Corinthian-Casuals 4 – 1 Redbridge
FA Trophy 1st Qualifying Round
Saturday 31st October 2015
Attendance: 76
Match report and photos: Stuart Tree (photos here)

Kevant Serbony’s hattrick ensured Corinthian-Casuals didn’t suffer a Cup nightmare on Halloween as James Bracken’s side comfortably ran out 4-1 winners against Redbridge in the FA Trophy.
 
The win pockets the Ryman League Division One South side a cool £2,700 in prize money after besting their Ryman North counterparts in a dominant display.
 
Corinth were looking to avoid another horror show after suffering a 2-0 defeat in the week at the hands of Tooting and Mitcham Utd but Redbridge travelled to Tolworth on the back of two league wins in the past seven days and full of confidence.
 
Casuals’ Boss James Bracken was able to recall Warren Morgan after the full back had missed games through injury. Juevan Spencer and Sekou Kaba were also included in the starting XI after being benched in the week.
 
Redbridge came into the game after scoring six in the last two games but overall have shipped 64 goals in 18 games this term. With Casuals’ attacking prowess, the home side felt confident of progressing in the competition.
 
Things looked bright for Corinth in the opening exchanges; Cherno Mendy came closest when his cross almost beat Mark Parker in goal but was tipped over by the Motormen’s stopper. From the resulting corner, Terry Murray’s goalbound header was well cleared.
 
Redbridge looked to counter and their tactics almost paid off. Danny Bracken called into action on a couple of occasions to ensure the match remained scoreless. In fact, Redbridge should’ve taken the lead when a golden opportunity fell to the fabulously-named Reside Coxi Sebastfao who, through on goal with only Bracken to beat, could only stab his shot wide of the post. It was a massive let off for Corinth.
 
The home side’s dominance of possession began to convert to pressure. Terry Murray once again having a header well saved and Sekou Kaba found the net but was adjudged to have been offside. A succession of corners saw Emmanuel Akokhia’s header cleared off the line.
 
However, on 33 minutes, things were to turn into a horror show for Warren Morgan; a looping shot from Redbridge beat Bracken in goal but crashed off the bar and kindly fell to the full back. Though under no pressure, Morgan inexplicably miscued his clearing header and steered it into his own net much to the disbelief of all in attendance… not least the Redbridge players who weren’t sure how to react in their celebrations.
 
The way Casuals responded was first class. Just five minutes later, Cherno Mendy, who’d swapped wings with Juevan Spencer, took aim and fired from 20 yards. The well-hit drive left Parker with no chance and Casuals were back on level terms.
 
Four minutes later, they doubled the lead; Kevant Serbony found space in the box and with his quick feet, drilled home his first goal for the club under the body of Parker.
 
Serbony was able to top that just one minute later. A goal described as the ‘best seen at King George’s in three years’ saw Kevant unleash a thunderbolt from 25 yards into the top corner, almost ripping the net in the process. Within the space of five minutes, Casuals had effectively won the game.
 
There was still 45 minutes to play and Casuals set about the task in fine style. They played the ball around as well as they’d done all season and had a swagger about themselves. A free kick straight from the training ground saw Niall Wright play in Kaba who almost slid the ball past Parker. Mendy and Akokhia linked up beautifully to see the later played in behind the Motormen’s defence but only denied by a fingertip save from Parker who steered the ball onto the post and back into his arms.
 
With half an hour to go, Serbony sealed the win. Capitalising on a wayward ball from Redbridge, the midfielder charged down on goal and fired under Parker to earn his hat-trick.
 
Serbony was denied a personal fourth late on when one-on-one with Parker; this time the keeper winning the round by making a fine block.
 
The win puts Casuals in the pot for the next round draw and pockets the club another £2,700 in prize money. After the match, Manager James Bracken spoke to Stuart Tree.
 
“That was a nice win and was comfortable in the end.  We played some good football today. Second half, although we only had one goal to show for it, but it was total dominance… probably our most dominant half of football we’ve played this season.
 
“After Warren’s own goal, you can let those negative thoughts creep in, but I’d already seen enough in the game to know we’d create plenty of chances. It was just about how the players responded and for the next ten minutes after that goal, it was important we didn’t concede another and steady the ship. We scored in quick succession and it was game over.
 
