Hythe Town 1 - 1 Corinthian-Casuals
Bostik League South
Saturday 28th April 2018
Match report and photos: Stuart Tree (full set of pics here)

Corinthian-Casuals left it to the last moments to clinch a playoff spot, snatching a late equaliser at Hythe Town to set up a repeat of last year’s dramatic 4-3 semi-final win at Greenwich Borough.

Harry Ottaway’s injury time header was enough to see Casuals over the finish line and leave their hosts dejected as Hythe missed out on a playoff spot themselves.

A win for either side guaranteed their season was extended into the knockout stages but Casuals could afford to draw, which would exclude in-form Hythe from the playoff picture.

With ten minutes remaining, an excellent strike from Hythe’s Zac Ansah put the Kent side in the hot seat but on the stroke of full time, Ottaway nipped in at the back post to delicately nod home to the delight of the travelling Casuals contingent.

The draw meant Casuals finish in 5th leaving Hythe in 7th agonisingly missing out on goal difference. Casuals will travel to Greenwich on Tuesday night in the semi-final with thoughts of last year on their mind.

“We’ve got great memories of the semi-final at Greenwich from last year and let’s hope we can create some more,” said Manager James Bracken after the match.

“That’s why we do this. Days like today and the feeling you get is better than any drug. It’s a natural high. It’s not just me as an individual. You look around and you’ve got your players, your bench, your fans, your family… everybody is feeling that moment with you.

“We’ve had plenty of these great moments in the three years I’ve been here and I’ll never take these moments for granted. We’ve had so many great days – moments where the hairs stand on the back of your neck and today we’ve added to that. Why? Because we were right up against it and could’ve been over for us. But we found it.

“We had injuries to key players today and that’s been the story of our season. Yet we still keep doing enough to keep going where we want to go. So Tuesday, we’ll be raring to go and hope to give everyone another fantastic night.”

Casuals started the afternoon in the playoff spots and a point guaranteed their involvement in the knockout stages for the second successive season. One hurdle stood in their way; Hythe Town who had lost just once in their previous 16 matches.

The Cannons had surged through the pack to have a late shot at the playoff picture and a win guaranteed them a spot themselves. This was a cup-final in every real sense.

Bracken’s outfit kept them relatively quiet in the first half and perhaps should’ve taken the lead themselves when Josh Uzun fired over from 15 yards.

Zac Ansah forced Corinth keeper Gareth Williams into an excellent one handed save when the ex-Plymouth striker let loose from 25 yards.

Ansah was in the thick of the action early in the second half but once again, Williams was able to prevent the Hythe hitman from scoring. A delightful lob looped up but the stand-in keeper was able to tip it away to safety.

Casuals had a claim for a penalty turned away when Uzun looked to have been bundled over in the box.

But it was Hythe who took the lead, with Ansah finally getting his rewards, curling his shot into the bottom corner to give Bracken and Casuals ten minutes to save their season.

Gabriel Odunaike could’ve been that saviour but his effort was expertly saved by Will Godmon and the deflection sailed to safety over the bar.

With time running out, Casuals forced a free kick and Captain Nathan Daly’s header looked to be going wide. With Godmon scrambling to the ball, Harry Ottaway appeared at the back post and nodded home from an acute angle to send the Casuals players and fans into rapturous celebrations.

Corinth held out for the seven minutes stoppage time and booked their place in the playoffs leaving Hythe in despair.

“It was a great game of football,” continued Bracken. “There was everything riding on the result for both teams. I think that showed in patches for the two sides. First half, we were frustrating them nicely. In the second half, it could’ve gone either way. Gareth (Williams) has made a couple of good saves and their keeper has made a point blank one-on-one stop.

“When you concede that goal, you sink a bit. But every single time we sink a little, we come back firing and find a goal.

“When we went 1-0 down, we asked ourselves ‘what can we do to put us on the front foot and create more chances?’ Perhaps take one or two more risks at the back, but you have to balance that. We could’ve gone with five up front but that can easily let in a second goal and then it’s game over. We had to time it right and achieve a balance between creating and conceding.

