Met Police 2 - 1 Corinthian-Casuals
London Senior Cup
Tuesday 24th September 2024
Report: Josh Lamey
 
Corinthian-Casuals fans have been accustomed to captivating cup ties in the last few months and last night was no different as Met Police squeezed their way into the hat for the next round.
 
The last two games have been turbulent, putting a slight dent in the club’s promotion ambitions. A 3-0 defeat upon visiting Fleet Town, coupled with a 4-2 away loss at Abbey Rangers means that Casuals occupy 8th place in the league table. But all heads were turned at the mention of the cup which last season bore some fruit for the club, reaching the quarter-final stage before ultimately losing out to a Sutton side playing in League Two at the time.
 
A short journey to visit Met is always favourable with the travelling fans, despite not having the best of records in East Molesey. The Paul Barnes reign kicked off at Imber Court as Casuals suffered a 3-0 loss to conclude 2023, but despite the two previous defeats, a new-found prosperity about this current side hoped that a cupset was on the cards.
 
A shuffled pack made the short trip to Imber Court, as a mixture of experience and debutants set out for the first round clash. Amongst them, former Met Police goalkeeper Mo Maan - who guided them Isthmian South glory - began between the sticks for Casuals. Meanwhile, Tareiq Holmes-Dennis came in to replace the absent Emerson Pilonetto.
 
And they were straight into the thick of things. The night was still young as the Met had the first chance of the game - chief bagsman Sidney Gbla found the ball under his spell in the area but was subsequently hacked down by last man Marcos Dos Santos, who was caught red handed. A second sending off in as many games for Casuals and Dos Santos went for an early bath.
 
Gbla then had ball-in-hand as he assumed responsibility and stood over the spot for the resulting penalty. However, Casuals got out of jail, as the centre forward fired high and wide from 12 yards.
 
30 minutes in, and after an inspired spell of stern defending being a man down, Met Police did break the deadlock. A calculated flick around the corner found Gbla one-on-one with Maan, and the 74 in attendance were greeted with a fine finish low to Maan’s left. A well-executed finish, but where next for Casuals?
 
The answer came five minutes later; the away side had their say in the tie. Frazier Osunkoya's clever ball across found Reyon Dillon on the edge of the area, who took a touch to beat his defender. AFC Wimbledon loanee keeper Max Foulkes was favourite to snatch the resulting touch but a collision with Dillon saw the ball run loose and with Josh Uzun lurking, the returning midfielder calmly finished to get Casuals back in the contest.
 
Despite having a man disadvantage, it appears that Casuals have gotten used to playing with 10 as they continued to play well and bang on the door for more.
 
This included a window of opportunity midway through for Dillon, forcing his way between defenders, and unleashing a bullet across the face that fell just wide of the mark. However, the hosts too had ambitions of a winner and would’ve got one themselves if it hadn’t been for the outstretched Maan… a heroic hand to keep the tie alive.
 
As added time ticked on, penalties loomed large. Dejarhn Grant burst into the penalty one final time try to manoeuvre a way into round two and after being brought to ground by Ezri Ikebuasi, cries for a last gasp penalty fell upon deaf ears.
 
Seconds passed, and Met found themselves charging down the other end with numbers and with intent to take custody of a lead. Nobody thought that when Ayoub Enajar picked up the ball in Casuals territory and let fire a scorcher of a winner. A goal worthy of winning any cup tie.
 
An unfortunate result but plenty of positives to take from the match, where Casuals held their own with ten men against Isthmian League opposition. Attention turns now to next Tuesday’s away clash with Chipstead as we return to league action again.
 
Corinthian-Casuals: Mo Maan, Gjoshe, Holmes-Dennis (Masikini 61), Adelakun, Dhanipersad, Dos Santos, Osunkoya, Cheklit, Dillon (Brown 76), Uzun (Allchurch 54), Cascoe-Rogers (Grant 76)

Corinthian-Casuals 1-3 AFC Whyteleafe
Combined Counties Premier Division South
Saturday 14th September 2024
Words: Josh Lamey
Images: Andy Nunn (full set here)

Corinthian-Casuals fell to a first defeat in five, as Whyteleafe forward Ryan Gondoh proved too hot to handle in a clash at the top end of the table.

