Corinthian-Casuals 0 - 0 Chipstead
(Chipstead win 4-3 on Pens)
Velocity Trophy 3rd Round
Tuesday 30th November 2018
Match report and Photos: Stuart Tree (full set here)

Corinthian-Casuals Manager James Bracken was left puzzled after his side were knocked out of the Velocity Trophy on Tuesday Night.
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Casuals were held to a 0-0 draw by the Bostik League South Central side with the visitors progressing to the next round following a 4-3 penalty shootout win.

It’s the second cup loss in three days following Corinth’s limp exit from the FA Trophy to Horsham at the weekend.

“I’m not quite sure how we’ve not won,” said Bracken after the match.

“Chipstead had six wins in a row coming into this game but we restricted them to one shot, off target in the whole ninety minutes.

“We’ve had 28 touches in their box, hit the post twice, the crossbar once and cleared off the line numerous times. Even the one that rebounded off the post onto the goalkeeper’s back… that didn’t go in. They lived a charmed life and it didn’t go our way.

“The main thing was to get a positive reaction after our loss at Horsham on Saturday. We certainly got that. In terms of controlling the game, there’s plenty of positives to take.”

As the Manager alludes, Casuals had the lion’s share of possession and chances. Whilst it took a while for the match to warm up on this cold October evening, by half time, Chipstead were feeling the pressure. Both Gabriel Odunaike and Warren Mfula had a good couple of chances to score and Jordan Clarke saw two of his shots snatched and dragged past the post.

The second period was far livelier. Corinth surged forward on multiple occasions. Mu Maan on his 100 competitive appearance crashed one off the post, which rebounded off the back of the keeper who scrambled to recover before Odunaike could pounce. There was one off the bar, from a corner, another off the post from Clarke and a host of other near misses too numerous to mention. It wasn’t to be.

Alas, the stalemate after 90 minutes was decided by penalty spot kicks. Maan and Mfula both missing theirs to send Chipstead through to face AFC Hornchurch in the next round.

“Of course, when it goes to penalties, it’s a lottery and one we don’t seem to do very well in,” continued Bracken.

“But once it gets to that point, it’s a by-product for me. Don’t get me wrong; when your season ends on a penalty shoot-out, it’s different but pens in a cup competition, I’ll look at the performance first and foremost.

“Consistency is key now. The performance on Saturday at Horsham was nowhere near acceptable. I didn’t really need to tell them either. They knew.

“Tonight, they knew what they needed to do. They had to put in a more positive display which they did. It’s a shame it wasn’t capped with a win. Realistically, that deserved a 3-0 or 4-0 victory. That would have been a fair reflection on the chances we created alone.

Casuals will look to get back to winning ways on Saturday, but Bracken is aware of the tough ask as his side visits 3rd placed Dorking Wanderers in the League.

“We’ve got a little tough run coming up. Dorking Wanderers are the best side I’ve watched this season, so we’re aware of what we’re going into. But I also know that if we perform well, we can get those three points. We’ll go there to win and if we get it right, we will.”  

Chipstead 1 - 2 Corinthian-Casuals
Bostik League South
Saturday 17th February 2018
Match report: Cameron Smith. Photos: Stuart Tree (full set of pictures here)

Shaun Brown’s satisfying tap-in in the 90th minute and Max Oldham’s terrific finish in the final minute of added time secured a theatrical late comeback for Corinthian-Casuals at High Road - the home of the stodgy yet unfortunate Chipstead FC.
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James Bracken’s team-sheet saw no rests and no controversial choices despite being aware of a Velocity Trophy semi-final tie versus big spenders and non-league giants Billericay Town looming before the league match in Chipstead. Andrew Herring and Coskun Ekim were selections at full-backs whilst an attacking quadruplet of Oldham, Clarke, Antonio and Odunaike set out to scare the green & white hoops of Chipstead.

It was a surprisingly warm winter’s afternoon at High Road in Surrey as the mid-table Chips entertained the Casuals on a bumpy, worn-down surface, but it was nothing to do with the weather that affected the performances in the first-half. Little to no chances, Casuals seemed to fall flat in attack as potential opportunities seemed to be easily thwarted by the confident Chipstead back four. Casuals’ opposition were not able to beat Danny Bracken either until the 20th minute when they were awarded a penalty. Nathan Daly was given a yellow card for a collision in the area and Leon Lalor-Dell was the dispatcher from 12 yards. A convincing penalty kick from the no.11 had put Chipstead 1-0 up, and Casuals 1-0 down.

