Corinthian-Casuals 2 - 3 Carshalton Athletic
Isthmian League Premier Division
Saturday 24th August 2019
Report and Photos: Stuart Tree (pics here)

​There were goals galore at King George’s on Saturday as Corinthian-Casuals will rue a slow start in the 3-2 loss to neighbours Carshalton Athletic in the Isthmian League Premier Division.

Manager James Bracken will take heart in the second-half fightback but once again, a tepid opening ten minutes ultimately cost the Amateurs any chance of points.

Nat Pinney returned to the starting line-up in place of the injured Ollie Sitch, whilst Hakeem Adelakun, who picked up a knock at Cray, was side-lined with Warren Morgan slotting in at left-back. Ever present in goal was Danny Bracken who was presented with an award for making 400 competitive appearances in a Casuals shirt.

Before much of the 271 in attendance could settle, Carshalton had taken the lead. Casuals looked slow to react to a swift Robins move which ended with Ernold Haxhiu sidefooting his effort past Bracken.

It was to get worse for Casuals, reeling from the initial shock. A poor judgement of a long ball allowed Ricky Korboa through and from inside the area, slotted past a helpless Bracken to make it 2-0 after just six minutes.

It could’ve been worse had Bracken not pulled off a smart save, tipping Jerry Amoo’s effort onto the post and to safety. Casuals were in danger of letting the game slip out of their hands within the first quarter of an hour.

The pace of the game slowed in the heat and Casuals gradually grew into the half, though chances were at a premium. Closest was Mike Dixon who raced onto a ball, beating an onrushing Pat Ohman in goal, but couldn’t convert after defender Luke Read cleared the lines.

But a lifeline was given to Casuals in the dying moments of the half, with Referee Andy Bennett awarding the first of three penalties in the match. Nat Pinney stepped up and notched Casuals first goal of the season.

An injured Jack Strange was replaced at half time with midfielder Coskun Ekim taking up a central defensive role. But it was Ekim who conceded a penalty, coming together with Korboa. Amoo fired to Bracken’s left, just out of reach of the keeper.

But Casuals weren’t done. A change of shape and added attacking options saw Morgan upended in the box after an impressive mazy run. However, Ohman was equal to Pinney’s spot kick and the scores remained the same.

That was until the 79th minute when substitutes Reyon Dillon and Leon Lalor-Dell combined to see the latter neatly finish from 15 yards to give Casuals hope. With wind in their sails, Corinth pushed forward. Serbony’s spectacular bicycle kick from 20 yards was sweetly struck but whistled inches over. Despite the late surge, Carshalton held on and take the three points back to Colston Avenue.
 
“We’ve had to thrash it out in the changing rooms after, because it’s not good enough,” lamented James Bracken after the match.

“We looked at the stats last season and we conceded three times more goals in the first half than the second. And that’s coupled with the fact we’ve scored twice as many in the second half as we had the first half. That’s frightening statistics.

“We’re a team who comes on strong due to good fitness levels, but when we’re conceding in the first half as we are, we’re always chasing games.

“Their penalty was soft. I didn’t think it was a spot-kick. It’s shoulder to shoulder and the lad threw himself on the floor as he did all afternoon. That’s not the way to play football. It was relentless. The referee got wise to it in the end, booking one of them for a dive, but by then, it’s too late.

“In a crazy way, we should’ve got something out of the game. At half time, I said ‘thank your lucky stars that we’re still in this game’. The way we played in the first half was appalling. We didn’t do anything right. But we’ve improved in the second and could’ve got a point had we not missed a penalty.”
​
Casuals travel to Cheshunt on Bank Holiday Monday.

Corinthian-Casuals 1 - 0 Carshalton Athletic
Bostik League Premier Division
Saturday 30th March 2019
Report: Cameron Smith. Photos: Stuart Tree (full set here)

Jack Rudoni’s exceptional run on the right flank before his perfect assist to midfield maestro Majed Osman, who delightfully tapped the ball home in the 85th minute, ended Corinthian-Casuals’ run of ten games without a win as Bracken’s Army edged Carshalton Athletic for the third time this season.

From trips to Hornchurch, Tonbridge and Folkestone that ended with zero points to disappointing home losses to Bognor, Margate and Lewes, the past ten games have been tough for the Corinthians. A test of mentality for the players and devotion for the fans, twenty goals conceded and seven defeats in those ten games was forgotten after last week’s clash versus top-of-league Dorking Wanderers. No goals scored, but no goals conceded as the 0-0 draw had the Casuals supporters in fine spirits due to the five points that separated them from relegation. But safety was still far from achieved; Corinth’s sixth last game was a clash versus play-off hunters Carshalton Athletic.

A Monday night in September saw Clarke, Mfula and Hannigan get on the scoresheet at Coleston Avenue in the Velocity Trophy win- two months later, Clarke and Mfula scored at Carshalton again, but it was Odunaike’s winner that sealed a satisfying 3-2 victory in the league. A hat-trick of wins against the Robins was on the cards for James Bracken and his team. Travelling to King George’s Arena in 6th and a point off the play-off spots, Adeniyi’s side had a thirteen game unbeaten run and a starting eleven that was familiar to many at Casuals. Danny Dudley was a solid centre-back for many seasons in pink and brown whilst more recently, heroic striker from last season Harry Ottaway was donning the no.12 jersey up-front.

