had a few chances at the end when we were tired, but you have to remember we have had one game in seven weeks before today, where they have been playing every week, in the league above, and are a good side in it.

“It was a game you want your fans to help you through in the last 20 minutes, but we didn’t have that and the boys managed to find that within themselves. So fair play to the lads – they had no help and did it themselves.

“It was a game I knew we could win if we got anywhere near to where we needed to be, so I’m disappointed to go out of the competition but I’m pleased, ultimately, with how we played against higher-league opposition.

“It was always going to be hard to create chances out there today on that pitch, we knew that, and they struggled to carve out clear-cut chances. I thought Danny was good today, towards the end he made two or three really smart stops.

“There was a debutant – Yannis Ambroisine – out there today that did great. That was his first game of the season and today he has got through 90 minutes, so I’m pleased that the training we have done has prepared them properly.

“It was a good cup game. At the start of the second half the dynamics of the game did change and we did need to change shape because one or two players were having to do too much running. So we went on the counter attack a bit more often.

“It’s not a criticism but had we used our opportunities a bit better we might have carved out that clear-cut chance to win, but we didn’t do it. Overall, I’m pleased with the performance, though.”

Cray Valley PM 4 - 3 Corinthian-Casuals
London Senior Cup First Round
Saturday 5th December 2020
Att: 133
Report and Photos: Stuart Tree (set of pics here)

Entertainment has been synonymous with Corinthian-Casuals this season and once again, it wasn’t in short supply as they shared a seven-goal thriller at Cray Valley Paper Mills in the London Senior Cup on Saturday.

Sadly, football has been in short supply of recent and this marked Corinth’s first match in over a month due to lockdown restrictions placed on the sport. Of course, Cray have been in a similar situation and this hastily re-arranged fixture – unusual these days for the County Cup, gave both sides an opportunity to get some much needed minutes in. It was especially needed for James Bracken’s side who face an important FA Trophy Casual derby against the Walton variety on Tuesday evening.

Though hampered with a number of injuries to some of his regular starters, Bracken was still able to name a competitive side against a very good Cray Valley who’d only exited the FA Cup at the first round stage just one month ago… they’re divisional gap proving not to be of any significance.

In fact, it was the Millers who looked the better side to begin with, despite Robert Paratore missing a golden opportunity to give Corinth the lead. Sam Hasler’s free kick found Matt Warren at the far post who turned in an easy conversion, leading to arms held wide in confusion from the too Casual defence.

The visitors grew into the half, though squandered a number of chances, including a Keiron Cadogan missed penalty. The former Palace hitman struck the post after he was taken out in the box. He was able to make amends when Jerson Dos Santos was also up-ended, though appeared to have actually been fouled outside of the penalty area.

Dos Santos got in on the act shortly afterwards, converting a sublime Hakeem Adelakun cross whipped in from the left, served up on a plate.

But on the stroke of half time, Hasler levelled up the scores with a pearler of a 25 yard free kick.

The second half belonged to the home side despite Casuals taking the lead once more. Cadogan wasn’t to be outdone in the free kick stakes and fired one home from equal distance to the delight of the strong Casual contingent behind the goal.

Understandably, fatigue set in with so few minutes under their belts and with one eye on Tuesday, perhaps looked to conserve some energy by sitting deep and playing on the counter. It had worked up until the 83rd minute when Ade Yusuff poked the ball into the net in what looked a sure offside position. The reaction of a whole team often tells you if the officials got it wrong and the general consensus was that they had. Still, no VAR in the London Senior Cup, unsurprisingly and thus the score stood. Penalties loomed once again for the Casuals in cup competition.

That was until Hassan Ibrahiym found space in the box and hit low across Danny Bracken to give the hosts the late, late victory – in the 96th minute no less. Casuals were amazed at where the official had found the added time but alas, the whistle went without the right to reply and Cray Valley were the victors, progressing in the competition facing either Harrow Borough or Glebe away in the next round.

Result aside, it was a refreshing return to football, played under competitive terms of which was very much needed – certainly for the Amateurs. It’s hoped that this will bear fruit come Tuesday night.
 
That was a good, tough game played at a high tempo," said James Bracken after the match.

"I wasn’t quite sure how we’d turn up and play today. In the first ten minutes, I feared the worst. But after that, we sparked into life, created some great chances, missed a penalty, scored one and put ourselves ahead with a great header.

"Disappointing to concede from a free kick right on half time but I thought we had looked sharp and relatively dangerous. Sadly, we’d lost a couple of centre-halves in the midweek session that we had and so a couple of others have stepped in and did okay considering. We let in four, so we cant give it too much praise but their third is a ridiculous goal to be given. The winner is scored because we’re pushing on, leaving ourselves open.

"As a game, I’m pleased to have got through it without injury. Last week, we lost the two centre-backs and Ben Cheklit to injury. I had feared it would be more but thankfully we’ve come through it with a clean bill of health. We won’t be too downbeat about the result either. Come Tuesday night, we’ll be much better for this."

Corinthian-Casuals 5 - 4 Hendon
FA Trophy 3rd Round Qualifying
Saturday 31st October 2020
Report and Photos: Stuart Tree (full set here)
More photos from Andy Nunn here.