The rest of the first half could be summed up in a single word. Dire. James Bracken’s side were not testing the away team’s back four enough for the chance of the equaliser and it was the same for Chipstead, who couldn’t get their second and deciding goal. The referee then signalled for half-time as encouragement from the good dose of Casuals supporters hoped to improve the dreary performance from the Tolworth side.

Injected with the energy of the half-time team talk from the Brackens, Corinth had a brilliantly frantic and passionate spell where Michael Sibley’s defence were apprehensive of the approaching waves of attack. It was brief, but showcased the fact that Casuals were able to break Chipstead. It was an agonising wait until evidence for this showed up as efforts from substitute Shaun Brown, Herring and Clarke kept the hosts busy. Moments after the fourth official signalled four minutes of injury time, Coskun Ekim ventured from his defensive position to have a shot at goal and it was powerful enough for Sibley to drop, which made the ball fall into the path of Shaun Brown perfectly. The striker tucked the chance away with ease and whilst the Chipstead players appealed for offside, the referee turned them down. 1-1 at the death!

Brilliant scenes in the previously-tense away end, Casuals supporters found themselves willing on their team to do the unthinkable and grab the winner. With the clock ticking down, the Chips decided to try and counter attack Casuals with men rushing forwards. This hampered their defence; James Bracken’s side had countered the counter! Odunaike was fed the ball and poised to shoot when he was clean in on goal, but a remarkable sliding tackle swept him off his feet at the last moment. Luckily, Oldham was there to pick up the pieces. The Eminem lookalike took a generous touch into space on the right flank before composing himself and aiming for the far left corner that Sibley thought he had covered. An equal amount of power and accuracy in a single shot had directed the ball straight into the desired corner as Oldham recognised his heroics with an epic removal of the t-shirt. Incredulous scenes ensued as the pink, brown, blue (our keeper Danny Bracken) and black (assistant coach Jon Williams) piled on top of the overwhelmed Oldham. Meanwhile behind the goal, the supporters were in hysterics over the superb last-second finish from the no.11 and had rushed across the away end in celebration.

It was a jubilant four minutes that had seen Casuals score twice in added time to win the game and beat the downtrodden Chipstead. Man of the moment Max Oldham received a second yellow card after the goal due to his insane celebrations and will miss the league fixture next Saturday.

At full-time, Corinthians had one last period of celebration as the players and staff exchanged thank-you’s behind the goal following the monumental away effort. It had been a heart-stopping climax to a disappointing game overall- Casuals were in 3rd with an extra three points in the bag. We wish Chipstead FC the best of luck for the rest of the season. After the excitement of Oldham’s last-gasp winner, Casuals would have to calm themselves for the trophy clash versus Bostik Premier Division side Billericay Town on Monday night before Sittingbourne arrived at King George’s on Saturday 24th.

"Those goals could be massive come the end of the season", said Manager James Bracken following the win. "It could be 100% the difference.
 
"We were poor today. There’s no dressing that up. The pitch didn’t help but that’s no real excuse. From start to finish, we couldn’t put passes together.
 
"Don’t get me wrong, we’re happy we’ve won – you have to be when you score two late goals like that when you’re trying to push for promotion. But I don’t think I’ve ever changed player’s positions so much in one game, because nothing that we tried was working.
 
"But this is football. The pitch is a bog, we’ve got people shouting at the referee from the first minute for nonsense and it descends into what it is. Non-League football. Not everything can be beautiful. Today we just got the job done.  
 
"The individual, technical quality of our play wasn’t there so we changed it up, seeing if we can just create something. Ultimately, we’ve done something right and given Max the freedom to get into the box unmarked and got us the win.
 
"The key point for us was the first goal. There was no relief when we’d scored it. We didn’t think we’d dodged a bullet and gained a point. It was very clear that there was two more points to get and one more goal gets us those. As we always do, we went for it. We weren’t content with nicking the draw… we’ve nicked the win. That comes from our positive attitude.
 
"It’s a feeling of relief more than anything and keeps us going. It’s only one defeat in fourteen matches now so we’re doing alright.
 
"I’m sure there’ll be more ugly wins this season. We haven’t had many easy wins all season.
 
