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WELCOME SUNNY RAI!

20/1/2023

As Justin Fevrier continues to shape his backroom team at Corinthian-Casuals, we are delighted to welcome Sunny Rai to the club as our new Head of Analysis. We caught up with him earlier this week to find out more about his work and the role he has taken on at the club…

Sunny, welcome to the club. How pleased are you to be working with Corinthian-Casuals?

I am delighted to be working at Corinthian-Casuals as Head of Analysis. It is a proud moment for me personally. I want to say a big thank you to Justin for giving me this opportunity and for having belief in the methods we’re working hard to put into place. As a lad who grew up in Birmingham, I must admit that I first heard of Corinthian-Casuals while watching Football Focus on a Saturday afternoon years ago. The history of this club is so special and unique and how it is run now is a credit to everyone involved. It’s been great to attend a couple of home games already to watch the team perform and take in the special atmosphere at the club.

How would you describe your role?

My role is to contribute to and oversee the performance analysis of match videos, as well as the analysis of GPS tracking data. It is a very exciting opportunity to implement some systems of analysis that can be a part of this club’s future going forward and hopefully make a positive contribution. Bridging the gap between scouting and analysis will be a key part of this role, as will be getting the players to buy in and digest the information we are providing. Their feedback is going to be an important part of the process.

What is your background and how did you get involved in competitive football?

While I was studying for my MSc in Sport Analytics at University of East London, I worked as a data analyst with the men’s football team. Our coaching team helped the players win the league and gain promotion to the Premier Division of BUCS (British University & Colleges Sport). I’ve also worked in British Wheelchair Basketball with the East London Phoenix women’s team, my first taste of professional sport. I did my university work placement at Sevenoaks Town FC last year and learnt an immense amount working with the brilliant analysis team there.

I have a strong mathematical background and have always been interested in sport especially football, playing as well as watching. Before the career change into sports data analysis, I was a clinical audit data analyst in the NHS, analysing clinical outcomes data from every NHS trust in the UK. High performance teams don't just operate within sport, they can also be in the healthcare industry, as Mikel Arteta rightly highlighted in a team talk during the recent Arsenal: All Or Nothing series.

Will you be working with a team of analysts and what are your plans for the club's new analysis department?

I lead a small team of analysts from my data analytics consultancy, Sportekk. Having a performance analyst, sports scientist and data scientist on board is key to driving all analyses in the right direction. I want to implement effective and secure systems of analysis and data management. Thankfully the club has already invested well in the technologies we need to extract data from, so all credit to them for doing so.

How have you enjoyed working with Justin, his coaching staff, and the players so far, and how interested are they all in the work you are doing?

Justin, Rich, Glen, Thommo and the others have so much experience and knowledge that it’s impossible not to be like a sponge around them. It is a privilege to witness them all perform their roles on a matchday. I see all the hard work they do behind the scenes, and it is unbelievable! Their input is key into what we are doing, they know the players better than anyone and can provide that human context to player data, which is key to my approach. It has only been just over a month since I’ve been involved so once everything is fully up to speed, I will be speaking more regularly with all the coaching team.

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Chislett: It’s in the blood!

18/1/2023

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With 19 appearances already this season, Zack Chislett has been an important player for Corinthian-Casuals this term. His dad, Donovan, and grandad, Gordon, played professionally in South Africa – the latter representing the country in 1974 – and his older brother, Ethan, is impressing at AFC Wimbledon this season, so it’s safe to say Zack comes from a family of serious footballing pedigree. Zac Welshman caught up with our young wing-back to chat about family and football.

Before we start with football, we want to know a bit more about you. You were born in South Africa, tell us a little bit about how and when your family came to the UK.
Yeah, I was born in Durban. I wasn’t there for long, I came over when I was about two, but I’m proud to be South African. My dad was playing professionally out there but he did his knee and couldn’t play any longer, so we came over to England for work.

So your dad was a player, as well. Who did he play for?
A team called AmaZulu, they’re in the first division in South Africa. He was a right-back as well, same as me, so a very similar player.