“We’ve ended the game with that confidence that borders on arrogance. When you play at your best level, that’s what you need to be. We’ll never be arrogant but we’ll have that confidence that just touches the edge of it. If you play with that and have the quality to back it up, that’s when you produce the best results.
 
“I’m delighted for Kevant. He’s up and down. I said to him today that I’m probably the only manager who’ll persevere with him and he knows that. I felt that he owed me and the team a proper performance and he certainly gave us that. They were three excellently taken goals… all very different. His all-round performance was great. I don’t often single individuals out but that deserved special praise today.
 
“I don’t care who we get in the next round. Give us another game that I deem to be winnable, which is most teams. I’ll take a team at our level or around it and we’ll go out there and try to get another win.”

Corinthian-Casuals 0-2 Tooting & Mitcham United
Ryman League Division One South
Tuesday 27th October 2015
Attendance: 173

Pics: Stuart Tree  & Andy Nunn ( Links to follow )
Match Video : FITB (click to view)

Casuals suffered a third consecutive home defeat as a revitalised and determined Tooting & Mitcham took the points at King Georges Arena.

Following last weeks disastrous 7-2 defeat at Chatham, a complete overhaul of Frank Wilson's squad has seen no fewer than 8 new faces.  The visitors signalled their intentions early on with Gavin Quintyne breaking down the left and finding Staines Town loanee Chace O’Neil who had a shot charged away.

Another of the new signings, Matt Price was brought down on the edge of the area by Dave Hodges with the culprit receiving a yellow card. The same player sparked the move that saw Danny Bracken called into action for the first time as his superb cross found its way to Serge Makofo but his curling effort flew into the grateful keeper's arms.

Casuals best moment of the half came in the 17th minute when Kevant Serbony powered his way to the right side of the area and his low cross was met first time by Cherno Mendy. However keeper Matt Pierson was equal to the effort diving low and reacting brilliantly. 

The respective number ones continued to impress with Bracken again smartly catching at full length Gareth Chendlik’s header after the striker had rose above Terry Murray.

Makofo, not for the first time was denied again this time from centrally inside the box his powerful drive was magnificently palmed away from the top corner and around the post by the Casuals' skipper in the 28th minute.

Bracken again was on hand to keep the scores level as O’Neil’s free-kick was glanced goal-wards by Jake Baxter but the keeper pushed the ball away to safety.

After being on the back-foot for the majority of the half it came as no surprise when Juevan Spencer and Sekou Kaba were introduced at the break. It seemed to have an immediate impact with the home sides shape much better and in-turn the one touch passing which had served James Brackens men so well this season appeared for the first time in the evening. 

Josh Uzun was the first to test Pierson; his curling effort after a cleared corner found its way back to him but the effort was driven into the keeper's arms.

The breakthrough came in the 59th minute and although Tooting had not threatened in the second period so far it came as no surprise after their first half dominance. O’Neil dealt another superb delivery 10 yards inside the half from a free kick and Antonio Simeone, the Terrors skipper, met the ball and guided home on the volley from 8 yards.

Former Army player Price continued to offer a threat and he nearly the doubled the lead immediately but his left wing cross was inches from the right hand upright following a quickly taken free kick.

The last twenty minutes saw Casuals throw caution to the wind and Diego Maradona was introduced to the fray. Spencer escaped the attentions of 2 defenders to get into the area but a low left footed effort failed to trouble the Tooting custodian.

Makofe was for the third time denied by  Bracken with a low shot before the game edged firmly towards the visitors following a controversial decision in the 79th minute. O’Neil won the ball in a central position clipped a ball into the area where Chendlik failed to control. However the striker went down theatrically and a penalty was awarded much to the disgust of the Casuals players and management. Baxter dispatched he spot kick to double the lead.

​With 5 minutes remaining Kaba embarked on a run which took him into the area and after pulling the ball back for Maradona the Brazilian saw his effort miraculously blocked on the line by Quintyne. The follow up saw Brandon Johnson also thwarted as the visitors threw their bodies on the line determined to keep a rare clean sheet.
The same player was on hand to once again clear off the line this time denying Cherno Mendy whose right footed shot looked destined for the bottom corner.