"If we win this league or get automatic promotion, I’ll think of it as a bit of a miracle. We’re still not firing at our top level. The nice thing is, you know they’ve got it in their locker. These lads can step up a gear. They’re capable of getting to a level of performance that other sides can’t match.
 
"We’re doing what we have to do, to get the wins. Obviously today wasn’t the plan to do it.
 
"It would help to have one or two back, which we’ll hopefully have very soon. We’ve not got a big injury list now but just a couple of key players returning will help the way we play. Then we can kick on."

Chipstead 1 - 4 Corinthian-Casuals
Ryman League Division One South
Saturday 17th September 2016
Match report: Cameron Smith. Pics: Stuart Tree (full set here)

Corinthian Casuals bounced back after a catastrophic 6-3 loss in the league last week to convincingly beat Chipstead 4-1 away from home.

A feeling that no Casuals player would want to feel again, the morale-destroying defeat against Hythe Town last Saturday was still fresh in their minds. However, on Tuesday, Casuals beat Whyteleafe 2-0 under the lights at King George’s in the Robert Dyas League Cup thanks to goals from Josh Uzun and man-of-the-match Shaun Brown.

Chipstead (located near Banstead) having not won in four games in all competitions, sat in 16th position. Four changes from the Hythe Town game saw Warren Morgan and Danny Dudley replace Niall Wright and Terry Murray at the back. Also, Ben Cheklit and ‘Super Maz' Bettache were left out ahead of Uzun and Brandon Johnson. The Chips played in their inaugural green and white hoops while it was the classic chocolate and pink for Casuals. A chill in the air and an occasional gust of wind kept everyone in the ground wrapped up in layers.

The suspect surface of High Road certainly impacted the way James Bracken had wanted to play as the game took a sharp turn into fouls, complaints and yellow cards. Brandon Johnson was the first in the book after a few tough challenges in the opening fifteen. Another yellow was handed out by the whistle-happy referee, this time to a Chipstead player. The darting run of Jordan Clarke had caught green shirts off guard in the 17th minute and after expertly rounding the oncoming keeper, Clarke slotted into the empty net to score. Appeals for offside were rejected as the position of the linesman’s flag remained by his side.

Minutes later, Casuals were hungry for a second. Jack Strange’s accurate pass allowed Shaun Okojie to have a chance on goal but was rebuked by the gloves of Sheik Ceesay, diving low to save the unlucky effort. Chipstead soon edged back into the game with chances coming through set-pieces that Casuals had given away. Danny Bracken was kept busy as a low shot evaded the net and was parried away by the keeper. Corinth were ahead at half-time by a single goal.

Corinthians started the second-half brightly, Danny Bracken assisting an Okojie shot which lacked connection as it sailed past the post. Nonetheless, the visitors were dealt a discouraging blow when defensive rock Danny Dudley signalled to the bench as he plummeted to the floor and was subsequently replaced by Niall Wright. Dudley walked off the pitch clearly distraught with the injury. Chipstead took advantage of Casuals’ defensive struggles as right-back Steve Betancourt punted the ball upfield. A green shirt controlled and set up Jason Henry to power the ball into the top corner from the edge of the area. The hosts had equalised as the scoreline read 1-1.

Not for long. On the front foot, Corinth had a golden chance soon after the Chipstead goal as Kevant Serbony reacted first to a ricochet that fell for him. The midfielder took a touch before burying the ball into the far corner. Passionate celebrations ensued from both the scorer and the fans as Corinth were back in the driving seat.

Marauding left-back Jamie Byatt was close to scoring another for Casuals as he hit a low shot narrowly past the post. Whilst on the search to score the third, Josh Uzun was awarded a free-kick on the edge of the area; the referee correctly judged a Chipstead player to have used his hand. Uzun superbly converted the set-piece into the top corner of the net, which left keeper Cisse stunned. There was swerve and accuracy on the strike which was the midfielder’s fifth of the season.

Three was obviously not enough as substitute Juevan Spencer netted his first of the campaign. Latching onto a defence splitting cross, the winger took a confident touch and composed himself before rifiing in. Spencer scored to finish the game once and for all.

Manager James Bracken was pleased with the performance.

“It's another four goals scored today. We're always going to score goals but it's pleasing that we've only conceded the one.

“That's six goals scored and only one against us in the last two games after making one or two positional changes. So we're happy and much closer to the level I expect us to perform.

“There's still more to come, but that was much better today.