“We made a change, it put us on the ascendancy, won a couple of free kicks and scored a good equaliser.

“Hythe were the in-form team. Looking at their form since Christmas, they’ve not lost many and won most of their matches. They come from nowhere to put this run on for the playoffs. The team that hits the playoffs on form often go on to win it. Had they beaten us today, I’d have fancied them to go on and win promotion.

“We deserve to be in the playoffs on the balance of the season. We’ve competed in the top three or four places for the majority of the campaign. We had a dip a couple of weeks back but we’ve stabilised, come back with a strong 5-0 win and earned a great draw against the in-form side in the league. So we’re full of confidence.

Casuals travel to Greenwich on Tuesday night with the winner set to face either Cray Wanderers or Walton Casuals in the final on Saturday.

Corinthian-Casuals 0 - 0 Hythe Town
Bostik League South
Saturday 13th January 2018
Report: Cameron Smith. Photos: Stuart Tree (full set here).
Additional photos from Andy Nunn here.

​​A goalless draw versus a resilient ten-man Hythe Town side left Corinthian-Casuals with a bittersweet aftertaste as a point and a clean sheet was weighed up against dropping to fifth place in the Bostik Division One South on a scrappy Saturday afternoon.

Max Oldham’s brace aided James Bracken’s pink and brown army to a 3-1 victory in a tough Velocity Trophy quarter-final fixture at Hendon FC on a drizzly Tuesday evening. Progressing into the semi-finals, Casuals were in high spirits when the play-off outsiders Hythe Town travelled to Tolworth all the way from the south coast of Kent for an interesting encounter on a biting Saturday 3pm kick off. There was also a new signing for the South London side, not for the team, but for King George’s groundsmen as the friendly face of Stan Collymore jumped on the mower and helped prepare the pitch ahead of the match! The former-Liverpool and England footballer was presenting a short film on Corinthian-Casuals and the people behind our historic club for RT’s The Stan Collymore Show.
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As the referee started proceedings, the Bracken Brothers hoped that the pacey combination of Oldham, Dillon and Odunaike would provide the edge they needed to beat the visitors whilst Callum McAllister looked to boss the midfield once again and the return of Jack Strange to the starting eleven added assurance at the back. Cagey, the first fifteen minutes brought only changes in possession, until Hythe’s Ryan Palmer fired a pinpoint yet mightily powerful shot onto the underside of the crossbar, which bounced on the line before being cleared. The blue shirts of The Cannons were up in arms when the ball bounced on the line as they felt Palmer’s effort might’ve edged over the line, but the referee continued with play.

Chances were rare for Corinth as Hythe seemed to block the hosts’ trio of attackers with ease. Just before half-time, the referee had another tough decision to make when Hythe’s Jordan Johnson-Palmer and Casuals’ Reyon Dillon were involved in a collision on the right flank in which the opposition’s no.6 engaged in a gruesome studs-up challenge that may have taken the ball, but took Dillon too. Rolling in pain on the floor, the Casuals winger was lucky not to receive any lasting damage as both sides surrounded the referee. Hythe’s blue shirts were arguing that the tackle resulted in them winning the ball, whilst Casuals players wanted Johnson-Palmer off. It was Corinthians who got their way, and deservedly as the challenge saw Hythe go down to ten, which swiftly brought the game to half-time.

A second-half that was as frustrating as the first, Casuals and Hythe were both involved in a compelling 45 minutes of football, despite the lack of goals. With no.11 Kieron Campbell keeping full-backs Walker and Daly on their toes throughout, Hythe kept their composure, professionalism and strategy within check at all times despite the disadvantage. Defending with utter urgency, they prevented Casuals on multiple occasions from scoring the opener as corners and set-pieces were guided away from the bustling penalty area. Josh Uzun’s whipped corner agonisingly avoided the pink and brown shirts in the box as well as the blue as his trademark kick flashed past everyone in one of Casuals’ best opportunities. Gabriel Odunaike slammed an one-on-one well wide of the goal in a disappointing outcome to an initially promising move with ten minutes to go. Following an inexplicable decision to not add on any extra minutes for Hythe’s time-wasting late on, the referee blew for full-time; it had ended 0-0.