It was a ‘Ghoul-fest’ at King George’s Arena on Halloween as Corinthian-Casuals and Hendon played out a nine-goal thriller in the FA Trophy.

A brace from Jerson Dos Santos was complemented with goals from Keiron Cadogan, Jack Strange and Ben Cheklit to ensure James Bracken’s Casuals progress to the next round of the competition.

It was stark contrast to the week before in which Bracken had described the dour 0-0 with Leatherhead as ‘one of the worst games he’d been involved in.’ In fact, the match drew praise from all of the 407 in attendance with comments left on social media afterwards, such as ‘genuinely one of the best games I've ever seen in 40 years as a neutral.’

The score-line bounced around like a tennis tie-break all afternoon. Even Bracken couldn’t quite recall what the final score was during the post-match interview. He was simply enjoying the occasion, with King George’s rocking.

The scoring started early with ex-Casual Shaun Lucien sending Danny Bracken the wrong way from a penalty, awarded when Warren Morgan fouled his attacker. Casuals were level seven minutes later when Dos Santos bopped in a header after Jonathan North couldn’t parry the first effort to safety. Dos Santos made it two when he let fly a rasping shot from 20 yards to give Casuals the lead.

Hendon Captain Tommy Brewer scored an equally-impressive goal to ensure the sides went in at half-time level.

The attacking intent from both sides intensified in the second half and Casuals once again took the lead, also from the penalty spot. Cadogan placing the ball in the left corner out of reach of North.

There was some controversy to Hendon’s next equaliser; Danny Bracken was felled in a melee from a corner which allowed Toby Byron to freely head home.

However, Casuals weren’t done. Jack Strange found space in the box to poke in from ten yards before Ben Cheklit had looked to have sealed the tie with a beautiful curler, leaving North clutching thin air. 5-3 for those keeping count.

Hendon made Casuals sweat for a nervy few minutes when Cheyce Grant pulled one back in the 89th minute and they could’ve taken the tie to penalty kicks deep into stoppage time had they converted a header which was frighteningly close.

This report doesn’t detail the number of other efforts from both sides, as we’d end up with ‘War and Peace’. A shout out to Bracken in goal who made a number of vital saves as well as the attacking intent of both sides who looked to score every time they surged forward. As James Bracken said last week, ‘We’re in the entertainment business’ and this was something straight out of the Palladium.

“Last year, we didn’t score enough goals,” said Manager James Bracken after the match. “We had one of the best defences in the league and the second lowest goal tally. In the summer, I was single minded that I wanted us to score more. But we were prepared that we might win some games 4-3 or 5-4 because when you do score more, you leave yourself open. That’s a trade off.

“Anytime you see teams win by big scores, there’s often a 3-2 or a 4-3 in there. It’s about finding a balance.

“We should remember that we went behind in this match. It was important that we went in at half-time in touch. We not only responded to going behind early, we took the lead. We kept going and we got ourselves into a winning position.

“Of course, I’d rather win 2-0 or 3-0 than 5-4 but that’s the trick in finding the right balance. I can deal with that. We’ll look at the goals that we’ve conceded and see where we can improve. We can also rest easy knowing we’ve got five goals in the team. If we’re able to do that again on Tuesday, then whoever we play will have a lot to do to beat us.

“My feelings are out there on the performance we put in against Leatherhead. People have said to me that I was right in what I said and that my criticism was justified. These are from people I trust who’ve watched us consistently over the years – not those who’ve turned up to see one or two games.

“You can skin a cat a thousand different ways in football. The most important thing is when you set the team up in the 15-20 minutes before the game, they all follow the game plan. They all need to be on board with the instructions and give it 100% maximum effort. We didn’t do that last week. We did this week. And we won. So there’s nothing but praise for the boys. I thought there were a lot of fantastic performances out there. They got the fans going.

“I want an atmosphere like that every week. I’m sure everyone wants that atmosphere every week. Why wouldn’t you? You can go to a lot of other non-league clubs and they’re full of old people who just want to moan. You hear the groans from the stands.

“Here, we like to be in it together. It’s not us and them. The fans are behind the goal doing there bit and the boys on the pitch are doing their bit. You keep each other going. The team needs the fans and vice versa. I’m not sure which came first today. All I know was the team played well, we scored five goals and the fans were fantastic.

“I felt very relaxed today. I found myself tapping my feet, nodding along to the songs. I thought I was going to start dancing. Maybe I need to check what people put in my tea today.
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“I enjoyed it. After last week, that’s really what I needed. I said to the boys, enjoy it, smile, because if you’re doing that, then I’m enjoying it and that’s all I really want. They followed my instructions, they scored five goals and we won. What’s not to enjoy about that?” 
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Riverside Radio Highlights

This season for the first time at Riverside Radio, our Sports Team are recording highlights of featured matches. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated as we'll continue to work to bring you better highlights. If anyone would like to help or get involved in recording highlights or anything else at the Riverside Radio Sports Team you can email the Sports Editor, Henry Thomas-Aldridge, at henry@riversideradio.com