“Four goals from four different scorers. We've got so many good players at this club. I've had selection problems ever since I got here. But they're good problems. The boys in the changing room knows there isn't a bad player.

“They have to trust me to pick a team which will go out there and win the majority of the time."

Chipstead move into 17th with a visit from high-flying Dorking Wanderers this Tuesday evening. Meanwhile, Casuals return to Tolworth in second place behind Tooting, who have a game in-hand. A meander to East Grinstead on Tuesday is next on the agenda before King George’s host the game against Ramsgate next weekend.

Chipstead 1 - 1 Corinthian-Casuals
Ryman League Division One South
Saturday 6th February 2016
High Road
Attendance: 70
Match report and photos: Stuart Tree (full set here)​

Corinthian-Casuals suffered a cruel last minute knock back to their playoff chances as a Danny Dudley own goal gave lowly Chipstead a much needed point in the Ryman League Division One South.
 
And Casuals’ Manager James Bracken has issued a challenge to his players; win ten more games this season.
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“Today is a slip-up but looking at the games we’ve got remaining, we’ve beaten eight of those teams already,” said Bracken.
 
“We have to play Walton Casuals twice, which I look at as our games in hand. If we can pick up ten wins between now and the end of the season, which is achievable, then we won’t be far away. It’ll be tough but we’ll keep going and the boys are motivated. We know we’re going for it and we’ll continue to do so.”
 
In truth, the league table does lie and Chipstead are now a far better side than the one that lay rock-bottom when Corinth defeated them earlier in the season. Since then, Ex-Tooting boss Craig Tanner stepped in and has transformed the team, which bears an uncanny resemblance to the Terror’s side he managed last term. With the likes of Dan Summers, Billy Marshall, Harry Knock and Sol Pinnock amongst others now in the Chips side, it’s no surprise they went into the game unbeaten in three.
 
Casuals made one enforced change with Ben King replacing the suspended Brandon Johnson and Kevant Serbony dropped to the bench with Emmanuel Akokhia taking the 7 shirt.
 
This game could hardly be described as one for the purists; the wind was so strong, players found it hard to keep the ball still on set pieces. With this in mind, play was erratic, passes were errant and play struggled to flow. With the wind behind Casuals for the first half, they created the better chances. Terry Murray saw his header crash against the post from a corner ball (pictured below). Minutes later, Akokhia forced a fine save from Alex Kozakis.
 
On the half hour mark, Casuals struck; Juevan Spencer, ever adept on the ball made a penetrating run into the box and his shot was parried out to Niall Wright only to be denied by a resolute defence. However, the resulting rebound fell to Shaun Okojie who made no mistake in firing home from ten yards.
 
The second half was more painful for the visitors who struggled to get the ball out of their own half. Chipstead forced a number of excellent saves from Danny Bracken. Any attempt at getting the ball forward was met with strong resistance from the weather and Chipstead’s assisted clearances made light work of the length of the pitch.
 
However, Casuals remained steadfast and looked to break on the counter. Shaun Okojie and sub Stef Joseph having a couple of half chances, giving welcome respite to the visitor’s defence.
 
However, into stoppage time, a hopeful lofted ball was launched by Chipstead into Casuals’ box. The wind-assisted kick was misjudged by Danny Dudley and his header rocketed past Bracken in goal. It was a cruel end to what had been a class defensive performance in testing conditions.
 
After the match, James Bracken spoke to Stuart Tree.
 
“As I said in the week, it’s another bitter pill to swallow conceding that late.
 
“As a spectacle, the game has been ruined by the wind and that’s been the story of too many games this season. Obviously, that’s not our fault and we have to go out there and do what we can. It’s hard for both teams.
 
“I said to the lads afterwards that we could’ve lost that. But listen to my words very carefully; they were immense today. In those conditions, to get our nose in front and then defend the way we have, there was a lot of effort that’s been put in. Sometimes, when you put that much in and get a knock-back at the end, emotionally it can be tough.
 
“As it was in the week, there are no negative feelings nor am I going to apportion blame on anyone because they’ve done everything I’ve asked of them to do.
 
“Letting in a goal like that with the wind pulling it in towards the goal was cruel. On another day, you clear that. It wasn’t a great ball but the wind has taken it and made it difficult to deal with. Those are the small margins you work with.
 
“There have been so many instances of these incidents in games throughout the season. Realistically, we could’ve had another fifteen points from games where I feel we’ve done enough to get more out of.
 