There was still time for one piece of final drama in stoppage time as the match official who it seemed was more than happy to display his round shaped cards at every opportunity finally got a chance to pull out one of a red colour. Brandon Johnson after a low sliding tackle once again saw the limited Chendlik go down platoon style and thus earned a second booking.

An understandably frustrated James Bracken spoke after the match.        

"That wasn’t the best night for us tonight. Too many of our games of late have followed the same trend of where we seem to be doing well, being the better side and only a matter of time before we score but for whatever reason, we come away with nothing.

“I can’t recall once when I’ve mentioned officials this season but they’ve been poor far too often. I feel like too often they’re not fit to be on the pitch with the players. Not just for our team but the opposition as well. I feel the whole level of refereeing isn’t as good as it should be.

“The biggest problem is the lack of experience they have in football and they’re heavily influenced by players ‘playing’ them – and it costs us.

“We don’t appeal for everything, we don’t berate them and we don’t get on their case from the first minute. To be shouting for every decision is just ridiculous and it’s what I’ve had to listen to tonight. Some of the calls that were happening are just obscene… to even have the gall to call for some of the things that are happened. But the referee bought it.

“I said to the lads after ‘do we descend to that level and berate them and get in their head?’ I think we can be better than that.

“We’ll be successful and hopefully people will sit up and notice and realise you don’t need a budget to be successful, you don’t need to break referees to be successful. You can go out there and play football properly and get what’s deserved.

“We haven’t got a problem though. I said to the boys that if there’s weeks that we lose and we’re poor, they’ll know about it. We weren’t good in the first half today. We were well below our normal level. The shape of what we tried to do didn’t work like it did on Saturday. It was dis-jointed.

“Second half, we’ve put that right in my opinion and with the substitutes we made, we’ve played well up until their first goal. Then it’s descended and got a bit scrappy and that’s when the ref has had more influence on the game than what he should do.

“There’s no problem on my part with the team though, because their effort is there, their commitment is there, their quality is there. We need to turn all of those things into wins. For having all the good players in the world, thinking that we’re good, what matters is if you get that win at the end of the night.

“We’ll bounce back on Saturday. We’ve got Redbridge in the Trophy and that’ll be a tough game. We want to win and have a run in the competition.”

Chatham Town 1 - 2 Corinthian-Casuals
Ryman League Division One South
Saturday 24th October 2015
Maidstone Road
Match report and pics: Stuart Tree (full set of images here)

Corinthian-Casuals’ goalscoring ace, Emmanuel Akokhia made his return after injury and bagged a brace in a gritty win over Chatham Town in the Ryman League Division One South.

The striker, who missed the defeat to Whyteleafe in the week was immediately recalled to the starting XI and goals in the 18th and 84th minute were enough for Corinth to take the three points back to Tolworth and move the Amateurs up to third in the league.

Not only was it important for Casuals to have Akokhia return, the inclusion of Dave Hodges after missing the last two matches through injury was just as vital. A late fitness call saw Warren Morgan sidelined and gave Malaki Field his first start for Casuals this season.

Chatham came into the game on the back of a crushing 7-2 win at Tooting and Mitcham. Confidence was clearly high even if their league position didn’t match it.

It was clear from the off that there would be goals in this encounter. Play was open, flowing and Casuals had set up to use their pace on the counter.

The plan worked; on 18 minutes, Emmanuel Akokhia outran his marker to latch onto a through ball and calmly slotted past Ryan Nicholls in the Chats’ goal for his ninth of the season.

The home side were soon on level terms. Andrew Dallhouse’s cross from the right was met by an outstretched Danny Bracken but in the wet conditions, and under pressure, the keeper couldn’t keep a firm grip on the ball and Kieron McCann was quickest to react, hammering home the equaliser.

Undeterred by the setback, Casuals stuck with their game plan and both Stef Joseph and Akokhia looked to use the counter effectively. Joseph came closest to restoring the lead when his shot beat Nicholls but thumped off the post and back into the arms of the grateful Chat’s stopper.

The second half saw plenty of possession for the home side but without causing Bracken any concern between the sticks. The closest they came was a curling shot which just passed over the bar.

The introduction of Cherno Mendy, Sekou Kaba and Kevant Serbony proved to be effective. The tempo, which had slowed was once again cranked up and Chatham began to feel the pressure. They finally cracked on 84 minutes. A Mendy corner was beautifully met by Akokhia from 8 yards out and his header sailed into the net much to the delight of the travelling Corinth faithful.