It must’ve been ingrained in you to play as a right-back then.
Yeah, that can be a blessing and a curse at times because he can be a harsh critic. My granddad played as well – he played for South Africa, so it’s in the blood!

So was it your dad that got you involved in football?
Yeah, all the early pictures and the early memories were always about football. To be fair, my dad didn’t push it, it was just a thing, it was football or nothing really. And Ethan was already playing so I always used to play with him.

You touched on your brother there too, what’s it like growing up in a family so involved with football?
It shapes a lot of the mood around the house. If everyone’s had a good game, then we’re all buzzing, or if it’s the other way around, everyone’s a bit distraught really. But it’s always been like that, my dad always comes to watch, no matter where the game is or whose playing, he’ll always come to watch and support.
I actually played against Ethan in a pre-season match for Met Police. He was playing left-wing so we were up against each other. It was weird, I remember one point where I shouted “Man on!” to him, it was just instinctual!

Who came out on top in that one?
I’m going to have to say myself! He didn’t score, he didn’t get past me, so I’ll have to say me.

You said football shapes the mood around the house, is it the kind of environment where you go to the family for advice, or is it more competitive than that?
Yeah, I think it’s more for advice. It’s competitive in a way, I see him doing well and I want to do well but I know some people get competitive in the wrong way and it turns into negative actions when you want them to do badly, or you want to be better than them. But it’s never been like that with us, we want each other to be the best they can be, and that’s what drives us.

Moving onto Casuals, you joined in the summer from Hampton & Richmond. What were your first impressions as a young player coming to a club with such history, or did you just want to come in and play?
It was both, but the history dragged me to the Casuals. It means something to play for this club, and it means something to the fans. It’s different from any other club in this league, it feels bigger. There were a few clubs I could’ve gone to, but the history was a big motivating factor.
Even when you go into the clubhouse, you just look around and think this is massive, this is literally football heritage. You see the fans from Corinthians coming down on their football pilgrimage and I just think it's crazy, so I always take note of that, it’s very inspiring.

It’s such a significant club, but it's also such a welcoming club. Have you felt that on the pitch?
Yeah definitely, even when we were going through a sticky period at the beginning of the season, you’d never get the abuse that you might get somewhere else, you’d always get applauded at the end of the game and I would go over to the fans at the end of the game and shake their hand, it’s a different kind of support and I’m really liking it so far.

As you said, it was tough for a while at the start of the season. What was it like when the form started to turn around a bit and you could give back to those fans?
That was unbelievable, we were getting wins and it was like we were winning the World Cup, everyone was so buzzing! After that long run of defeats and kind of expecting to lose, now we’re changing the mindset to going to attack teams and going to go win games, recently the change in form has been really uplifting for the boys.

What was it like as a young player, to go through that tough run of results early on? Especially with your family being so involved in football, did you lean on them a bit more?
Yeah I did, to be fair, Ethan had a similar thing with Wimbledon at the end of last season, similar to us it felt like you were trying everything but it just wouldn’t happen. So I definitely lean on them. But it was tough, and it’s definitely been a learning experience, I don’t feel like a young player anymore! There are a few younger players in the squad now and I’m coming up on 100 senior appearances, so I feel more established and ready to give advice to some of the players in the team.”

Do you think that kind of attitude around the squad has contributed to the turnaround in form?
100 per cent. We brought in Reuben Collins and he’s been brilliant. He’s so positive and he’s always talking. Everyone’s in it together and everyone wants everyone else to do better.”

We saw the end of that losing streak against Herne Bay back in October. Did it feel like it was coming for you guys?
Yeah, to be honest, it did. I felt during the weeks before then that we were growing and performances were getting better, we were getting a bit more confident, it was just a matter of time before we got that first win.