The fourth goalless draw of the 17/18 season so far, Corinthians would take the positives from an irritating result as a clean sheet and the extension to their eight-game unbeaten run in all competitions. We wish visitors Hythe Town the best of luck for the rest of the season. James Bracken would take the point and focus his squad on Whyteleafe away next Saturday. 

“Really frustrating today,” said Assistant Manager Dan Pringle after the match. “In the first half, we weren’t at the races.
 
“Through our poor start, we allowed them to get a foothold in the game. We allowed them to get some belief and from there-on, it was difficult for us to assert ourselves back into the game.
 
“For sure that was a definite red card. In fact, there could’ve been another one issued for the tackle on Max Oldham. They were fortunate to go in at the break with ten men still on the field. It should've been nine.
 
“Playing against ten men can be a poisoned chalice. Teams change their mindset. They sit in and are happy to take a point at that stage. It’s a great result for them.
 
“We’ve not pressurised them enough. Not enough shots at goal in the second half. Not enough sustained penetration. The final ball was lacking or someone not being in the right area at the right time.
 
“In all honesty, we could’ve played for another 90 minutes and not scored today.
 
“When we’re at our best, as we saw on Tuesday at Hendon, we can beat anyone. We dominated that game, passed them off the pitch and should’ve scored more than the three we did.
 
“It’s just a shame we go from that to this performance today.
 
“We’ll believe we can still win this league until it’s mathematically impossible for us not to do so.
 
“In our three years here, we’ve never come across another side who we feel like we’ve been outplayed or feel like we should’ve lost to. We’ve had poor halves of football now and again but I don’t think we’ve ever had a full 90 where we believe we should’ve been beaten.
 
“We can take confidence from how we ended the last two seasons. Last year, we won 10 on the bounce to get to the playoff final. That’s fantastic but we have to be mindful that other teams respect us much more now.
 
“The first season, it was unheard of here and we were a complete surprise. The second season, people expected us to fall away and not sustain our challenge. Therefore, this year it’s harder than ever because there’s far more respect towards us.
 
“We’ve got so much talent in our changing room though that there is no reason why we can’t win every single game, even against the big boys. I believe if we achieve that, we will finish as champions.
 
“If not, we’ve been in the playoffs last year so we know what to expect. It was a good experience, though hard to take defeat at the time, so we take great confidence from what we learned in that and the last two years as a whole.” 

Corinthian-Casuals 3 - 6 Hythe Town
Ryman League Division One South
Saturday 10th September 2016
Attendance: 112
Match report: Cameron Smith. Pics: Stuart Tree (full set here)

On a gloomy afternoon in Tolworth, Corinthian Casuals were swept off their feet by the majestic Hythe Town in a high-scoring, yet disheartening, 6-3 defeat in the Ryman Division One South.

A morale-boosting 5-2 victory fresh in James Bracken’s mind, there were no changes to the impressive back four, which included man-of-the-match and goal-scorer Jack Strange. The suspended Jordan Clarke returned to the starting XI ahead of Josh Uzun whilst Juevan Spencer was replaced by fan favorite Mahrez Bettache. ‘Super Maz’ was starting his first match since rejoining Casuals from Hendon. The opposition, Hythe Town, were off the back of a 2-1 win over Faversham Town on Tuesday. Two wins, two draws and one loss, Hythe travelled to King George’s with intentions to improve on their mid-table status.

As the wind howled and the rain fell, Casuals lined up in a new home kit for the first time, retaining the historic, fabulously-unique pink and chocolate while the visitors wore blue. It was clear that the kit wasn’t the only thing that was new-look, as the midfield were struggling to keep up with the fast attacking style of Hythe. In the 19th minute, the Cannons edged ahead after no.9 Frankie Sawyer sent Bracken the wrong way to score a penalty. Identical to the penalty incident against Guernsey on Tuesday, Casuals had given Hythe a chance to open the scoring, which they did.

