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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

​"That was certainly some of the most farcical conditions I’ve seen football played in," said Manager James Bracken following the 4-3 loss at Brightlingsea Regent.

"We can’t complain though. It’s the same for both teams. But it certainly made it nothing like a game of football. It was a war of attrition… an ugly game. Seven horrible goals and unfortunately, we let in one too many of those.

"We should’ve done better in the first half, especially for a couple of the goals. The referee has had a massive hand in a couple of them too. But concede four goals in the first half and you’ve always got a mountain to climb.

"That said, we had a go in the second half and credit to the lads. 4-1 down and it can go one of two ways. They took it with the right attitude and was a much more positive second period. With a bit more luck, we could’ve nicked another.

"You have good days, you have bad days and then you have these days. You can’t look back and analyse that. We just need to draw a line under it and concentrate on the next game.

"The first goal had nothing to do with the wind and we have to be critical of our mistakes on that. To concede so early on, set the tone for the game and with that wind at their backs, it gave them the confidence to put us to the sword. Fair play to them, they did that by putting four past us. We didn’t help ourselves in the early stages. My brother will be the first to say that he should’ve punched the corner ball away rather than trying to catch it. So we have to be critical in parts but there’s also a level where you look at the conditions and the pitch and need to give them some leeway. The reaction after half time is what I’ll judge the day on.

"That reaction is what we’ll need going into the derby match with Kingstonian next week. It’s a massive game for everyone. They’re on a good run and notched another good result against Bognor Regis. We’ll be doing everything we can to get prepared for this. Tactically, mentally, I’ll ensure we’re prepared for what K’s will bring and be prepared to get the three points we perhaps should’ve picked up today.

"We’ll be up for it and it’s up to us to ensure we do enough in the early stages of the game to get a grip of it, get the fans behind us and hopefully, we can then carry each other right through to the final whistle with three good points."

Brightlingsea Regent 4 - 3 Corinthian-Casuals
Bostik League Premier Division
Saturday 15th December 2018
Match report and pic: Stuart Tree

Corinthian-Casuals succumbed to a 4-3 defeat at Brightlingsea Regent in conditions described by Manager James Bracken as ‘farcical.’

Strong winds and heavy rain put pay to any football being played as both sides were buffeted by strong winds and torrential, freezing rain.

It was Regent who capitalised the most, taking a 4-1 lead into the break before a Casuals comeback simply ran out of time. With the wind driving straight down the length of the pitch, it was no surprise that six of the seven goals were scored at one end.

Bracken made two enforced changes to his side that defeated Tonbridge Angels in the week. Out was Mu Maan and Jordan Clarke, replaced by Reyon Dillon and Max Oldham. Bracken had gone with a line up that looked packed with attacking players, though defensively, floundered after just two minutes when Jordan Barnett slammed home an Aaron Condon cross.

It was to get worse for Casuals with barely six minutes on the clock; a disputed free kick was played to Billy Hunt who turned and shot past Bracken to double Regent’s lead. It was mooted that anything on target at that end would probably result in a goal.

Pinned in their own half, Casuals were three down when Condon shot from 20 yards to leave the Amateurs flailing. Hope was restored after Coskun Ekim’s free kick was lofted to the back post, met by Reece Hannigan who angled his header across goal to find Gabriel Odunaike to poke home. A comeback on?

Potentially, though matters weren’t helped when Regent restored their three goal lead.  Condon’s wind-assisted corner was fumbled by Danny Bracken and found the net. Though Regent were three goals to the good, there was quiet optimism that roles would be reversed, and the home side would now have 45 minutes to defend that end.

And so it came; It didn’t take long for Casuals to reduce arrears. A lofted ball deep from defence caused all manner of problems for the Regent centre backs and fluffing their lines, Max Oldham raced on to round keeper James Bradbrook and score into an empty net.

The next 20 minutes or so saw Casuals attempt to play along the ground, passing to feet. This wasn’t a day for pretty football. Lofted balls into the box was the order of the day and so they squandered a good portion of time utilising their best attacking aid… the weather. In a throw of the dice, Bracken made a triple substitution and went more direct. So direct, that Hakeem Adelakun’s halfway line free kick sailed over everyone, including Bradbrook and into the goal. There were last gasp chances, with Reece Hannigan and Warren Mfula causing problems. However, time ran out and Regent held on for a vital three points.

It was a day to remember and equally a day to forget. It’s been a while since we’ve witnessed football played in those conditions (Banstead away 5-4 in the Surrey Senior Cup if older fans remember?). Sadly, a football match was never in danger of happening and a poor first half saw Casuals slow to adapt to the weather. It could’ve been worse – had the rain come an hour or two before, chances are the game wouldn’t have finished and Casuals would have to make the 220 mile round trip on a cold Tuesday in January. This one can be chalked off, put down to experience and move on to the Kingstonian derby match next Saturday.

​James Bracken's post match comments can be read here.

After the Brightlingsea Regent match, Manager James Bracken had these words...

The red card changed the game for sure. With eleven men, we should’ve been 3-0 up. We were that much better than them. They were getting nowhere near us but we should’ve been more clinical and had this done by half time.

In the second half, we were still the more dangerous team even with 10 men. Okay, they’ve put some balls in the box, had little spells of two or three crosses in a row, but we’ve countered them and looked like scoring ourselves.

Of course, the sending off has influenced the game because with eleven men, there would’ve only been one winner.
Having watched back the incident on video it’s never, ever a red card. Neither the referee or assistant has seen it and it’s 100% cost us.