“You can say it’s a tough learning curve for a young side. But I don’t care if you’re 19, 20, 21 or your side is full of 30 year olds, a lot of these things cannot be helped. So it’s not down to a lack of experience, it’s simply down to bad luck… and I don’t like using that word – but it is!
 
“At the start of the season, for us to get into the playoffs would’ve been one of the biggest achievements in non-league football in decades. From the position we’re in now, it will be the biggest achievement. But we’ll still go for it. We’ve got the fixtures up on our board and each game, we list our previous result against that side. To them, I say ‘can you match it or better it?’
 
“Today is a slip-up but looking at the games we’ve got remaining, we’ve beaten eight of those teams already. We have to play Walton Casuals twice, which I look at as our games in hand. If we can pick up ten wins between now and the end of the season, which is achievable, then we won’t be far away. It’ll be tough but we’ll keep going and the boys are motivated. We know we’re going for it and we’ll continue to do so.”

Corinthian-Casuals 3-1 Chipstead
Ryman League Division One South
Saturday 26th September 2015
Attendance: 121
Match report and pics: Stuart Tree (images can be seen here)

Corinthian-Casuals put the midweek heartache of losing in stoppage time well and truly behind them as they put three past strugglers Chipstead in the Ryman League Division One South.

Goals from Danny Dudley, Josh Uzun and Emmanuel Akokhia were enough to propel James Bracken’s side up to second in the table, three points behind leaders Folkestone Invicta. 

Casuals started the day with Kevant Serbony and Josh Uzun once again available for selection after suspensions, however, only the latter made it to the starting XI with Serbony placed on the bench. 

Chipstead had only accumulated two points coming into the match but with a new manager at the helm – Lyndon Buckwell, hopes were raised after a midweek draw with Walton and Hersham.

Corinth started the brighter of the two sides and the left-wing combo of Dave Hodges and Juevan Spencer immediately caused the Chip’s defence a number of problems. A succession of corners gave the home side the best chances of scoring with Niall Wright having a shot charged down before both Terry Murray and Danny Dudley went close from set pieces.

The pressure soon paid off; On 16 minutes, Josh Uzun’s deep corner found Dudley on the edge of the six yard box and the defender had the time and composure to volley home to give Casuals a deserved lead.

Soon, it was two; Uzun now the recipient of a cross from Hodges who’d beat his man to neatly cross it to the near post where the midfielder slotted home. 

The first half continued in much the same vein. Dudley was denied a rare brace when Brandon Johnson played him in but was narrowly beaten to the ball by the Chips’ stopper. Warren Morgan’s wicked cross was inches from connecting with Spencer’s head which would’ve certainly been a third and Johnson himself had a penalty shout turned away.

Casuals started to play with a little more flair and Sekou Kaba was close to netting with a cheeky backheel which was just a little too cute for a decisive finish. The Amateurs had to be careful though. At 2-0, there’s still plenty to play for and Chipstead reminded those in attendance that they were still in the game. Terry Murray denied Felix Oggah by clearing off the line in what was Chipstead’s only real chance of note.

Into the second half and the play continued much the way it had finished in the first. Uzun intercepted a loose cross field pass and fired past Milan Stojsaveljvic but also the wrong side of the post. Murray had two golden opportunities to open his Casuals account but last ditch defending denied the defender.

Casuals further extended their lead on 59 minutes with hotshot Emmanuel Akokhia leaving the Chip’s keeper stranded to fire home his eighth goal of the season. A short backpass was charged down by the striker as Milan attempted to clear it and with the ball falling kindly to Akokhia, it was one of the more easier goals he’ll score this season.

The game was won; James Bracken took the opportunity to use his substitutes and mix it up a little. It was a disappointing end to the match from a Casuals perspective after conceding a late penalty following a foul in the box. Danny Bracken was close to saving Oggah’s penalty but Chipstead had their fifth goal of the season. But it was Casuals’ day and ended the day sitting second in the league.

James Bracken spoke after the match.

“It was obviously really important that we got three points today. We only lost a point in the scheme of things on Tuesday night so it wasn’t like we threw away a lead or anything. It was a bit of a downer though to concede that late. So the remedy is a win today and we’re up to second now which is nice.