Five minutes later, a controversial refereeing decision saw Terry Murray earn himself a yellow card for a sliding tackle when the defender looked like he had slipped on the wet surface. Despite protests, a free-kick on the edge of the area was given. That free-kick was beautifully converted by Sam Adams as Hythe doubled their lead. Two set-pieces sealed Casuals’ fate. Lack of creativity, the new set-up did not seem to be working for Corinth. Thankfully, the referee’s whistle blew and the horrendous first half was over.

Substitute Josh Algar scored two minutes from the edge of the area after the re-start to continue Corinth’s horror story. Questionable gaps in Casuals’ defence were opened ten minutes later as Alfie May slotted past Bracken when allowed clean through on goal to add the fourth. Minutes after, May scored again, this time a fire-cracker of a volley. Flying into the roof of the net, the score-line was now five goals to nil.

Finally, Casuals found their feet as Maz Bettache fired the ball off the crossbar and into the net to pull a goal back twenty minutes from time. Hythe relentlessly replied with another goal, May grabbing his astonishing twelve minute hat-trick after dispatching another 1 on 1 situation. After going 6-1 down, James Bracken made a double change, implementing midfielder Josh Uzun and defender Danny Dudley. Uzun, fresh from scoring a brilliant goal against Guernsey, netted Casuals’ second of the game, rifling a Byatt cross past Hythe’s Joe Mant. In the 89th minute, the unusually-quiet Okojie tapped the ball into the empty net after finishing what Shaun Brown could not. It was his fifth goal in three games; the game ended 6-3. Despite the overwhelming score-line, Casuals maintained character and determination to restore pride when 5-0 down, which showcased the level of care and love the players have for the game.

The away side marched from King George’s with three well-deserved points. Eighth place, Hythe played Faversham next in the Robert Dyas League Cup on Tuesday evening. Casuals also are set to play against Whyteleafe in the Cup on the same evening before taking a trip down the A217  for a league clash against Chipstead. Behind high-flying Tooting and Dorking Wanderers, Casuals sit in third, still in contention.

After the match, boss Bracken said, "Whether the first decision is a penalty or a slip, I don't know but when two players come together in the box, with their player goal-side, a spot kick is often given. If it's the other way round, it probably doesn't get given as a free kick and the ball rolls out of play. But it's been given and that's how it goes sometimes.

"But the next decision, the one that leads to their second goal is the real harmful one. Terry slips over, not even aware of the attacker and ends up on the floor with his back to the forward, who falls over the top of him. If you had a player injured on the pitch and someone fell over him, a free kick would never be given. Our player is oblivious to what has happened. I think the reaction of most summed it up. Their manager has even agreed that should never have been given. But the decisions made throughout the game were poor if I'm honest.

"At half time, I told the lads in the changing room that we'll score three. I had seen enough in the first period to be encouraged and knew what needed to be changed at half time in terms of making us a little more effective going forward. We didn't have enough width in the first half and no real overlap from the full backs - we were too narrow. We were stifled and that had to change.

"We scored the three that I said we would but conversely, we've let in another four. We can't dress it up as anything. It's just one of those days.

"I've not shouted at them afterwards. I said to the lads, sometimes you play a side where every shot they hit goes in. They've had a penalty, a free kick where the chap has stuck it in the top corner, a shot where the ball has skidded over Dan's hand and a volley from the back post that he'll never hit again.

"But when you look at how many chances they miss, there wasn't many. They've had probably seven chances as they should've scored the one they put over the bar. Almost every time they took a shot, it went in the goal. Sometimes that happens. There'll be a game where we don't play particularly well but go on to score four or five ourselves because every time we hit the ball it goes in the net. It's one of those days. There's no point dwelling on it now and we'll put it down to experience... we've just got to move on.

"I won't be mixing it up as much as I'd planned to on Tuesday.  Our goal is to not lose two games on the spin. So we'll put out a strong team and set our sights on winning. There will be changes – the boys on the bench will get a game and perhaps one or two from the reserves squad that have been doing well. It's a chance for those who are looking to get back a bit of fitness to get ninety minutes in.