Four changes for the Casuals saw a debut for Oliver Sitch, who was in ahead of the injured Max Oldham. Meanwhile, Adelakun was out for Warren Morgan, Osman was on for Odunaike and Antonio played ahead of Mfula. Mirroring the Dorking game, the first half was scrappy and both teams seemed to cancel each-other out. Any set-pieces for the hosts was taken advantage of as bodies piled into the box on multiple occasions. Reece Hannigan out-jumped and out-strengthened no.5 Dudley three times in fifteen minutes, with one bouncing dangerously in-front of keeper Ohman before being cleared. Ottaway had a first-time effort from outside the box that swerved over the bar early on. Antonio’s trademark low centre of gravity and classy footwork came in handy; in one instance white shirts were falling all over the place to try and retrieve the ball. Both keepers did not have lots to do in the first 45, but it was still intriguing and entertaining for the 404 spectators at the sunny King George’s.

In the second-half, Carshalton were on the back foot. Casuals were really pressurising the rattled Robins’ back four, specifically the impressive and relentless Oliver Sitch. Squeezing through any gaps and chasing the ball like a lion finding its prey, and he made a great companion to Rudoni, who proved his Man-Of-The-Match performance vs Dorking was not a one-off. Sitch was situated on the right flank when he curled a shot just over the bar. The attacking performance was commendable, but Carshalton threatened as the half progressed. Ottaway was looking most likely to score against his former team and a diving header had Casuals supporters with their hearts in their mouths, but it flew over. The striker was on a yellow card for simulation that seemed to anger everyone in white as a penalty was waved away. Time flew by and before you knew it, Casuals and Carshalton were in the final ten minutes. Would the game be a replica of the Dorking draw? Or would a team be able to nab a goal? Majed Osman had the answers to both of those questions.

On eighty-three minutes, James Bracken made an inspired decision that shows just how good of a manager he is. On the side-lines for months, fan favourite Reyon Dillon was a surprising inclusion on the bench and Bracken’s faith in his return showed when he was subbed on. A wishful but clever boot up-field was held brilliantly by the physical Dillon, who chose to try and round Athletic defenders instead of feeding Rudoni. He had no choice in the matter and his essential contribution to the move was over when he was tackled. The tackle was clean, but it fell perfectly for Rudoni on the right flank. Dribbling carefully but with unpredictable speed, no.8 Rudoni was reminiscent of Leo Messi when he demonstrated his intelligence and patience and somehow chose not to pull the trigger until he was extremely close to the keeper on the by-line. When he did, he spotted Majed Osman peel away from a defender and the first-time tap in across goal was glorious. The midfield ace had been annoying the white shirts the whole game, and the fantastic flick would annoy them even more. A knife could have sliced through the tension behind the goal as Rudoni squared it for Osman, but there was an incredible wave of celebration at first, then relief that washed over King George’s. Scenes is an apt word to use as the Casuals on the pitch and in the stands punched the air, hugged anyone near them and sang as loud as they could. Osman had been wonderful, and the goal was the icing on a delicious, pink and brown cake.

Despite suspenseful moments during the last five minutes as well as stoppage, Carshalton could not find a late equaliser and Osman’s goal was decisive. Casuals had broken the ten game winless streak in style! Danny Bracken and his brilliant defence, which included a MOTM performance from the superb Jack Strange grabbed a clean-sheet whilst Ekim, Sitch, Antonio and Serbony put in a real shift in the often-gridlocked midfield. Rudoni and Osman’s combination for the winner summed up their games and the smart sub from Bracken and his team summed up their tactical victory.

Good luck to Carshalton for the rest of the season. Three points at last, Casuals are now eight points off the bottom three! Sitting on forty-two points, Casuals are now remarkably level with neighbours Kingstonian, only separated by goal difference. James Bracken’s pink and brown army march onto bottom-of-the-league Burgess Hill next week and with five games left, need as many more points as they can get to ensure safety

“Massive credit to all of the boys when they play like that,” said James Bracken following the 3-2 win at Carshalton.

“I thought they should’ve had a penalty in the first half. I also think we should’ve had two in the second half. Thankfully, we scored from one where the referee waved away the shout. How could he say no to that? It was a stonewall penalty.

“I’m struggling to see anyone that’ll contain us for ninety minutes and struggling to see how anyone will score enough goals to beat us. Let’s get the facts straight; we gifted Carshalton the first goal today through an error and the referee has given the second with a penalty. We’ve come to Carshalton for the second time this season and scored three goals.

“Speaking of struggling, I’ve heard comments saying we’re struggling this season. Look at the facts; we’ve won the same amount of games as Bognor Regis. We’re five points off the playoff places with two games in hand.

“Struggling is having a four grand a week budget in the league below being mid-table. We’re punching well above our weight. If we lose a game, everyone comments on how we’re struggling. But let’s have a reality check. Look at the teams below us. The likes of Folkestone for example. Or look at the teams just above us who we’ll overtake if we win our games in hand. At the minute, we’re the team of the season.