That was Justin’s first game as manager. Looking back on it now and seeing how the form has improved since then, do you see that day as the turning point?
I think that was definitely the turning point. Most of all for the mindset, to be honest, just wanting to go and attack teams, being a bit more on the front foot and exciting. Especially in that game, we were so much more exciting than we had been before, getting it wide, getting it in the box, keeping the ball but being positive with it. That was definitely a turning point, and the results after that showed as well.

In your position, you have to be so in tune with the other players at both ends of the pitch, is there anyone you’ve got that sixth sense with yet?
To be fair, there’s a couple. Defensively, me and Simba [Kudyiwa] have a really good partnership. I played with him at Met Police, probably about two years ago, so I already knew him, and we talk throughout the game, but we know exactly what each other is going to do. Offensively, me and Luke Stokoe always talk before the game and in training. I’m quite close with him so that also feels like we’ve got a sixth sense, he makes the runs I want him to make and I hope I make the runs he wants me to make.

You mentioned the change in mindset, and the manager is so big on improving the culture around the club. What changes has he made that you think have contributed to the improved form?
That was his biggest message when he first came in, he wants to make it a winning culture. To make it a culture where you come to training happy and wanting to win. He’s definitely changed that with the signings he’s made and he’s big on accountability, he drives that home to us, and I feel like that’s huge in football, not many players are accountable for their mistakes, but we have to be – otherwise we’ll be out the door.
Even the management team are the same, it's not just the players, everyone’s accountable. They sometimes have to suck it up and say, “Yeah I was wrong”. So, yeah, everyone!

Obviously, it’s been a massive change, but we’re still in a relegation battle. What do you as players need to focus on now to beat the drop?
I think, like Justin says, it's all about the culture. Keep trying to improve that and keep that fresh in everyone’s mind, don’t get comfortable with the recent form, stay hungry and just want to win, then it’s easy – you don’t even have to look at the table.

Finally, is there anything you want the fans to know?
Just that I love their support. I love going up to them at the end of the game and seeing how happy they are, their unconditional support is brilliant for us as players.

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Fevrier: We Have to Keep Evolving

16/1/2023

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After the 2-0 defeat to Lewes on Saturday, Finlay Stubbs sat down with Casuals manager Justin Fevrier to reflect on the game and assess his time in charge of the club so far...

Casuals suffered their first away defeat of the new year after a closely-fought game against an in-form Lewes side at the weekend, but despite the result Fevrier praised his side’s performance on a frustrating afternoon in Sussex.
“I thought we played really well today,” he said after the game. “I was quite proud of the boys. We mixed it with a really good Lewes team.
“On paper we were not expected to get anything from this game and I thought we matched them. We were good in duels, we had a fast start and got in behind a few times. Us changing our shape definitely threw them off and we knew it would as they have been to watch us a few times. Like I’ve said in previous interviews, people are now going to show us more respect which is what they have done.
“Sometimes it’s difficult to be positive about a defeat but we are pleased with the fact we played very well.”
Fevrier also reflected on his own performance so far as Casuals manager, three months since he took charge.
“Personally I think we have underachieved. We are actually very unhappy with what we have done. We feel like we should be out of this situation already.”

Despite the self-criticism, Fevrier reiterated that he is still confident his side will escape danger.
“We are positive we are still going to get the result we need,” he said. “Now we have got a core group of players that we can work with and maybe add one or two new players, and stick with the group we’ve got for the rest of the season. I think we will get out of this situation. I don’t think we’ll have any issues.”
During his reign so far, the club has seen a huge turnover in the number of players and when asked about the current squad, something Fevrier was happy to address.

“The boys we have brought in are young, hungry players – second chancers, I like to call them – and they are doing really well. It has changed a bit as it is evolving and will evolve over time. We just need to keep evolving with the times and focus on the games coming up as we don’t have the luxury of having a stable team, with players being taken by other clubs as well, so we have to adapt.”