"Ultimately, we're still searching for the balance between attacking and defending. How many attackers do we put in and how do we ensure we're a little more solid and resilient to conceding goals? We'll use this as an opportunity to look at a few things and tinker with it slightly. It's not right with the amount of goals we're letting in."

Corinthian-Casuals 1 - 0 Hythe Town
Ryman League Division One South
Saturday 7th November 2015
Attendance: 104
Match report and photos: Stuart Tree (full set of pics here)

Corinthian-Casuals got back to winning ways with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Hythe Town – their first ever victory over the Cannons in the Ryman League.
 
Juevan Spencer’s 29th minute back-post header from a Cherno Mendy cross was all that separated the two sides. The Tolworth-based side were able to hold onto the win despite intense pressure from the Kent coasters throughout the second half.
 
And Manager James Bracken praised his side’s resilience and admitted that the good times may have made his side forget how to battle hard.
 
“That defensive side of us has been there from the start of the season.” said Bracken. “Even through pre-season, we were getting results because we were resilient.
 
“Maybe a few results and a winning streak makes you forget about that aspect of the game and perhaps you feel like you can win games without having to do that.
 
“So we’ve had a bit of a wake-up call. We know we have to battle hard and that’s what we’ve certainly done today.”
 
Casuals came into the game without midfielder Brandon Johnson, who broke his toe in the 3-0 defeat at Worthing on Tuesday. Warren Morgan and Sekou Kaba returned after missing the previous game. Josh Uzun had recovered from his hamstring injury enough to be included in the squad.
 
Hythe Town’s line-up had dramatically changed since the 1-1 draw at Reachfields in August. With a new manager and a host of new players, including ex Tooting and Dulwich forward Frankie Sawyer, the Cannons came into the game having not lost in their previous five outings.
 
The windy conditions favoured Corinth in the first half and the home side looked to capitalise. Niall Wright’s well hit shot was well charged down and Juevan Spencer’s pace caused problems for the Hythe back four, slipping behind them on a regular basis. The winger was close to connecting to a well-placed through ball but Hythe’s full back, Stephen Butcher perfectly timed an interception to clear the danger.
 
The deadlock was broken on 29 minutes; Cherno Mendy, wide on the left wing, swung a cross to the back post and Spencer broke free of his marker and rose high to head past Joe Mant to give Corinth the lead.
 
After the break, Hythe stepped up a gear and put the home side under pressure, pinning them back in their own half. Danny Dudley put in a Man of the Match performance alongside Terry Murray to deny any equaliser. Both Dudley and Murray, along with Kaba deflected wind-assisted shots over from Ryan Johnson and Jamie Collado.
 
Hythe came closest to levelling the scores when Alfie May connected with a corner at the back post and appeared to be goal bound with the exception of Murray who was on hand to clear off the line. Hearts were in the mouths of Casuals’ fans when the Assistant Referee flagged, perhaps to award the goal, but in actual fact was for an infringement.
 
Corinth’s defensive performance was one of the finest seen this season and reminiscent of how they played against Met Police in pre-season. On the rare occasions that the defence was breached, Danny Bracken was on hand to make fine saves, including one particular quick reaction stop with his leg to prevent a sure-fire goal.
​
Although most of the play was in Casuals’ half, Cherno Mendy could’ve secured the result. His breakaway run ended with his 20 yard shot whistling just over the bar.
 
The only downside to the half from a Corinth point of view was the loss of Niall Wright, who had to be carried off with an injury that looks to potentially keep him out of action for a while.
 
But it was to be Corinth’s day. They held on for a win in a game with few chances. What will please James Bracken and his team is not only the ability to defend well in tight games but to finish chances when they’re so few and far between.   
 
Bracken spoke to Stuart Tree after the game.

“That was better today. We had a poor result on Tuesday night against Worthing… a poor half in fact. I thought we were quite good in the first period where we had a game plan that worked well but the second half wasn’t good enough. They were told in no uncertain terms and we’ve addressed what needed to be addressed. Today we’ve come and kept a clean sheet and done what’s needed to be done to get the win.
 