Rather than defend deep and play out the time, Casuals looked to further increase their lead. Kevant Serbony with the closest effort after his mazy run ended with Nicholls making a fine save. Akokhia also had a penalty shout waved away.

The win puts Casuals up to third in the league, firmly in the playoff spots.

After the match, Manager James Bracken commented on the match and how proud he is of his side.

“That was a hard fought win today. We’ve shown all the qualities you need to show as a good side; resilience, determination and desire to go and do what’s got to be done to bounce back to winning ways.

“And we deserved a win. I said to the boys today that I couldn’t be more proud of what they’re doing. They’re putting in an absolute shift in every single game.

“Our game plan was slightly different to our normal setup. I knew we’d make changes in the second half, when they were needed and what they would be. They had the impact that I hoped they would.

“It was fantastic to have Mani (Emmanuel) back. We missed him. Mani’s a good player but then again, Stef (Joseph) has led the line again today and done really well. They had a nice little thing going on between them out there.
​
“Yes… Mani is fantastic, but Stef has worn them down over the course of 70 minutes which meant we’ve gone on and won the game. They both get a lot of credit from me as does everyone else behind them who’ve worked their socks off.

Speaking of bouncing back after the two recent defeats, Bracken commented, “We had this a little while ago where we had been on a nice little run and everyone was saying ‘we’re going to win every game’ but you’re not going to win every time. You’re going to get a couple of defeats in there.

“I said to the lads today that I’m the worst loser you’ll ever come across. I’m horrible when I lose. But the feeling I had after the loss to Whyteleafe and Herne Bay was disappointment for the boys because we deserved to win those games. That would’ve put us two points clear at the top of the league. Then I look back at the other games where we’ve dropped points this season and, despite what I said, I think we could’ve won them all.

“So there was a feeling of disappointment when you don’t get a result but my overriding feeling is just pride… proud of what they’re doing. They know that… we’re in it together.”

Corinthian-Casuals 0 - 1 Whyteleafe
Ryman League Division One South
Tuesday 20th October 2015
Match report and pics: Stuart Tree (photos here)
Additional photos from Andy Nunn here.

Corinthian-Casuals slid to a second defeat in four days as a solitary Jason Henry goal for Whyteleafe was enough to seal the points in an otherwise unmemorable encounter.

Despite losing 2-1 at King George’s Arena on Saturday, the scoreline hadn’t reflected the performance after two own goals were enough to topple James Bracken’s side. With this in mind and retribution from a Sam Clayton stoppage time winner in the reverse of this fixture three weeks ago, hopes were high amongst the Corinth faithful that this would be a fruitful night.

The ‘Leafe in direct contrast had come into the match on the back of a win against Carshalton despite losing their previous three fixtures. Before Casuals’ loss on Saturday, Bracken’s side held top spot in the form guide with five wins in five and seven in eight in all competitions.

If Casuals were to get something out of the match, they’d have to do it without hotshot Emmanuel Akokhia – side-lined with an injury. Dave Hodges could only make the bench with his right leg still heavily strapped following the two footed tackle at Sittingbourne ten days prior. Brandon Johnson was once again eligible to play following suspension but would start as a substitute.

The opening exchanges appeared cautious and the high tempo that Casuals normally play looked lacking. One factor being the slippery pitch which saw numerous players lose their footing throughout the match.

Josh Uzun came closest to opening the scoring for the home side when his free kick from 20 yards struck the crossbar. It was a warning shot from Corinth who looked good in possession but unable to otherwise break down a resolute ‘Leafe defence.

On 24 minutes came the only goal of the game; a defensive slip saw Jason Henry gifted with time and space on the ball. With only Danny Bracken to beat in goal, he placed it to the left of the keeper and Whyteleafe took the lead.

As they did on Saturday, Casuals immediately looked to get back into the match. Juevan Spencer’s pace down the wings caused problems but the final product appeared lacking. Kevant Serbony and Stef Joseph linked well on a through ball which saw the latter’s shot well saved by Brighton and Hove loanee Bailey Vose in goal.

A change in approach was deemed necessary to break down a solid defensive performance from the visitors, and at half time, James Bracken made two changes, replacing Uzun and Serbony with Ben Cotton and Cherno Mendy.