Mu Maan has recently orchestrated a run of form that we could only have dreamed about after the last two seasons, and now the Casuals faithful find themselves feeling confident heading into each game.

Yesterday, however, we welcomed high-flying phoenix club, AFC Whyteleafe, who sat in second place and came into the game fresh off the back of a 5-1 drubbing of Horley Town. The visitors are the highest scorers in the league this season, having netted an impressive 29 goals in their eight previous outings, so it was going to be a mission for the back four to keep them at bay. Nevertheless, it was time to go eyeball-to-eyeball with one of the league’s best.

Maan’s side have gotten into the habit of starting games at breakneck speed, often setting the tempo in the opening 10 minutes. This time, they were on the receiving end of an early blow, after Aaron Watson’s cross was dispatched by Gondoh to claim his first of the afternoon. Although the visitors had the upper hand, Casuals had plenty of quality on the pitch to find a response.

And they did just that. Earlier in the week, the club announced the re-signing of exciting winger Trey Masikini and he carried the ball up the pitch as the hosts went in search of a reply. Pink-and-chocolate shirts flooded forwards in numbers to support the returning wideman, but on this occasion Michael Onovwigun’s header shaved the top of the bar.

Masikini was behind the equaliser when it did come, and it was another recently returned cult hero, Kieron Cadogan, who finished to square up the game just past the half-hour mark, collecting a perfectly weighted pass and burying his shot beyond Whyteleafe goalkeeper, James Shaw.

However, Whyteleafe had the final say in the first half. The Leafe’s lethal finisher Omari Delgado-Hibbert notched his 10th goal of the season in brutal fashion, sliding in to bundle home Gondoh’s low cross at the near post and making sure that Casuals keeper Murillo Bernardes felt the full weight of his challenge as he did so.

Heading into the break, there was work to be done, despite glimpses of football from the clouds.

With anything but a full roster available to Maan, the injury list continued to creep up during the second half. Onovwigun limped off to be replaced by Dejarhn Grant on 23 minutes, and Warren Morgan – who had moved out to left-back for this game in the absence of Emerson Pilonetto – was also withdrawn with an injury.

Yet the depleted Casuals continued to soldier on. A Cadogan free-kick caused problems for Shaw in goal and a goalmouth scramble ensued, yet the ball somehow crept just wide of the Whyteleafe post, denying us a second equaliser.

Whyteleafe then had their own chance to seal the points as Gaspar Mico burst through the Corinthian ranks and teed up Watson, but the chance went begging as the ball flew over the bar.

However, Gondoh made no mistake when he burst through on goal minutes later. The former Colchester United winger caused problems all afternoon, and neatly slotted his second of the game past Bernardes before taunting the home crowd with a questionable celebration.

Frazier Osunkoya struck the upright late on as Casuals continued the fight, but it wasn’t to be for Maan’s side.

There were, however, positives to take from a tricky test, and we will look to bounce back as we turn our attention to a trip to Fleet Town on Tuesday, before visiting Abbey Rangers next weekend.

Corinthian-Casuals: Bernardes, Gjoshe, Morgan (Daud 60 (Osunkoya 72)), Castelo (Zini 81), Agbinone, Dos Santos, Dillon (Brown 66), Onovwigun (Grant 23), Cadogan, Cheklit, Masikini

Corinthian-Casuals u18 0 - 1 Shoreham u18
FA Youth Cup
Thursday 12th September 2024
Report: Josh Lamey. Images: Andy Nunn (full set of photos here)

Everyone connected with Corinthian-Casuals is fully aware of just how important the youth section is to the core of the club, providing opportunities for the next generation of talent to shine. The Under-18s were back in action on Thursday night, raising the curtain on a new season and looking to put on a show in FA Youth Cup qualifying.