“That defensive side of us has been there from the start of the season. Even through pre-season, we were getting results because we were resilient.
 
“Maybe a few results and a winning streak makes you forget about that aspect of the game and perhaps you feel like you can win games without having to do that.
 
“So we’ve had a bit of a wake-up call. We know we have to battle hard and that’s what we’ve certainly done today.
 
 “I will never judge any of my teams in defeat… I’ll judge them on their reaction. That reaction tells me there’s no problem in this side whatsoever.”

Hythe Town 1 - 1 Corinthian-Casuals FC
Ryman League Division One South
Saturday 15th August 2015
Reachfields
Report and Pics: Stuart Tree (all pics can be seen here)

A last gasp penalty from Josh Uzun kept Corinthian-Casuals’ unbeaten start to the season going in a tough encounter away to Hythe Town in the Ryman League Division One.

And Manager James Bracken praised his players for showing “good character” to return home to Tolworth with a draw.

Hythe’s Reachfields Stadium has traditionally been a poor hunting ground for the Corinth but with the impressive wins over Worthing and Tooting to look back on, coupled with Hythe’s two defeats in two, there wasn’t a better chance for the Amateurs to take all three points for the first time against the Kent coasters.

Bracken had one enforced change to make; the unavailable Diego Maradona was replaced by last season’s top scorer Jamie Byatt – returning from a suspension that saw him miss the first two matches of the new campaign.

From the early exchanges, it was obvious that this was going to be a different affair to that which played out at Tooting’s KNK Stadium in midweek. Hythe looked hungry for their first point and gave very little away in midfield. However, the half played out without much action from either keeper.

However, Hythe’s stopper, Dan Eason was lucky to stay on the pitch in the dying minutes of the first period; Emmanuel Akokhia latched onto a defence-splitting pass and stole half a yard on his defender. Eason, charging out of his area, collided with Akokhia. Mr Michael Ryan, the man in charge immediately awarded a free kick but only cautioned the Cannon’s number one.

After the break, the home side upped the tempo and for large periods of the game, put Casuals’ defence under pressure. The back four remained resolute with the new partnership of Danny Dudley and Terry Murray nullifying most of the attacking threat. Hythe came closest within their dominating period when Laurence Harvey’s header clipped the top of the crossbar.

However, after 258 minutes without a goal conceded, Danny Bracken had to pick the ball out of the net for the first time this season; Hythe’s captain, James Morrish, skilfully chipping home over Bracken to give what looked like a home win in a tight affair.

Casuals looked a world away from the performances that saw them win two from two but the late introduction of debutant Emil Salama had a game changing effect.

Deep into stoppage time, Salama latched onto a pass and beat Eason to the ball, who in turn, didn’t miss Salama. Penalty! Eason wasn’t lucky enough to remain on the pitch this time and Hythe were down to ten men. Josh Uzun stepped up and calmly placed it past the substitute keeper to give Casuals a credible, if not slightly unjust draw.

After the match, James Bracken said of the result,

“You have to look at it as a point gained when you equalise with pretty much the last kick of the game. But it’s a good away point and we remain unbeaten.

“However, if you’d been in the dressing room, it was very quiet. There was no bouncing around because we want to win.

“A point is fine and there are positives to take from it, but we want to win!

“We were prepared for Hythe to be a little more physical and for large spells of the game we dealt with that just fine. They’ve scored a goal, not from a knock-down but a pass that we’ve not tracked a run. So it’s not a case that they’ve beat us down with set pieces or knocking balls in our box… we’ve coped with that aspect of their game fairly well today.

“Danny (Bracken) has not had to make a save of any note in the 90 minutes but they’ve nicked the goal in a tight game. Sometimes that’s enough to win it but we showed good character – we carried on and done enough to earn a draw.

“We weren’t at our best today. We’re not going to go out there and play exhibition football every week, win 3-0 and be comfortable. That’s just not going to happen. Sometimes you have to grind one out.