“I’ll admit, our early season form wasn’t what we wanted it to be. We went through seven signed goalkeepers and lost our top goal scorer through injury with no money to replace him. But I don’t whinge about it… we get on with it. We’ve had to ride a couple of storms but it’s how we’ve reacted that’s key.

“We’ve performed well for the last dozen games. Apart from a couple of blips along the way, we’re getting better and better. That’s the bottom line.

“The boys are getting more and more understanding of what I’m asking of them. They’re working their socks off in executing it. There’s been a realisation that in the level below, you can carry one or two players and get a result. At this level, you cannot carry anybody. Everyone needs to understand the game-plan, everyone needs to know the shape and discipline and they’re doing that. That’s when you ask the question, who’s going to beat us?

“Of course, when you win, you always feel like that. But really… if we continue to play like that, who is going to beat us?

“If you’d have said to me, after the defeat in August at home to Folkestone, that we’d be above them come November, I’d have been slightly surprised. But people know what I’m like. If something isn’t working, I’ll fix it. We wouldn’t have just gone on as we were. We changed what we were doing. We’ve re-enforced and analysed and most importantly, put 100% belief in it.

“The first month of the season there was the realisation that we weren’t good enough, but we’ve worked with what I’ve got. Now, we’re getting it right. If we all keep our heads straight, there’s no reason why we cannot continue this all season.
​
“We’ll lose two in a row at some point. It will happen. But that’s when we look back at these games and realise what we can achieve.”

Carshalton Athletic 2 - 3 Corinthian-Casuals
Bostik League Premier Division
Saturday 17th November 2018
Match report and photos: Stuart Tree (full set here)

For the second time this season, Corinthian-Casuals came away from Carshalton Athletic with a victory, scoring three goals in the process.
​
Goals from Jordan Clarke, Warren Mfula and Gabriel Odunaike was enough to give Casuals a second away win in the space of four days and move the Tolworth-based outfit up to 12th in the Bostik League Premier table.

Following a dramatic late winner at Bognor on Tuesday night, Casuals faced another stern test in local rivals, Carshalton who’d won their last five league matches on the bounce.

However, Casuals would have recent memories of the Velocity Trophy win to call upon after Casuals disposed of the Robins at the same venue just weeks ago.

Corinth started brightly and were ahead after just six minutes. Clarke fired home from ten yards following a penetrating run from Juevan Spencer on the right. Buoyed by the early lead, Casuals continued to control the game.

Hearts were in mouths when Robins’ Ricky Korboa was upended in the Corinth box, however, strong appeals were instantly waved away by the official. By rights, it should’ve been awarded.

Casuals could’ve gone into the break, two goals to the good if not for Daniel Pappoe clearing one off the line for the home side.

Robins were level just after half-time. Korboa was able to beat Danny Bracken to a loose ball and with the keeper in no-man’s land, the striker happily slotted home into an empty net.

But the lead was restored on 57 minutes when an excellent through ball played in Odunaike who was upended in the box, with Mfula on hand to finish the move, neatly firing home with two covering defenders guarding the line.

It was to be one-all with penalty claims turned down as Spencer was fouled by Jordan Cheadle with the referee choosing to play on. Ironically, it was Spencer who upended Korboa at the other end which finally led to a spot kick being awarded. Omar Koroma converted to level the scores once again.

But it was to be Casuals’ day; A goalmouth scramble resulted in the ball being cleared only as far as Mu Maan, who’s shot took a wicked deflection off Odunaike with keeper Ohman completely wrong-footed.

Despite a couple of close calls, one which Cheadle skimmed the crossbar from a free kick, Casuals held on for the win which sees James Bracken’s side climb two places up to twelfth.

Read Manager James Bracken’s post-match thoughts here.

Carshalton Athletic 0 - 3 Corinthian-Casuals
Velocity Trophy 1st Round
Monday 17th September 2018
Match report and photos: Stuart Tree (full set here)

Corinthian-Casuals made it two wins on the bounce on Monday with a resounding 3-0 win over Carshalton Athletic in the Velocity Trophy 1st Round.

The win follows a dramatic last minute victory at Harlow Town on Saturday that saw Casuals come from behind to win 2-1 at the death, courtesy of a Danny Cunningham strike.

The striker was rested alongside a few others with consideration of the proximity of these two matches – just over 48 hours between. Mo Maan made his return in goal, recovered from the back injury sustained early on in the first game of the season at Margate back in August.

Carshalton had also made a few changes from the side that drew with Bognor but boasted three ex-Casuals in their line-up; Danny Dudley, Jordan Cheadle and Jerson Dos Santos. But it was to be an ex-Robin who’d inflict first blood in this encounter.
Jordan Clarke had left Casuals after two years at King George’s but barely settled in the Robin’s nest. Having made a fleeting appearance over the summer for Peter Adeniyi’s side, Clarke was back under the tutelage of James Bracken. Was there anyone more determined to show what his ex-club were missing? When Clarke found that extra yard past his marker – Adeniyi himself, no less, he unleashed a fierce 25 yard shot that left Billy Bishop no chance in goal. Clarke’s celebration said it all. ‘I told you so’ was the language displayed by the arms folded, stock still before beating his chest and pointing at the Casuals faithful in appreciation for the continued support.