Fevrier also spoke about his inclusion of young players after he gave a senior debut to 17-year-old William McDonald, who was called up from the youth section’s Under-18s squad.
“When I came in, one of the first things I was asked was my views on the young players coming through and I said I will connect the youth team with our first team – if they are good enough they will come in.
“I actually didn’t know about Will until I saw a few video clips of him and spoke to his managers [Mark Taylor and Paul Hill] at Under-18 level, and he’s been doing really well. He’s been training with the squad for a week now and he’s made his debut at the end there. It’s great for the club to see one of their own coming though and I hope more will come after that.”

Next up for Casuals is a home game under the lights as we take on Horsham on Tuesday night.
“We hope to retain the level of performance from today, I thought conditions played to our advantage as we do like to play football. Dominic di Paola’s teams are very good passing sides so we expect a very tough test on Tuesday.”

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The Freedom of the City

9/1/2023

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We are incredibly proud to announce that our club president, Micky Stewart OBE, has today received the Freedom of the City of London.

Micky said: “It is such an honour to be recognised by my home city, and it was a fantastic experience to attend the ceremony with my family and friends.”

Congratulations sir!

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Stokoe: Playing In The Right Areas

29/12/2022

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After the frustrating defeat to Aveley on Tuesday, Finlay Stubbs caught up with Casuals' attacking midfielder Luke Stokoe to discuss the game and his enjoyment of playing under manager Justin Fevrier.

Luke, it was a difficult game for us against a disciplined Aveley side. What are your thoughts on the match?

It was tough, the opposition started the game brightly and I think we matched it at times, but we conceded two soft goals from set pieces. On another day we could have gone 1-0 up, with me having a good chance, which I should have put away, and it could have been a different game.

It was the team’s first competitive game since 10 December when we beat Billericay Town. How difficult was it to adapt to playing at a competitive intensity again?

We’ve had two friendlies leading up to today, but it doesn’t entirely replicate a league game. So it was difficult to adapt, however there should be no excuses, the boys should’ve been at it today and I didn’t think we were.

With the squad having only just started to come together and you being at the club since the start of the season, what advice and support have you given to the group going into each game?

I have tried to make sure the players feel at home within the group. I feel when everyone plays with high confidence, everyone plays their best football, so if we can try and breathe confidence into each other, that is when we will play our best football.

We’ve had a new manager come in as well. How much have you enjoyed playing under Justin and within his culture?

It’s been really good. As a technical player myself I like to get on the ball and try to play football and develop that way, and that’s what Justin wants – playing in the right areas, creating overloads and playing through the thirds at pace. I have really enjoyed it, especially when playing through the thirds.

Tell us about your previous clubs and your career leading up to playing for Casuals?

Last season I was at Oxford City, where I spent some time out on loan at Kidlington FC and gained experience at step four level. Also, I have had a lot of experience in the Southern League so I know how competitive it can be.

How much have those loan moves helped you progress as a player?

As you progress higher up the levels, the quality improves which does test you but it’s always the physical battle that is tough and it’s the same sort of physicality as last season so you still have to adapt by moving the ball quicker. So I really enjoy the challenge of having to know I have to be at my best to do well at this level.

I have also heard you have a twin brother. Is there any sibling rivalry over who is the best football player between the two of you?

We both strive to be the best and then each other follows. But we are very competitive and we try to better each other by improving ourselves.

We’re in the midst of the festive fixtures now. How difficult was it trying to enjoy Christmas while staying disciplined in preparing for the game?

I’m quite disciplined in terms of what I eat, so I was careful. Obviously, I did enjoy the time spent with family and friends and I enjoyed the day but the focus in the back of my mind was preparing for today. I made sure I did some stretches and some foam rolling, also watching what I ate and drank was a high priority.

The next match is a big one, a local derby away to Kingstonian. How much are you looking forward to trying to bounce back from today?

Yes, I can't wait. We played against them already in the cup and unfortunately we didn’t play at our best that night. So I'm buzzing to be back playing and trying to get the three points next week.

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WELCOME SUNNY RAI!

Chislett: It’s in the blood!

Fevrier: We Have to Keep Evolving

The Freedom of the City

Stokoe: Playing In The Right Areas

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