“We knew after the first twenty minutes that it was going to be one of those games where you have to stay in it. We could’ve quite easily nicked that first goal and maybe we’d have hung on for a 1-0 win. It didn’t work out that way but we’ve shown enough character to come away with a point.” 

Corinthian-Casuals 1-6 Hythe Town
Ryman League Division One South
Tuesday 10th March 2015
Report by Stuart Tree

Corinthian-Casuals were handed six of the best against a rampant Hythe Town in the Ryman League, condemning Casuals to their first league defeat since returning from Brazil in January.

And Manager of the Month, Matt Howard blasted his players after ‘bottling it’.

“When we lose, we lose good and proper… massively disappointing. I think a few of our players absolutely bottled it tonight.”

Casuals started with an almost unchanged side from that which performed so well against high-flyers Folkestone just three days before. Steve Goddard came in for Carl Wilson-Denis in what was a routine straight swap.

It looked like Corinth’s good form would continue; in only the fifth minute, Jamie Byatt capitalised on an error by the Hythe goalkeeper to nod home into an empty net.

However, it was to only go one way after that. Ten minutes later and Casuals conceded three corners in a row. It was third time lucky as Luke Harvey headed home from close range from the set piece.

Corinth looked promising going forward and Dave Hodges caused terror in the wings. But the hard work was undone by more comical defending. With four or five chances to clear their lines, Casuals found a way for Sam Conlon to score and give the visitors a deserved lead.

Soon, it was 3-1; Hythe broke on the left wing and a half clearance only fell to Shaun Welford who neatly blasted home from 15 yards. Home heads dropped as it looked to be ‘one of those nights’.

Casuals came out all guns blazing in the second half, even without the substituted Jamie Byatt. A good spell of pressure didn’t quite pay off. Max Austin stung Roddy Hayward’s hand as he expertly diverted a rasper over the bar. Steve Goddard looked like he should’ve scored in a goalmouth scramble that eventually fell to Juevan Spencer but blasted high into the night sky. The next goal was crucial; at 2-3, it could’ve set up for an exciting end. However, it went the other way.

Shaun Welford grabbed his second of the night from another poorly defended corner. In truth, any number of Hythe players lining up at the back post looked like they could’ve scored.

Minutes later, Hythe had another chance to score from yet another corner but strong protests of a handball on the line kept the score down to four… if only for a few minutes.

Breaking free of the defence and looking suspiciously offside, Shaun Welford calmly slotted one under Bracken to make it five. In truth, whether Welford was offside or not didn’t matter. The game had long gone for Casuals.

Despite Casuals’ fans in full voice, James Morrish made it Corinth’s worst defeat of the season after netting a sixth. To add insult to injury, Reece Placid’s header at the other end couldn’t get past the crossbar and rebounded to safety. Hythe’s players and supporters at least had a more cheerful long trip home than they might have expected.

After the match, Matt Howard commented on the performance.

“When we lose, we lose good and proper… massively disappointing. I think a few of our players absolutely bottled it tonight.

“Hythe are a big physically strong side and a few of us melted. At this level of football you can’t afford to carry passengers and we’ve carried quite a few passengers out there today.

“What I will say is that we’re all in it together. There’s no point now throwing our toys out of the pram. That’s the first defeat in six games. We’ll regroup… we’ll address it at training and put a few wrongs right before the match on Saturday.

“The game was lost in the first half. To go one-nil up in the first five minutes we’ve thought ‘happy days’ and of late, we haven’t looked like conceding a goal. Whether the boys got carried away I don’t know. The lads in the dressing room before the game had seen their names climbing up the ‘clean sheet’ table.

“The first goal was comical defending; we’ve had three corners in succession that we haven’t cleared. The second… well – I think we had four opportunities to clear it but we didn’t and the third was half a clearance and they’ve finished it well to be fair… and with a shot.

“At the end of the day, we don’t shoot. There’s only one player at Corinthian-Casuals that shoots and that’s Jamie Byatt. That’s why he scores thirty goals in a season… coz he shoots. We try and score by walking it in the net, by dribbling it round people. We just don’t shoot!