Corinth could’ve been ahead before Clarke’s 45th minute strike. Mu Maan had crashed one off the crossbar that nearly broke the goal. His brother, Mo at the other end was never overly troubled but was called upon to save from Courtney Swaby.
​
It was only five minutes into the second half when the lead was doubled. Warren Mfula finished off a delightful move when he slipped through the back line and slotted neatly past Bishop’s left side.

Two was soon to become three when a Coskun Ekim corner found Reece Hannigan’s head around 12 yards out. After a couple of close calls, Hannigan finally had his debut goal for the Casuals.

Things went from bad to worse for the Robin’s when player/manager Adeniyi was dismissed for two bookable offences. The referee had consulted with his linesman for quite some time before showing the Manager the door.

Corinth continued to attack in pace and in numbers. Gabriel Odunaike continued to be a threat as did substitute Gil Carvalho, who forced a fine save from Bishop to prevent it being a mauling. On balance of play, there was only one winner and unsurprisingly, the scoreline reflected this.

Casuals will now face Chipstead at home in the next round. Date TBA.

Carshalton Athletic 0 - 0 Corinthian-Casuals
Bostik League South
Tuesday 26th December 2017
Match report and photos: Stuart Tree (full set of pics here)

Corinthian-Casuals and Carshalton Athletic both drew blanks in a high quality Boxing Day clash at Colston Avenue, to leave both sides still just outside the automatic promotion places.
 
Casuals and Carshalton came into the match 3rd and 4th in the table respectively. Looking to avenge the 4-2 loss to the Robins on the August Bank Holiday, Manager James Bracken still had a number of players missing but drafted in fan favourite Terry Murray at Centre Back much to the delight of the travelling support. Harry Ottaway and Nathan Daly were the notable absentees from the 3-2 win at the weekend with Reyon Dillon leading the charge up front.
 
As to be expected from two sides who like to play attractive football, both sides were happy to zip the ball around on the artificial surface – a welcome change to some of the poor pitches at this time of the year. Despite the slick football, neither side were committed to pushing forward and the opening exchanges were a little cagey. Casuals threatened with their first chance coming courtesy of Ben Cheklit’s free kick, only parried by Billy Bishop who was able to gather at the second time of asking.
 
At the other end, Danny Bracken made a fine save after Carshalton broke down Casuals defence and Mikel Miller blasted at the stopper from the edge of the box.
 
Casuals best chance fell to Reyon Dillon with the first half closing when Gabriel Odunaike unselfishly squared the ball to the big striker but his shot was just the wrong side of the post and only troubled the outside of the netting.
 
The second half belonged to the Robins, certainly in possession and territory. Bracken once again made two fine stops to ensure parity in the scoreline, one a brilliant scoop around the post from Ricky Korboa. Casuals attacks were more fleeting though Dillon would feel he should’ve put the Casuals in front when Max Oldham’s cross fizzed along the goalmouth and only needed the faintest of touches to find the target.
 
Max Oldham caused the most fear for the Robins back line and he was felled by Dudley just on the edge of the penalty area. Step-up Josh Uzun who narrowly flashed his free kick wide.
 
Carshalton could’ve won it at the end when possession was loosely given away and allowed Ricky Korboa to run through with only Bracken to beat. However, the resulting wild shot flashed over the bar and into the distance.
 
In a game devoid of any real bad challenges, it was inexplicable as to how both sides shared nine bookings but despite the best efforts of the referee to take centre stage, both Carshalton and Casuals were able to put on an entertaining afternoon’s football for the 424 in attendance.
 
James Bracken commented after the game, "I don’t ever accept coming into a game looking for a draw, but sometimes, after the match has finished, sometimes you can say a draw is a good and fair result. It’s a point gained rather than two lost today."
 
"It was a good game of football. It was a good advert for this league. Carshalton like to play, we set up a certain way to counter it. We had our chances as did they. Certainly right at the death, we’ve made a couple of poor errors through players tiring. One of them, it’s his second game and the other his first for two months. Understandably a little bit of tiredness crept in at the end.
 
"Other than that, the chances were few and far between.
 
"A point keeps them behind us. This isn’t an easy place to come and Carshalton played very well today. I’ve seen them a few times this season and that’s as good as I’ve seen them move the ball around in the second half as I’ve seen this year. But we’ve more than kept with it. We’ve had our own attacks, not through controlled possession as they have but still created one or two chances.
 
"We’re starting to get there. That’s one defeat in the last six and a clean sheet away at Carshalton. I believe we’ve turned the corner and now out of what was our blip. We need to push on and pick up a consecutive run of three points."
​

Corinthian-Casuals 2-4 Carshalton Athletic
Bostik League One South
Monday 28th August 2017
Match report - Cameron Smith

It was a fourteen minute second-half spell that condemned Corinthian-Casuals to a 4-2 loss as Carshalton Athletic’s capability to convert their chances defeated a Danny Cunningham brace in the Bostik League Divison One South at the King George’s Arena.