But it was unfortunate for Casuals that regular penalty taker, Uzun had been subbed. Corinth won a penalty which saw a nervous Mendy step up and with a stuttering approach, crashed his shot against the crossbar and out to safety. It appeared that the old adage of ‘could play all night and not score’ was going to be true. Despite this, Casuals mounted more and more pressure with Whyteleafe content to play on the break. Bracken was forced into a number of good stops from Leafe’s attack, which surely would have sealed the Casuals’ fate.

Alas, it was not to be. Despite large periods of possession and territorial advantage, Whyteleafe held firm and at times looked comfortable – not least Daryl Coleman in the centre who put in a fine performance. And so it was that Whyteleafe claimed all three points with a solitary goal, as per three weeks ago.

Corinthian-Casuals 1-2 Herne Bay
Ryman League Division One South
Saturday 17th October 2015
Attendance: 151
Match Report: Darren Pasley
Pics: Stuart Tree (full set here)

“We don’t fear anyone” was the message from a defiant James Bracken despite Casuals 2-1 setback at home to Herne Bay.

Whilst the result moved Casuals down to 4th, the performance as a whole would have taken 3 points on most afternoons this season but the Kent side were victorious thanks to two own goals.

The visitors threatened early with Dan Johnson striding forward and having a shot saved by Bracken before Elliot Cutts was thwarted on the rebound by some determined defending.

In the 4th minute Emmanuel Akokhia was upended by the skipper Liam Quinn with a yellow card issued but Josh Uzun guided the free kick over.

A better effort from the in-form frontman came shortly afterwards but his volley sizzled just over after Juevan Spencer did well to create the opportunity.

Herne Bay had a shout for a penalty waved away in the 15th minute when Connor Sanders went down under a challenge from Danny Bracken. With a corner awarded the resulting kick saw the same player head over from 8 yards as both sides looked for the opener.

​Bracken was on hand to make a superb block after Frannie Collin was out through but in any-case the assistants flag was raised. Casuals best chances continued to come from range and Niall Wright was inches from opening the scoring as a 25 yard half volley flew just over.

The set piece delivery of Danny Walder at the other end was also causing problems and both James Turner followed by Quinn should have done better with headed efforts from the craft of visiting number 7.

With the pressure mounting from Casuals leading up to the break  Danny Dudley headed just wide from a corner and Spencer had a dangerous cross well defended as the visitors hung on.

Indeed just before the whistle Sekou Kaba still seeking his first Casuals goal was denied by his own team mate Kevant Serbony who blocked his seemingly goal-bound effort.

A competitive and even first half continued in the same vain after the restart. Walder having a shot blocked by Murray after good from from Danny Williams before Akokhia being denied by keeper Jack Delo after his first time effort appeared to be creeping in.

Casuals were starting to  build the momentum and one again Kaba went close this time side-footing wide after Spencer was denied again by keeper Delo.

Danny Dudley went even closer to opening the scoring from a corner but the defender on the post did his job before Casuals were hit by a sucker punch.

A 61st minute delivery from the left from Johnson appeared to present no danger but debutant left back Ben King saw the cross inadvertently glance off his head and past Bracken for the games opening goal.

If Casuals were to feel a little hard done by they had little time to reflect as within a minute they were level. With the ball pinged out the right Serbony strong on the tackle powered into the box and rolled across for Kaba to tap home and gleefully open his Casuals' account. (pic below)

In full-flow it seemed likely to only be one winner but a resolute home defence marshalled by a inform keeper kept the hosts at bay. Spencer coming closest when through on goal but with the keeper making himself big the ball was rolled agonisingly the wrong side of the post.

As earlier in the half the visitors scored again out of nothing with what proved to be the games 78th minute winner.  Williams allowed to get a cross in from the right and Danny Bracken under pressure from Collin tipped the cross into his own net. Despite the protest from keeper and defenders alike the goal was given.

The final 10 minutes saw the home side through everything at their opposition. Sub Cherno Mendy having a free kick well saved by Delo and Uzun volleying over. In the 4th minute of stoppage time Casuals believed they had salvaged a point when Uzun smashed an unstoppable drive towards goal. However not for the first time Delo pulled off an outstanding save this time flinging himself full length to his left and earning the points.