We have a lot of technically gifted players and perhaps sometimes, they feel that when they get the ball, they’ve got to do something special before they shoot. What they need to realise is sometimes the technically gifted players behind them have already done that bit. They’ve got them into the position where they should be setting themselves with one touch, hitting the target with pace and accuracy and finishing the move off.

We seem to want to have another touch, beat another player and tee-up the perfect goal. It’s not going to work like that. We need to pull the trigger more. Get some saves out of the keeper. Score the follow-up and get the tap-ins. At the moment, we have too many players who do too much.

We weren’t helped by having eight players missing – and that’s not even touching the goalkeeper situation. When you think we missed Max Oldham, Danny Cunningham, Gabby Odunaike, they’re probably three of our better forwards. Then you’ve also got Josh Uzun who’s been consistently one of the top goalscorers over the past three seasons and Reyon Dillon who’s still out injured. That’s five forwards who’d take the touch and get the shot off in the same positions I’m referring to.

But I’m not going to take anything away from the performance again. They did well and worked their socks off. They adapted well in the second half. We were still a threat whilst soaking up some pressure and made it hard for the opposition. But we need to shoot more.

I’m only disappointed with the amount of points we have. I’m not disappointed with anything else. Yes, we’ve had some tough lessons to learn. Apart from the first half against Margate, we’ve been more than competitive at this level. But we can’t be happy with what we’ve put on the points table.

We’ll always try our best to get through in all competitions and try to put a trophy in the cabinet and get as far as we can in the FA Cup which is important to the club as a whole.

Sadly, it seems at the moment we can’t get our teeth into the league. Brightlingsea was a big game and we should be coming away with three points with that monkey off our back. As it happens, we go into these cup games, still without a win in the league.
​
As I say, I can’t be disappointed with the performances or the fitness levels. The chances we’re creating are fine. At the back, we’re looking solid. I’ve got no problem with it but it’s disappointing that we don’t have the points we deserve. Realistically, we should have seven points, with a game in hand, and that would be a fair reflection of where we’re at. We need to ensure we keep the mentality right and keep the confidence high because we’re not far away. Once we get that one win, we’ll go and start winning multiple games in a row.

Corinthian-Casuals 1 - 1 Brightlingsea Regent
Bostik League Premier Division
Saturday 1st September 2018
Match report: Cameron Smith. Photos: Stuart Tree (full set here)

A baffling red card left Corinthian-Casuals with ten men versus a scrappy Brightlingsea Regent, who bagged a second-half equaliser as points were shared on a sunny afternoon at King George’s Arena.

Bank Holiday Monday’s unfortunate 1-0 defeat only fuelled a resilient Casuals side led by James Bracken- the manager had a bittersweet taste in his mouth after the Kingstonian loss, describing Casuals as “fantastic” despite lost points. Brannon Daly was the fifth goalkeeper in the 18/19 season to wear the grey keeper jersey for Corinth, whilst McAllister and Carvalho returned ahead of Walker and Oldham. Super Jordan Clarke made his first start since re-joining the pink and brown army, shifting in the no.9 role.

White shirts of Brightlingsea Regent distributed across their half as the clock edged closer to 3 o’clock, with the Essex club looking to add to their four points and lowly position. As soon as the game kicked off, it was clear that the visitors were hungry to come away with a result via tactical fouls and good defensive work. So, Casuals had to match that desire to win. They did just that in the 30th minute, where captain Coskun Ekim delivered a perfectly weighted corner in a compact penalty area. Whipped in with precision, there were lots of bodies looking to make a connection to the ball, but Jack Strange was the one to succeed. Tapping the ball past the keeper and Regent player on the line, the beaming no.4 ran to the jubilant support behind the goal as for the first time this season, Casuals had taken the lead! Recognising that a 1-0 lead in football is never safe, the side collectively put pressure on Brightlingsea.

After Warren Morgan was fouled consecutively in one of his trademark wanders, Ekim was twenty yards out when he placed the ball down to take the free-kick. Eyeing up the keeper’s left hand corner, the Turk curled a magnificent effort over the wall and past the R’s no.1… but not past the agonising goal post. Hannigan was present for the rebound, but completely off-balance and out of position, so his effort skied over the bar. Enough was enough for the away side’s management- they made two substitutes in the 40th minute in a desperate attempt to get back into the one-sided fixture. Even if it was not by their football, they did. Referee Shelby Elson broke up a scuffle on the right flank between Josh Gould, Jake Gould and Warren Mfula. Finally deciding to hand out cards, the official inexplicably gave Casuals’ Mfula a red card, whilst only booking no.3 Jake Gould. Confusion rippled across the arena as the no.10 exited the pitch on the stroke of half-time.

Unable to comprehend the disciplinary decision from Mr Elson, the Casuals contingent switched ends and hoped the extra man would not affect the game’s quality. That hope was instantly crushed when a lightning quick attack resulted in sub Michael Baxter bundling in a cross only two minutes after the break. Brightlingsea had taken full advantage of the extra man- it was one apiece. Following the equaliser, the Casuals and the Regent had almost switched roles in the second half as the visitors were ever so close to nicking a winner when keeper Daly made a tremendous save from point-blank range in the 65th minute. Always managing to ease past the full-back, Carvalho was Casuals’ main threat, but his efforts just couldn’t beat the structured Regent back four. A possible handball in the goalmouth was enthusiastically dismissed by the referee as Casuals dug deep to both defend and muster offensive opportunities. Exhausted after 95 minutes of practically end-to-end play, Corinthians and Brightlingsea were halted as the game ended 1-1.

Disappointing to only gain a point but happy to keep one after being strangely reduced a man, Casuals now sit in 21st place but look to the FA Cup for an access into the next Qualifying round- the home match is next Saturday.

​Read James Bracken's post match comments here >>