“I believe this is a better team than the one we had at the end of last season.” These words from James Bracken following the 5-0 victory over East Grinstead on Saturday injected even more hope into Casuals supporters as the annual Bank Holiday fixtures were next; a tough clash with Carshalton Athletic was on the horizon. Jerson Dos Santos stole the show in the visit to West Sussex with a terrific hat-trick, whilst Reyon Dillon and Josh Uzun were the other scorers.

The Robins have had a brilliant start to their 17/18 Division One South campaign as an unbeaten run of three games includes two wins and a draw, as well as their progression into the first round of the Emirates FA Cup. Predicted to grab an automatic promotion spot at the start of the season, Peter Adeniyi’s side have a few renowned names in their squad, with goal-scoring machine Tommy Bradford, former-Chipstead striker Raheem Sterling-Parker and ex-Corinthian Casuals centre-back Danny Dudley in their ranks. The fantastic Dudley, who was a crucial part of the team that reached the play-off final last season, joined Carshalton in the summer and would make his first appearance back at King George’s.

Looking to combat the strong starting eleven of the Sutton-based club was the on-form Casuals side, fresh from a morale-boosting win two days before. James Bracken decided to utilize the great depth of his squad; hotshot Gabriel Odunaike and set-piece king Josh Uzun were rested. It was Malachi Robinson who would take the place of ‘Gabby’ on the wing, whilst Uzun would give the no.9 shirt to Daniel Cunningham. After a few absences, Dave Hodges returned to the match-day squad, but was given a spot on the bench as Jamie Byatt thrived in left-back again.

Silky passing and outstanding organisation (especially in midfield) saw Casuals outbalance the strong attacking and defensive presence of Carshalton in the first thirty minutes, with the twenty-minute mark producing an opening goal. After a few minutes of speculation around the penalty area, Ben Cheklit found some space on the right flank to whip an early cross towards Cunningham in the box. It was a perfectly placed assist for the striker to peel away from his marker Dudley and dive towards the ball, before connecting and sending it into the goalkeeper’s near post. Brilliant anticipation from Cunningham gave Casuals the 1-0 lead. Starting slightly better than the visitors, Corinth could not keep up with the pace and prowess of the attacking red shirts of Carshalton as they settled. Then, in the 43rd minute, Casuals would lose their lead. It seemed inevitable that Jordan Cheadle, who netted a set-piece at King George’s on Boxing Day for former side Walton Casuals, would dispatch the penalty. Jack Strange’s challenge resulted in the spot-kick, which Cheadle did in fact score. Carshalton struck back just before the break; it was 1-1.

Half-time gave spectators a chance to have a breather following forty-five minutes of full-on football. Would the second-half bring the same intensity? Or would one side prevail?

It was the latter that was the outcome.

Six minutes after play was resumed, Carshalton struck via no.11 Mickel Miller, who managed to capitalise from a corner. A decent following, the Robins contingent behind the goal were delighted to take the lead for the first time in the game, but they would be celebrating again soon. Miller was not finished with the chocolate & pink defence and would burst onto the scene in the 63rd minute, before beating Danny Bracken and firing into the net. It was a very different performance from the Casuals everyone saw in the first-half as the tight midfield and solid back four was loosened up by the clinical Carshalton. It was now 3-1, but Raheem Sterling-Parker wanted in on the goalscoring two minutes later; the no.9 oozed class when he slotted home another goal for the away side. Four goals to one, Athletic were surely victors?

The Corinthians behind the goal, nor the ones on the pitch gave up after the fourth and seemingly deciding goal flew into the back of the net. Dos Santos was on the edge of the area when he decided to power a shot towards goal, and despite the goalkeeper getting his gloves on it, the rebound fell perfectly for Cunningham. Fuelled by his first, the striker was first to the loose ball again, when he nodded past keeper Richard Ossai. Awoken by Danny’s second goal, the Casuals fans resumed their chants and resumed their support- it was 4-2 with twenty-two minutes left. Anything was possible!

However, just moments before Cunningham netted his second header of the day, Ben Cheklit hobbled off the pitch for Max Oldham, which was a worrying sign for the Casuals. The final twenty minutes were long and agonising for both sides, but it was definitely more agonising for Corinthian-Casuals, who had three stand-out chances to jump back into the game.

Dos Santos was circulating on the edge on the box again when the no.10 had another effort on goal, but his low shot narrowly missed the goal, and clipped the post on its way behind. Carshalton seemed to sit back slightly in the last 10 minutes, so their relaxed style of play would be shaken by a glorious chance for Casuals.

The third golden chance was rejected by Richard Ossai- the Carshalton shot-stopper. Cunningham proved to be a real pain for the Robins throughout the 90 minutes and nearly grabbed his hat-trick when Jamie Byatt’s incredible left foot curled a cross for the striker, who managed to clip the ball high in the air with a single touch. It was an audacious effort that deserved to dip over Ossai and into the net, but the keeper’s quick reactions prevented a third goal. The deflated Casuals supporters could only applaud Ossai’s stunning save.