We’re disappointed not to get another win despite doing enough to do so,” said James Bracken after the match. “We deserved it but they’ve scored two poor goals and they’ve taken the win.

“Individuals should’ve done better for the goals and individual errors have cost us. We’ve got to defend better than that. But I’m not going to single any one out. We win, lose and draw as a team.

“We had two or three chances to score goals today. Throughout the second half, we’ve missed the target on pretty much every occasion. We have pulled out a few good saves from their keeper and we’ve been close with one or two other efforts.

“When a winning team’s goalkeeper is given man of the match by their side, that says more than I can.

Speaking of Ben King who made his debut, Bracken continued, “I thought Ben was fantastic. He played really well. He’s missed three months through injury and had a game last week for the reserves which he got through half injured. I spoke to him and he felt he was ready to come and do a job and he done more than that. He didn’t lose a header, performed for 90 minutes and looked good. He’ll only get better too.

“Every team has to look out for us. Our league position doesn’t lie; we’re up there on merit. I’ve seen a lot of the teams in this division now and we don’t fear anyone. It’s just about whether we can get things right and take our chances. We’ll always create and if we do take them, we’re in with a shout of doing good things.”

Sittingbourne 1 - 2 Corinthian-Casuals
Ryman League Division One South
Saturday 10th October 2015
Attendance: 116
Match report and pics: Stuart Tree (photos can be viewed here)

Corinthian-Casuals maintained their good form with a hard fought 2-1 win away at Sittingbourne courtesy of goals from Josh Uzun and Juevan Spencer.

The result now means that Casuals have won seven out of eight games and are unbeaten in five. In contrast, their opponents, Sittingbourne have now suffered six defeats in a row.

The hosts were hampered by the suspension of their first choice goalkeeper, Adam Molloy who’d been excellent in the reverse fixture just ten days before. The Brickies had to call upon 16-year old Adam Wallace to be their last line of defence.

Casuals lined up with a full strength side. Stef Joseph claimed a place in the starting XI after his good performance in the league cup in midweek.

On what can be described as a ‘tricky’ surface, play was never going to be fast and free flowing and the early exchanges came to little. It was therefore unsurprising that the deadlock was broken from a set-piece. Josh Uzun was fouled just outside the Sittingbourne area and the midfielder took it upon himself to place the ball over the wall and leave Wallace flat footed.

Minutes later, Juevan Spencer turned his defender and his shot managed to beat Wallace but struck the base of the post.

Bourne grew into the game and Danny Bracken was forced into making a fine stop from Harry Smith.

All the light-heartedness of a supporter’s half-time crossbar challenge soon went by the wayside as the second half began and decidedly turned feisty.  Casuals felt aggrieved that they weren’t awarded a penalty after Stef Joseph latched onto a ball before Wallace could intercept and the goalkeeper appeared to hold back the forward before the Brickies could recover.

Sustained pressure from Sittingbourne soon paid off. A free kick from Hicham Akhazzan struck Dave Hodges in the wall and the resulting deflection sent Bracken the wrong way, with the ball sailing into an empty part of the net. Though cruel, the equaliser was perhaps deserved.

With quarter of an hour to go came a real turning point; Sittingbourne’s Stefan Wright clashed in a challenge with Hodges. Although Wright won the ball, the two-footed tackle was adjudged dangerous and left Hodges with a nasty injury. Referee Mr R Wells sent Wright packing with a straight red card.

Down to ten men, the Bourne found themselves a goal down just two minutes later. An incisive pass from Warren Morgan through the penalty box found Juevan Spencer at the far post and the in-form winger had no hesitation in slotting the ball home to the delight of the small travelling band of Casuals’ supporters behind the goal. It was to prove decisive; Casuals held their composure to play out the time and return to Tolworth with three points and second place in the league table.

Well done to Sittingbourne FC on raising over £100 for Prostate Cancer UK on the day.

After the match, James Bracken spoke about the result.

“It’s the worst pitch we’ve played on this season and so we’ve had to change our game plan today which perhaps wasn’t the prettiest but three points was the priority and that’s what we’ve got.

“I said to the boys before we started ‘if you’re going to be near the top of the league, you’ve not only got to win when the pitches are good and everything is flowing nicely, but you’ve got to show you can scrap and win that way.’ That’s what we’ve done today.