“It’s a strong word to use but a few of our players tonight bottled it or they’re cowards. But one defeat in six… let’s regroup and see if we can get a result on Saturday.”

 

Hythe Town 1-1 Corinthian-Casuals
Ryman League Division One South
Saturday 23rd August 2014
Reachfields
Match report and photos by Stuart Tree


Corinthian-Casuals were minutes away from completing back-to-back league wins but a late Jack Sullivan strike meant Matt Howard’s men had to settle for a point.

Casuals were keen to put the memories of last season’s trip to Reachfields behind them; Leading 3-2, the Amateurs conceded two late goals to inexplicably throw away all three points. It was a harsh reminder that Hythe Town is a hard place to collect any points.

However, buoyed by the midweek win over Walton and Hersham, Casuals travelled to the Kent coast with high expectations. There was one enforced change from the side that defeated Walton; in came Carl Wilson-Denis for the unavailable Steve Goddard.

As expected, it was the home side that got off to the better start and the Cannons looked lively in possession. Hythe’s captain Craig Clarke could only head over the bar when presented a decent chance. The back four of Casuals resolutely held out the Hythe attack but on 22 minutes, a dangerous low cross found Craig Thompson in the six yard box but somehow, the Hythe striker couldn’t convert the chance.

The home side were to pay for their error; just one minute later, a Dave Hodges cross found the in-form Juevan Spencer at the far post who volleyed into the ground and past Hythe keeper Dan Eason to give the visitors a surprise 1-0 lead.  It was classic smash-and-grab football.

The hosts continued their dominance of possession but lacking any end product, were unable to trouble Corinth. Laurence Harvey could only head over and further crosses into the Casual’s box were easily dealt with. The only moment that caused any concern was when Danny Bracken found himself outside his area only to half clear the ball. However, the resounding shouts of ‘shoot’ were not met with a finish that troubled the backpedalling keeper as the attempted lob sailed over.

Though Hythe had large spells of possession, it was the pace of Casuals’ counter-attacks that really troubled Hythe. Jordan Vidal penetrated the Hythe defence only for his cross to fall safely between the oncoming Jamie Byatt and Carl Wilson-Denis.

It was Wilson-Denis who had the best chance to make it two before half-time when he broke free of the defence and only a last ditch block from Hythe’s centre-back stopped the experienced striker from doubling Casuals’ lead.

After the break, the Casuals once again looked threatening down both wings. Juevan Spencer’s burst of speed continually troubled the Hythe full back. On the other wing, Dave Hodges was played in from a defence-splitting pass from Maz Bettache but his shot was saved by Eason. The resulting deflection fell into the path of Byatt but with defenders back on the line, his shot was blocked and Hythe escaped their biggest scare yet.

From this moment on, Hythe dusted themselves down and pulled themselves together. As the half progressed, the Cannons became increasingly more dangerous. Josh Burchell attempted to lob Bracken but could only shoot wide and Sam Conlon rounded the Casuals’ keeper with Maz Bettache clearing the resulting shot from the goal-line. Conlon looked ever more dangerous and on 80 minutes forced a decent full stretch save from the Casuals keeper.

However, on 85 minutes, the pressure finally paid off. Despite a fabulous save from Bracken, the resulting parry could only find Jack Sullivan who, to the delight of the home crowd, buried the rebound and level the scores.

Thoughts crossed Casuals supporter’s minds of what happened here last season, but the remaining minutes were uneventful and both teams played out for a draw.

Taking a point away from Reachfields is never easy but boss Matt Howard rued the fact that it could’ve, and should’ve been all three. Speaking after the game, Howard said,

“It feels like two points lost rather than a point gained and the lads have got the hump about it. They’re having a moan and they’re not happy. That’s good though as that’s not the team I inherited where it was a case of ‘oh well, we’ve lost again’. They’re really disappointed.”

“When I took over last season, we lost to Hythe 4-0 at home and come here three days later and lost 4-3, so this is progress.

“We’ve taken seven points from five games and I’m happy with that. Do that over the course of a season and that’s 63 points. 

Photos can be seen in the gallery section as well as all the action from the day here.