Jack Strange was shaking his head when he left the field for half-time at East Grinstead, and even muttered to the Casuals supporters ‘I could’ve had a hat-trick!’ as three identical headers from set-pieces flew narrowly wide. Strange would be put in the same situation again versus Carshalton as the centre-back connected with a Uzun (who came off the bench for Mu Maan) corner and directed the ball towards goal. The leap was perfect, the power was perfect and the accuracy… was near-perfect as the header shattered against the underside of the crossbar. The ball bounced on the goal-line before being cleared and the Casuals supporters joined the players in screaming for a goal to be allowed- they thought it was over the line. Referee Mr Sunny Gill peered over to the linesman on the touchline, who was shaking his head and the man in black continued with play. Harsh was an understatement as James Bracken’s army had hit the post and the crossbar, but to no avail.

The full-time whistle blew without another Casuals goal as Carshalton left Tolworth with three points and a 4-2 away win.

Thank you to Carshalton Athletic for a thrilling Bank Holiday fixture on a roasting Monday afternoon. The result bumped the Robins into second place in the league as Walton Casuals remain at the top without a defeat or a draw- four games, four wins. Casuals’ short-lived winning streak was over, but James Bracken’s side would be happy that the next round of the FA Cup was next on the list as Ashford Town beckoned on Saturday 2nd.

After the match, Assistant Manager Dan Pringle reflected on the afternoon.

"First 45 minutes, we were in total control. We attacked at will, created some good opportunities but were disappointed to go in at half time at one-apiece. It was a sloppy penalty to give away. I feel they were quite fortunate to be on level terms with us at that point.

“We can put the loss down to a mad ten minutes in the second half. We switched off and got punished for it. We showed good character to come back from it. Great for Dan Cunningham to bag a couple of goals and Jack Strange's header, which was clearly over the line could’ve made all the difference. But we left it too late.

“When you concede four goals, you cannot expect to win a game of football.

“We need to cut out the errors. The four goals we conceded were very sloppy on our part. We weren’t carved open or never inflicted any sustained pressure on us. But the two goals in two minutes hurt us.

“It’s one game today where we’ve been punished for mistakes but there’s 42 more league games to go. Let’s see where we are at the tail end of the season.

“Everyone has to be a little bit careful with their expectations of the club. Last year was fantastic, reaching the playoff final. But we lost nine players in the Summer. To completely rebuild the squad again with people expecting the same results from us is obviously difficult.

“We have no playing budget as everyone knows and we’ve had to start from scratch again. But James and I have so much belief in our ability and in the ability of the lads that there’s no reason we can’t be up there again.

“This is probably the toughest start to the season that we could’ve had. But we’re through to the next round of the FA Cup and two wins in the league, including beating title favourites Greenwich… we’d have probably taken that if it was offered to us at the start.”

Corinthian-Casuals 2 - 0 Carshalton Athletic
Ryman League Division One South
Tuesday 5th April 2016
Attendance: 160
Report by Cameron Smith. Pics by Stuart Tree

Two goals in two minutes from the in-form Shaun Okojie gave ten-men Corinthian-Casuals hope in landing a place in the play-offs after a hard-earned 2-0 victory over Carshalton Athletic in a lively encounter at King George’s.
 
A memorable late winner against East Grinstead on Saturday was still fresh in the minds of the Casuals supporters as the race for the play-offs heated up. The absence of Danny Dudley was a massive blow to James Bracken’s side. However, after a clean sheet against the Wasps, Ben King was injected with new-found confidence in the unfamiliar position. Meanwhile, Juevan Spencer was replaced in midfield by Brandon Johnson. Emil Salama, who made an impressive impact from the substitutes bench on Saturday, started on the right wing ahead of Josh Uzun.
 
Carshalton were in 10th place, three spots behind Casuals. They were maintaining a four game unbeaten run, where they most notably beat Hastings United 3-1.
 
From the start, Casuals had control of the game. Jamie Byatt had a chance to score inside the first twenty seconds but the ball was cleared on the goal-line. Warren Morgan took advantage of a lapse in concentration from the visitors with a marauding run before being unfairly upended by Captain Tony Sinclair in the area. As the referee pointed to the spot, Shaun Okojie strolled towards the ball, eyeing up the goalkeeper. The striker had ice flowing through his veins as he sent keeper Luke Colquhoun the wrong way and scored in the fourth minute.
 
Perhaps still affected conceding early, Colquhoun received the ball in the six yard box and without thinking, passed it out wide to a marked full-back. Salama was on his toes and intercepted the ball before squaring it to Okojie in the centre. The target-man made no mistake as he slotted past the devastated Robin’s keeper and celebrated.
 
Carshalton lacked attacking inspiration and most of the possession fell in the hosts favour until the stroke of half-time. As midfield engine Niall Wright was heavily involved in a squabble on the half-way line, the referee Andrew Williams awarded Casuals a free-kick. After the pushing and shoving died down, Williams, to the shock of King George’s, showed a straight red card to Wright and only a yellow for agitator Tommy Bradford. The bizarre decision took an even stranger turn when the original judgement of a Casuals free-kick was over-ruled and it became a set-piece for the away side. Expressions of confusion, disbelief and anger rippled through the shell-shocked crowd. The first-half ended with mixed emotions as Casuals faced an up-hill task of protecting their 2-0 lead with ten men.
 