Last season proved successful on all fronts. An enthralling run to the Tony Ford Youth Challenge Cup semi-final and a fifth-place finish in the table displayed the potential that this group possesses.

This season’s line-up has plenty of familiar faces, as the likes of David Wloch, Tom Rolls, Oliver Warbey and Billy Cumber took to the field once again. Casuals made the faster start to the tie, with exciting centre-forward Nathan Downer testing the Shoreham keeper in the early stages.

As both sides grew into the contest, Warbey also went close a number of times. We have grown accustomed to his trademark runs, cutting in and unleashing a strike towards the net. However, he was unable to make the breakthrough here.

The hosts were then millimetres from grabbing the lead when a ball across the box left an open net staring Downer in the face, yet a miraculous ‘hand of God’ style save from Shoreham’s No1 kept it scoreless. As the autumnal chill began to creep in, Casuals required ice in the veins if they wanted to take the lead.

Half-time came and went, and we were back underway for the second 45, still goalless, but the Casuals defence was breached against the run of play, when Shoreham’s striker ran past Wloch to send the visitors into the lead.

The Musselmen then began to flex their attacking muscles, but Wloch provided a series of saves to keep Casuals in the tie. Unfortunately, we were unable to find the goal we needed at the other end and the game ended in victory for the visitors. It was a spirited performance from the boys in pink-and-chocolate, but they bow out of the FA Youth Cup at the first hurdle.

“The lads and the management team were deflated after the game,” said Paul Hill afterwards. “Football can be a very horrible game at times and last night was one of them.

“The boys did what I asked. They won their individual battles, kept the ball, and dominated areas of the pitch. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to win and progress in the cup. Credit to a resilient defensive display from Shoreham.

“There were positives to take from the game, and I hope it showed we have an identity on how we want to play and develop these players for the upcoming season.”

Corinthian-Casuals 4-2 Sandhurst Town
Combined Counties Premier Division South
Saturday 7th September
Words: Josh Lamey
Images: Stuart Tree (see full set here) and Andy Nunn (full set here).

Corinthian-Casuals enjoyed another superlative Saturday after an assertive display from all in pink and chocolate left a smile on the faces of the fans yesterday.

Casuals have been on an impressive rise of late, sealing three points in style against Epsom & Ewell, Tooting & Mitcham and Horley, before welcoming 16th-placed Sandhurst Town to the Armada Group Stadium, King George’s Field. After occupying 10th place last season, a well-organised Sandhurst side can carry plenty of threat, so a professional performance was required from the hosts.

Shea Cascoe-Rogers and Diogo da Silva were just a couple of the names ruled out of the latest contest after what turned out to be a hectic Tuesday night in Sussex, meaning Mu Maan turned to other attacking talents to fill the void. And they delivered meaningfully on another action-packed afternoon.

Casuals have been early birds in the league so far this season, so it was unsurprising they came flying out the blocks again. Ben Cheklit has hit the ground running in his second spell at the club, and he notched another after pouncing on a loose ball and confidently slotting it beyond Hugh Scott to give the hosts the lead in the opening 10 minutes. A sign of things to come, perhaps.

After 20 minutes of end-to-end football under a veil of silver September sky, Sandhurst saw their opportunity and grabbed it. A whipped ball in from the right-hand side couldn’t be claimed by Murillo Bernardes, and it fell kindly to the feet of Elliot Miles who tucked it into an unguarded net, despite appeals for a foul.

The 246 in attendance got just the response they were after following more waves of intelligent Casuals attack. Hakeem Adelakun, who has been influential in recent games from the engine room, won the ball back in Sandhurst’s penalty area, and rolled it across for Kieron Cadogan to fire home, restoring order for the hosts.