“There were a lot of incidents in the game. I personally thought we got nothing. I felt we moaned less than the other team but I’m not too concerned when you win. We’ll forget about it and concentrate on the next game.

“It’s important that we were clinical in our chances today. A few weeks ago, we were scoring three or four but missing a further eight or nine chances. I’m telling them that they’ve got to be more clinical because in games where we might only get two chances, you have to take them. I hope they’ve taken that on board and it’s worked out this afternoon. We’ve had two chances, kept our composure and come away with a result.

“Team spirit is fantastic since I took over in the summer. But we’re level; you won’t see me or the lads change. If we’re two-up, two-down… won four in a row, it stays the same. If we lose one or two, of course we won’t be happy but you won’t see us down in the dumps and we’ll soon get back on another run.” 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

James Bracken commented after the match.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Corinthian-Casuals 2-1 Three Bridges
FA Trophy Preliminary Round
Saturday 3rd October 2015
Attendance: 102
Match report and pics: Stuart Tree (photos here)
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Corinthian-Casuals pocketed a cool £2,500 in FA Trophy prize money after Josh Uzun struck twice from the penalty spot in a 2-1 win over Ryman League rivals Three Bridges.

Uzun’s first half brace was enough to seal the Tolworth-based side’s place in the next round where they’ll take on either Arlesey Town or Redbridge at home on October 31st.

The win ended a barren run in the FA Competitions for Corinthian-Casuals after they exited both the Cup and Trophy at the first stage last season and again in the Cup back in August. But Casuals’ Manager James Bracken wasn’t letting the past play on his mind.

“I’m used to winning cup games in my career” said Bracken. “I’ve only lost one in my time at Casuals so I’m not going to get hung up on past results.”

“I know the club hasn’t done great in these FA Competitions in the past few years but I said to the lads today ‘this one ends at Wembley’ and if you can’t get yourself up for that, what are you doing playing football?”

Casuals named an unchanged line-up to that which beat Sittingbourne on Tuesday night whereas Bridges were struggling with injuries in key positions.

It only took six minutes for the first goal to be registered; Emmanuel Akokhia was tripped in the box and Referee Mr Bhupinder Gill had no hesitation in pointing to the penalty spot. Up stepped Uzun who bagged his sixth goal of the season from the 12 yard mark.

Bridges’ defence had barely woken up to the fact that they were in a cup tie and Akokhia almost made it two but for a fine stop by keeper Kieran Thorp. Uzun was also in on the act with a couple of half chances following some slick interchanges between himself, a lively Sekou Kaba and Kevant Serbony.

On the half hour mark, Corinth doubled the lead; this time Serbony was the recipient of a foul in the box and once again, Uzun neatly converted his penalty much to the delight of the home crowd.

At this point, Bridges were on the ropes and Serbony was closest to putting the game to bed when he beat Thorp to the ball, leaving the keeper stranded but his shot was cleared off the goal-line by a defender.

But the Crawley-based side almost snuck a goal back on the stroke of half time – Ben Godfrey connected with a well-placed cross but struck the bar in a chance that’s often described as ‘harder to miss’.

Although the first half had been mostly one-way traffic, Casuals’ lead was halved just six minutes after the break. Ben Godfrey struck past Danny Bracken in goal to end a neat move which showed that Bridges weren’t just here to make up the numbers.

In fact, Casuals had to ride out some pressure from the visitors as they pressed for an equaliser. However, with Paul Faili’s side pushing up, this gave opportunities for Casuals to seal the win. Akokhia’s shot rebounded over from ten yards and Cherno Mendy’s pacey runs caused numerous problems. For all the efforts on goal, the game wasn’t graced by any more goals and it’s Casuals who progress to the next round of the competition.

After the match, boss James Bracken spoke of his side’s resolve.

“We came out in the second half a little lackadaisical and to be honest it was the same old story where we should’ve killed the game off 3-0 in the first half but we haven’t. But then again, we’ve got a young team and if you look back on those times when we’ve lost the lead, we’ve lost our way. But today was different.

“Three Bridges pulled a goal back but everyone’s kept their composure, doing the basics and keeping us in it. As a result, we’ve ended up having a few chances ourselves to increase the lead.”