Anxiously, Casuals fans watched on as Danny Bracken made a great stop to deny the speedy Ricky Korboa, who skipped past the Morgan with ease. Byatt knocked down a long-ball for Okojie to turn and shoot just wide of the post.
 
There was an unpleasant moment after Carshalton’s Colquhoun dropped the ball at the near post from a corner, resulting an exchange with fans behind the goal. This led to the keeper seemingly taking matters into his own hands before calm was restored.
 
A lengthy stoppage; it looked less likely that Carshalton would conjure two goals, especially when Korboa was dismissed for a second yellow with ten, tense minutes to go. That was the case as Casuals deservedly took home all three points.
 
Remaining in tenth place, it looks like Carshalton will have to settle for a mid-table spot. Play-off rivals Hastings edged East Grinstead while Molesey were held at Tooting and Herne Bay lost against Ramsgate. One point from the play-off spots, Corinth sit in seventh place with two consecutive trips to Walton on the cards.
 
After the match, Manager James Bracken gave his thoughts.

“Was it a feisty game? Well, I can’t remember us committing a bad foul in the whole game. We’ve had one sent off just before half time for something I honestly can’t see and neither can anyone else in the ground.

“It changed the game even though we were two-nil up by that point. Our game plan certainly worked and counter-acted everything they were trying to achieve, which is why we scored two early goals.

“Second half, I thought we were fantastic.

“There’s different ways to play football. Not one way – and that’s a mistake a lot of people make – they think there’s one way to play football and win. There isn’t. If you know all of the different ways to play and you can apply them at the right times, you’ll always get the upper hand. That’s what we’ve done tonight.

“I don’t know what the laws are when the keeper leaves the field of play and confronts fans and puts his hands up, but if he does that on the pitch to a player, he walks. I don’t see why he should be able to do that to our fans who were again, fantastic tonight.

“Four wins down and three to go. That’s the way we’re looking at it.

“Going into Saturday we’re very focussed. We’ve had pressure for the last four games because I’ve told them that we have to win them all and we’ve won four out of four. So there’s no more pressure now.

“There’s pressure on one or two teams around us who should have a look at what we’re doing and realise we were six points adrift and now we’re a point outside the playoffs with three games to go. So maybe they’ll feel a bit of pressure.” 

Carshalton Athletic 1 - 1 Corinthian-Casuals
Ryman League Division One South
Saturday 2nd January 2016
Att: 387
Match report and photos: Stuart Tree (photos here)
Video Highlights courtesy of Fox in the Box (click here)

Corinthian-Casuals came away from Colston Avenue with an unlikely point after substitute Shaun Okojie struck in the 83rd minute to share the spoils with Carshalton Athletic.

In a game bereft of chances for the visitors, a mixture of superb goalkeeping and the home side’s wasteful chances enabled James Bracken’s side to get back into the contest and grab a vital point.

Bracken reshuffled his defence, which included an appearance for Rhys Coleman – his first since the opening day of the season. Cherno Mendy was unavailable and so Matt Reece was given a central striker’s role with Emmanuel Akokhia and Juevan Spencer providing the width. Ex-Corinth management duo, Matt Howard and Luke Garrard’s Carshalton side included familiar face, Lee Hall.

On an artificial surface which Carshalton have come accustomed to, the Robins started the livelier and perhaps should have taken the lead after Moses Ashikodi headed over from a well-judged cross.

The continuing rain helped to create a slick surface but one that Casuals just couldn’t find their feet on. As the half continued, it looked to be a subdued performance from the Amateurs. Akokhia had rare glimpses of the ball and could only muster half chances from his wide positions.

Carshalton’s Bobby Price came closest to opening the scoring after a wicked cross wasn’t dealt with in the most comfortable manner. Danny Bracken in goal had to be alert from shots via Tommy Bradford and Adam Thompson. Ashikodi also saw his close range volley sail over the crossbar, when perhaps he should’ve scored.

In what would’ve been a harsh twist, Juevan Spencer was inches from meeting an Akokhia cross at the far post, where surely any touch would’ve resulted in a goal. However, it wouldn’t be far from the truth that Casuals went into half time lucky that they weren’t out of the game.

After the break, Tommy Bradford nearly broke the deadlock, firing viciously towards the top corner, however, Bracken at absolute full stretch, spectacularly palmed away the effort.

Despite being in fine form, there was nothing the keeper could do about Carshalton’s opener; with the defence going missing, Tommy Bradford was put through on goal and slotted past Bracken’s left side to give the home side the lead.

Far from allowing the game to be decided by what had gone before, James Bracken made attacking changes, bringing on Steph Joseph and Shaun Okojie. Buoyed on by the non-stop chanting from the Casuals’ faithful behind the goal, Corinth finally grew into the game and started to impose themselves a little more.

On 83 minutes, in what could be described as the first real attempt on goal in the half, Okojie levelled the scores. From a free kick delivered from wide, Okojie met the cross at the far post and guided it past Colquhoun in goal.

It was now Corinth who looked the more dangerous, with Kevant Serbony making imposing runs from the midfield. However, progress was a little stifled after Joseph was dismissed for a second yellow card following a two-footed challenge.