However, there was still time for the 33-year-old to get involved once again. Some lovely interchange with Cheklit left a clear sight of goal, and Haks made no mistake in hitting a piledriver into the bottom corner from 25 yards out. Casuals were pulling away, and Maan was visibly pleased heading into the break.

Cadogan’s first-half tap-in added to a terrific perfect hat-trick in the week makes it four goals in the last three games for the chief poacher, who is loving life back in a Casuals shirt. We were about to see whether he could add another to his tally in the second 45.

Both the heavens and the floodgates opened in the second half, and flying full-back Johnathon Gjoshe was masterminding every Casuals attack down the right. After narrowly missing an opportunity of his own – saved by the keeper’s legs – Gjoshe put in an inviting ball for Michael Onovwigun, who fired over from close range. A fourth was on the horizon.

Skipper Reyon Dillon also put in another industrious performance, thumping the woodwork twice in the process. The first was a trademark darting run inside from the right before seeing his powerful effort whack the underside of the bar, and then a late shot low to the keeper’s right, which seemed destined for the back of the net, could only find the foot of the far post.

Corinthian-Casuals all but sealed another emphatic victory with 15 minutes to go, as Kiyo Brown burst into the box, and his half-cross, half-shot ended up being redirected into the back of his own net by the unfortunate Connor Allison, to send the supporters in the newly decorated Phillips End into raptures. 4-1 Casuals.

However, the Fizzers were able to find a consolation goal deep into stoppage time. Shane Qoloni forced his way into the box and was tripped just inside the box – the referee pointed to the spot. Fifi Carter converted from 12 yards, but Casuals held out with no further trouble to continue to rack up the wins: five in the last six now.

Next Saturday, Casuals host AFC Whyteleafe in a top-of-the-table clash. Safe to say it was a happy return home yesterday afternoon, and we look forward to continuing this run next weekend.

Corinthian-Casuals: Bernardes, Gjoshe, Daud (Dunstan-Digweed 54), Adelakun, Morgan (Agbinone 78), Dos Santos, Brown, Onovwigun (Castelo 62), Cadogan (Osunkoya 82), Cheklit (Grant 70), Dillon (c)

Horley Town 4-5 Corinthian-Casuals
Tuesday 3 September
Report: Josh Lamey
Images: Andy Nunn

The New Defence won’t have witnessed many games like that before. It was nothing short of absolute chaos in a nine-goal melodrama, as Corinthian-Casuals started September with a bang.

The West Sussex border provided the stage for a Casuals side blossoming under the leadership of Mu Maan, and the 12 points they now have on the board already speak for themselves. The brilliant blend of Brazilian flair and former club heroes has proven to be Mu’s magic recipe, and he will be hoping it continues to pay dividends for the rest of the campaign.

The player-manager returned to the dugout yesterday, but tasted victory again, albeit in nail-biting circumstances. Coming off the back of a terrific 2-1 success at Tooting & Mitcham, all eyes were on Casuals to see whether they could extend their superb away form and fortunes in front of goal, with 10 goals so far seemingly certain to increase with the arrival of Kieron Cadogan.

The first 15 minutes were to-and-fro, with some wild efforts making it into the fields behind. But it was Casuals who broke the deadlock again, through a majestic turn and finish from Cadogan, for his first strike since his Corinthian homecoming.

The next goal was trademark Cascoe-Rogers, as Shea taunted the Horley defence by twisting and turning his way into the area, before slamming home his side’s second and celebrating a job well done with the jubilant travelling fans.

Clarets’ poacher Lewis Pearch went toe-to-toe with Cadogan for the match ball, and opened his account for the evening when a lofted ball over the top wasn’t dealt with. Pearch was on hand to lift it over Murillo Bernardes and into the back of an empty net, as Horley got the ideal response after a not so ideal start.

Casuals needed to respond, and they did just that. Full backs Jonathon Gjoshe and Emerson Pilonetto have been influential to the free-flowing football introduced by Maan, and it was the latter who made an intelligent overlapping run before crossing it into the danger zone on to the boot of one man. Kieron Cadogan. Who else? 3-1 Casuals.