“It was disappointing to concede at the end. I’m a perfectionist. I don’t want to give away anything ever. I said a few weeks ago that it’s about keeping clean sheets and scoring a lot of goals. We’ve scored three today which is a lot in footballing terms but we want to keep a clean sheet.

“We’ve got a lot of flair players and sometimes they see three-nil as an opportunity to go four or five ahead rather than keeping it tight at three-nil. 

“It’s vitally important to get goals across the park. If you have a team with one goalscorer, you’re always worried if they go down with a knock or if he’s unavailable. With us, it doesn’t matter if we’re missing two players from our front-line as I’m still confident the players that go out there will score.”

Chipstead 0-2 Corinthian-Casuals
Ryman League Division One South
Saturday 28th March 2015
Report and pics: Stuart Tree

Corinthian-Casuals convincingly defeated out-of-form Chipstead in the Ryman League Division One South on Saturday but had to wait until the 86th minute to claim all three points.

Casuals, who were visiting Chip’s rural High Road home were playing their fourth match in seven days. Chipstead came into the match looking for their first point in six matches.

Boss Matt Howard made a couple of changes from the side that lost at Hendon two days before; both Lee Hall and Dave Hodges returned with Jason Turley and Reece Placid making way.

Corinth’s attacking intentions were clear from the offset. Dave Hodges reminded everone how much he was missed at Hendon by making penetrating runs on the wing. A sharp shot from the winger was well parried by Milan in goal but the resulting loose ball couldn’t be converted by either Max Austin or Jamie Byatt.

Chipstead remained resolute in their defence as further attacks from Byatt and Maz Bettache were blocked when goalbound. Byatt actually had a few chances to put the Casuals ahead but as the game progressed, it became apparent it could easily be ‘one of those afternoons’.  Jake Gill, playing in a more attacking role also pushed forward and his surging run was well stopped by the Chip’s keeper.

The second half commenced much the same as the first ended though Chipstead looked like they would be the first to open the scoring. Andrew Dalhouse broke through Corinth’s back line and brushed off a last ditch Joe Hicks challenge, he rounded Bracken in goal only to find Jake Downs back on the line to clear.

This clearly woke the visitors and the realisation that time was ticking on and they had nothing to show for their dominant possession. Matt Howard introduced Andy Mills to the attack and his presence soon caused the Chip’s defence problems. Jake Downs’ fine ball found Mills but his effort was well matched by Milan.

By now, it was all one way traffic; Bettache’s vicious shot narrowly passed the post and Mills’ header can only go wide from a good position. Time was nearly up and Corinth had nothing to show for their continued wasteful efforts.

However, in the 86th minute, sighs of relief could be heard around the ground when Andy Mills netted his first goal for the club. Dave Hodges, who’d been lively all afternoon found Mills in the box and he calmly tucked the ball away in the far corner.

Naturally, Chipstead pushed forward to look for an equaliser and worried a few Corinth supporters by coming close on occasion but the three points were sealed in time added on. Byatt was fouled in a dangerous position, but instead of playing the ball into the corner, Bettache and Byatt cleverly linked in a move straight off the training ground. Bettache’s slick pass played in Byatt for his cross to find an unmarked Juevan Spencer who, in the words of the Corinth fans “had enough time to roll a fag” before slotting home.

Though it took 86 minutes to register any score, it was a performance that Howard and all Casuals’ supporters could be happy with.

After the match, Kevin Barker from the management team spoke of the win,

“We finished stronger for sure. Matt made a couple of good substitutions which really helped.

“As soon as we got one goal, it was evident we were going to get two. Andy Mills took his goal really well… top draw.

“The second goal was excellent from the free kick. Well worked.

“We’re now looking at a top eight finish if possible. We’ve got some hard games coming up, like Tuesday night against Three Bridges but if we can get results against teams like then who knows. We’re playing some good football at the moment and it’s all in our own hands.”

Pics from the match can be seen here.

Corinthian-Casuals 3-1 Chipstead
Ryman League Division One South
Tuesday 23rd September 2014
Attendance: 153
Match Report by Stuart Tree

A stellar second half performance from Corinthian-Casuals saw the Amateurs go second in the Ryman League Division One South after defeating fellow over-achievers Chipstead.

Casuals came into the match off a defeat and a draw and Matt Howard’s men looked to get back to winning ways. Casuals had a 100% midweek record to maintain and at half time, it looked in jeopardy. However, goals from Jamie Byatt, Carl Wilson-Denis and Dave Hodges ensured that Corinth made it six wins from six from midweek encounters.