Thus, the scores remained level and the home side could feel aggrieved that they didn’t get more out of the game. James Bracken will surely take positives once again in the fact that his side doesn’t know when to quit and showed resolve which has earned them a fair few points in this league campaign.

Corinthian-Casuals 3-1 Carshalton Athletic
Robert Dyas League Cup 2nd Round
Tuesday 6th  October 2015
Attendance: 75
Match report: Darren Pasley
Pics: Andy Nunn (view full set here)

‘We’re in it to win it’ was the message from Manager James Bracken after seeing his side win their 4th match in a row with a 3-1 home win over Carshalton Athletic in the Robert Dyas League Cup.

It was a very wet night at King Georges Arena with both sides making a three or four changes  to their regular line ups. Despite the fine surface, it looked to be a tricky night in store as several players lost their footing in the opening stages.

This was not just restricted to the outfield competitors with keeper Danny Bracken nearly fumbling a long range effort from Bobby Price in the 7th minute but the skipper was relieved to see the ball drop the other side of the post and out for a corner.

Kingsley Aikhionbare was the apparent threat to the hosts early on and he had a 30 yard effort just over as the visitors seemed to settle and press forward.

Casuals first foray into opposition waters saw Cherno Mendy skip past Hamilton-Downes but the low cross was excellently handled by keeper Matt Willard.

Aikhionbare continued to cause problems and in the 24th minute after slipping inside Ross Defoe, his goal-bound effort beat Bracken but not the covering Danny Dudley who cleared to safety off the line.

Ex-Casuals midfielder Lee Hall popped a low skidding effort just past the far post as the Robins seemed the much more likely to open the scoring in the early stages. Indeed it was Aikhionbare again who came even closer this time seeing his 32nd minute effort come back off the post after he had spun his marker inside the box.

Out of nothing Casuals took a 34th minute lead. Kevant Serbony being brought down on the right wing and the resulting free kick from Josh Uzun wasn't attacked by the defence and Danny Dudley lofted a side-footed effort from 10 yards into the top corner.

The lead was quickly doubled 4 minutes later when after Stef Joseph chased down a clearance his physical presence un-nerved visiting skipper Sinclair and after powering through he rounded Willard and slid home left footed into the net.

Carshalton hit back almost immediately and on the balance of play it was the least they deserved although the goal came in fortunate circumstances. Debutant Rommel Hunte-Christie who has been promoted from the academy saw a cross-cum-shot on the right deflect off Defoe and loop into the top corner for a 40th minute reply.

Barely 3 minutes after the restart Casuals were handed the chance to go two goals back in front. Luke Pigden handling inside the box and although he was unlucky, with his arms out wide, the referee was left with no choice.
The trusty Josh Uzun emphatically smashed home his 3rd penalty in 4 days to put the hosts back in the ascendancy.

The second period saw a much more controlled display from James Bracken's side and Stef Joseph was unlucky not to add to his tally with an hour gone as a low left footed effort flew across goal and out of play.

Niall Wright was unlucky with a 67th minute drive from the edge of the box that brought a great handed save from Willard before Bracken at the other end was well placed to foil Aikhionbare when it seemed the striker was through on goal.

Former Casuals manager Matt Howard threw on Josh Phillips and Ricky Korboa in a bid to get back into the tie and his changes did have an impact with the latter a threat down the flanks. It was Phillips that saw a 77th minute shot charged down by Terry Murray and the game had its second spot kick. This time however there was no goal as Danny Bracken foiled his teammate from last season Lee Hall with his legs after the midfielder had blasted straight down the middle.(pic below)

This seemed to knock any remaining hope out of the visitors and it was a comfortable ending to the game with both sides mustering up a couple of half chances but no serious threat on goal.

James Bracken commented after the match.

“We made a few changes tonight. A few of the boys were due a run out and it gave us an opportunity to look at those who’d been on the bench for a few games. They didn’t do themselves any harm at all; Stef (Joseph) has come in and done what I know he can do. He’s different to Mani (Emmanuel Akokhia) but in good ways. It was nice to get him out there and get him a goal for his confidence.

“I didn’t go with a weakened team tonight – just a changed side. We’ve got a good squad and we can afford to leave one or two out and it doesn’t weaken us, just changes our style slightly.

“First half I thought we were a bit sloppy and we were probably fortunate to be leading at half time. That was the only real positive to take from the 45 minutes.

“But second half, we’ve played well and been in control. It could’ve been one or two more goals with the possession we had and overall we deserve to be in the next round and that’s what counts.

“Danny (Bracken) will beat himself up with the start that he had. He can make ten one-on-one saves yet make one little error and he’ll punish himself for that. He’s very critical of his own game because he wants to be the best that he can be. One or two slips tonight didn’t cost us any goals and the pitch was slippery and it isn’t easy for any keeper.

“But he’s done well on the penalty save. He had to wait a little while for the penalty kick to be taken – probably a little while longer than he’d want to. But Lee Hall hasn’t stuck it in the corner… he’s planted it straight down the middle and Dan’s done well to stop it.
​
“We want to win this competition. I want to win everything. We showed in pre-season that we can compete with teams from the league above. I feel like we’re getting stronger with every performance. We’ve won six out of the last seven including four on the bounce and we’re on a nice little run.