Just three minutes later and the perfect hat-trick was complete: Gjoshe this time digging out a peach of a cross, and a deft header from Cadogan put the visitors in the driving seat. Not sure what was better, the finish, or the Sussex sunset that descended on another blissful evening in the Combined Counties League.

However, the action wasn’t over for the first half – far from it. Horley gave us something to think about at half-time, after a cool, collected Warren Colman won the ball deep in the Casuals half and finished low and hard to Bernardes’ right, making it 4-2… and game on.

Six goals in 45 minutes is rare, but you’d have been forgiven for predicting a first half as bizarre as this – Horley have been fantastic in front of goal lately with 14 goals in six games, and alongside the recent away record of the visitors, it was always possible that this game might turn out to be a thriller.

It was an end-to-end start to the second period, as both sides looked to regain momentum. However, just after the hour mark, Frazier Osunkoya – who had replaced the injured Diogo da Silva just before half time – latched onto a pinpoint through ball and kept his composure to make it 5-2 with his first goal of the campaign.

Less than a minute after the ball was picked out of the Horley net, they found themselves with a chance once again. It was a carbon copy of Pearch’s first, as he lobbed a stranded Bernardes for the second time to send the Clarets back into the contest.

There were hearts in mouths in the Casuals section right up until the end, as Town got another goal back in the dying moments. Ricochet after ricochet of hopeful headers eventually fell to Pearch who sealed his hat-trick, but the hosts were in pursuit of another. With enough time on the clock for a drastic change in the scoreline, could Casuals cling on to the three points?

The answer was yes, and the referee’s whistle concluded another Combined Counties classic. One of the most dramatic games of the season had a happy ending, as Casuals moved up to fourth place in the league. We look to continue this rich vein of form as we welcome Sandhurst Town to the Armada Group Stadium at King George’s Field on Saturday.

Corinthian-Casuals: Bernardes, Gjoshe, Pilonetto, Adelakun, Blackwell (Dhanipersad h/t), Dos Santos, Cascoe-Rogers, Onovwigun (Castelo 80), Cadogan (Ewerthon 67), Da Silva (Osunkoya 43), Dillon (Brown 62).
​

Words: Josh Lamey
Image: Stuart Tree

Casuals striker Reyon Dillon was the talk of the town on Saturday as his brace sealed a 2-1 win on the road at Tooting & Mitcham, and the captain’s delight was there for all to see.

However, despite a memorable individual performance which included a thunderous finish from outside the box to make it 2-0, Dillon was quick to praise the collective efforts of the side who made it three away wins on the trot.

Captain Fantastic was on it from the get-go after latching on to Kieron Cadogan’s inventive pass and cooly finding the bottom corner with six minutes on the clock. His second needed a slice of luck, taking a deflection on its way in, but take nothing away from the strike as the Tooting keeper was beaten from range to give us a two-goal lead at the break.

“We spoke in the changing room about how big of a game this is for us, and we needed a big performance from everyone.” said Dillon. “Being 2-0 up isn’t always easy, but we did what we needed to do. It’s not about my goals though, it’s about the team performance because at the end of the day, if the team doesn’t play well, then we wouldn’t get the result.”

After a dominant first-half display from Casuals, the hosts looked to overhaul the deficit following the restart, but despite quickly pulling one back, it was ultimately too big a mountain to climb for Tooting. However, they made life tricky for us with an improved second-half performance.

“That’s what it’s going to be like in this league,” said Dillon. “There’s going to be times when you’re on top of teams, but we need to stay together because teams are going to come at us. But that’s what we said in the changing room – they’re going to throw everything at us, and they did.

“It was a silly goal to give away from our perspective, but we dug deep – the boys are tired, but the main thing is that we did it for the fans and that’s two games with a win so hopefully we can push on now.”