Matt Howard and Luke Garrard tinkered with the formation prior to kickoff, fielding an attacking 4-3-3 formation. Steve Goddard returned to the starting line up as did Mason Welch-Turner at left-back. Jordan Vidal was moved to midfield with Jamie Byatt taking up a wide position in a three pronged attack that included Goddard and Carl Wilson-Denis.

Chipstead also came into the game full of confidence. Though they were knocked out after extra time in the FA Cup the previous week, a decent start to their league campaign had only seen them defeated once in eight games.

Both sides were set up for an offensive game and throughout the ninety minutes, each side played slick, entertaining football. In the seventh minute, the first chance fell to Casuals when Niall Wright’s cross found Steve Goddard whose flick-on went narrowly wide. On the counter, Chipstead’s Will Turl beat Danny Bracken to the ball outside the keeper’s area but couldn’t find the target from the ever-increasingly difficult angle.

Shortly after, Jamie Byatt, deep in the channels, found Carl Wilson-Denis in the middle of the box and the veteran striker’s turn and shot passed narrowly wide of Paul McCarthy’s post. The combination of Byatt and Wilson-Denis was to prove deadly to Chipstead all night.

But it was Chipstead who took the lead in the 31st minute. Josh Gallagher opened the scoring for the Chips in what was their first real effort on goal. Immediately at the other end, ex-Chipstead defender, Danny Dudley agonisingly-stretched for a cross in a move reminiscent of Gazza’s effort versus Germany at Euro 96 – his feet inches away from putting the ball in the net.

After the break, Casuals emerged with a different formation, switching to the more traditional 4-4-2. Wingers Juevan Spencer and Dave Hodges also emerged from the bench to make a real impact. But the game could’ve turned before they had a chance to make an impression; Chipstead hit the bar from an acute angle that could so have easily snuck in. If the Chips had gone two-up, there’s every likelihood that the result would’ve been very different. However, games turn on missed opportunities and Chipstead were to pay.

With the two pacey wingers now in play, Byatt switched back to head the attack and Maz Bettache was given more space to create in the centre. It worked: In the 50th minute, Byatt, running onto a sweet pass struck the ball first time in a goal that can only be scored by a striker with a real instinct of where the goal is. His shot beat the stranded McCarthy and nestled in the bottom corner, much to the delight of the Casuals faithful behind the goal.

It was soon to be two: Casuals now in the ascendancy were tearing apart the Chipstead defence with such ease, it was hard to see how the visitors had such a high placing in the league. Byatt linked up with Wilson-Denis to provide the latter with a cross that was neatly put away and to give Corinth the lead.

From there on in, there was only one winner. On 88 minutes, Dave Hodges sealed the victory when breaking through the defence, shot hard and low past McCarthy to make it 3-1. In truth, Casuals should have made it four or five after Juevan Spencer spurned a one-on-one chance and Byatt went inches wide with another instinctive stab at goal. It was a resounding second half performance and a victory that confirms the Amateurs are in real top-class form.

All credit to Chipstead: they came to King George’s with the intention of playing attractive, free-flowing football and they played a huge part in making this match a real entertaining affair for the 153 in attendance. But the main credit must go to the management team of Matt Howard and Luke Garrard who changed the formation, the playing style and made two inspired substitutions that led to Casuals taking all three points.

After the match, Assistant Manager Luke Garrard gave his thoughts.

“First half we were poor but at half time, we changed it a little bit and it seemed to pan out like it has done so far this season and we put in a performance that was typical of us.

“Two long balls exposed Chipstead. We had numbers up front and Busy (Jamie Byatt) took advantage scoring one and setting up Carl (Wilson-Denis) who got in between the posts and put the ball away.

“The fact that we changed it from a 4-3-3 to a 4-4-2 came to fruition. It released the two wide players gave us pace and energy.

“We're a team that gains momentum with every match. We're a fit side. Teams when they come here seem to tire a lot quicker than what we do. We gain more energy as they lose it. That's how we hurt teams. We hurt them in the wide areas with pace as the game progresses.

“I always fancy us to go on and get a result, even if we concede a goal first like we did tonight.

“Saturday against Herne Bay will be a different story – it’s a tough place to go, but if we can keep the same shape and hit them on the break, we’re a match for anyone.”

Andy Nunn's excellent photos from the match can be seen here.