After picking up nine points from the last 12, the Mu Maan era is well and truly underway, and Reyon reckons this rich vein of form is set to continue following the addition of cult hero Cadogan.

“It’s been there in training, but I feel like there was a final piece that we needed to find, and Kieron coming in today was fantastic. It was his first game, and our first game playing with him and it all just clicked, and everyone was fantastic today.

Tooting & Mitcham 1-2 Corinthian-Casuals
Combined Counties Premier Division South
Saturday 31 August
Report: Josh Lamey
Images: Stuart Tree (full set of photos here)

Captain Reyon Dillon was instrumental once again, as Mu Maan’s high-flying Casuals triumphed on opposition soil for the third successive time.

In a week when Oasis reunited, Maan continued to get the band back together at Corinthian-Casuals, with the highly anticipated return of icon Kieron Cadogan adding to the ensemble of former players back at the club as we looked to orchestrate another masterclass on the road.

It wasn’t exactly half the world away, as Casuals made the short trip east to Imperial Fields in fine voice, knowing another victory could see them take a leap up the league table. Tooting & Mitcham sat inside the top five heading into the clash, but despite it being early days in the season, every point matters.

It was a supersonic start to the contest as Cadogan’s perfectly executed pass found Dillon who took it in his stride and slotted into the bottom corner with ease, getting the game rocking n’ rolling in the best possible fashion.

Some might say that away form has been an issue for some Casuals teams of the past, however this new-look side seems to be really coming into their own on the road so far. The dominance continued as Diogo Da Silva let fly from 30 yards but to no avail in front of the travelling away support. Little by little, we were getting closer.

It looked for all the world that the pink-and-chocolate army were going to double their advantage, and Cadogan was at the heart of most attacking moves with spells of tricky footwork and intelligent hold up play as we sought a second. The former Crystal Palace academy talent was in the thick of it again, as a smart turn and strike stung the gloves of Toby McKimm in the Stripes’ net.

In the end, Maan’s first-half masterplan worked wonders as right before the break, Casuals had the ball in the net again. This time, Dillon’s 20-yard effort took a deflection taking it up in the sky before nestling into the far corner, deceiving McKimm on its way in. Fortunes shifting, and it was all to play for.

Casuals were basking in the afternoon glory so far but were going to have to maintain focus levels if they wanted to secure all three points.

This wasn’t the case three minutes after the restart, however, as Tooting & Mitcham got back in the game thanks to a cleverly worked goal from Tariq Omar Mahmoud. The number 14 took down a visionary pass, found a way beyond Murillo Bernardes, and slotted into an empty net to get the visitors back on track.

Maan would certainly be the happier of the two friends in the respective dugouts, and perhaps Jamie Byatt’s side were lucky to not concede a third as Dillon found a way past Tooting & Mitcham’s defensive quartet again, but this time his low shot was blocked by the feet of the goalkeeper.

The Stripes continued to bang on the door for a dramatic equaliser, and most of the football was being played in the Casuals half. However, the defence remained resolute, although the search for the first clean sheet of the season will continue.

After being under the cosh for the majority of the second half, Casuals had the chance to wrap it up as they hit on the break - Cascoe-Rogers was brought down right on the edge of the area and it looked a penalty… definitely… maybe. Whatever. The referee gave a free-kick just outside the box, and we had no choice but to acquiesce.

Despite Tooting’s improved performance after the restart, Maan’s side refused to let the lead slide away. After two years of miserable away form, Casuals fans would be forgiven for thinking “don’t go away”, but they continue to turn out in numbers and another victory on the road means it’s three away successes in a row. We will look to make it four when we travel down to Horley on Tuesday night.

Corinthian-Casuals: Bernardes, Gjoshe, Pilonetto, Maan (Allchurch 67), Morgan, Dos Santos, Cascoe-Rogers, Cheklit (Adelakun h/t), Cadogan (Osunkoya 82), Da Silva (Grant 83), Dillon (Brown 80)