Corinthian-Casuals 3 - 1 Hertford Town
Buildbase FA Trophy 1st Qualifying Round
Saturday 28th October 2017
Match report: Cameron Smith. Photos: Stuart Tree (album here)

A resilient Corinthian Casuals side rebutted an early opening goal from Hertford Town to score three times and enter the FA Trophy 2nd Qualifying Round in style despite going down to ten men early on.

As Ben Cheklit took a deep breath before taking Casuals’ fifth spot-kick in the penalty shootout at Margate on Tuesday night, the Corinthian contingent behind the goal were in awe. Moments earlier, the visiting supporters were gutted as the seasiders looked to steal the victory with a late winner, but Jack Strange had other ideas. The penalty shootout that ensued saw Cheklit dispatch the vital kick from twelve yards; Casuals had done the unthinkable and beaten Margate, and were into the next round of the Velocity Trophy.

Football returned to King George’s on a Saturday afternoon, as did the FA Trophy. James Bracken fielded a strong eleven to face Hertford Town, who sit in seventh place in the Bostik North Division. Based in Hertfordshire, the Blues have only won once in their last ten meetings versus Casuals, and this trophy tie would be the first the two sides have met in 15 years. Coskun Ekim and Danny Cunningham returned to the line-up and donned the pink & brown of Casuals once more as the game kicked off.

Scrappy. That was the best word to describe the quality of the opening ten minutes. And it was also the best word to describe Hertford Town’s opener. Ricky Light tapped the ball in after a scramble in the penalty area before celebrating with the noisy travelling fans behind the goal in only the seventh minute. Then, with a little help from the Bracken Brothers and the supporters, Casuals eased into their usual style of play as a glancing header from Jack Strange nearly brought an equaliser. However, Hertford were still threatening and nearly netted a second strike via a bullet header from Michael Toner but terrific reflexes from Danny Bracken gave Casuals a lifeline.

A switch in possession in the 25th minute saw the dominating Hertford lose the ball to the alert, attacking frontline of the hosts. Galloping towards the exposed penalty area, Gabriel Odunaike and Josh Uzun interchanged the ball cleverly before pacey no.9 Odunaike reached the left flank and crossed brilliantly for Uzun to slide past the keeper and into the net. It was 1-1.

Hertford were determined to retake the lead after a Strange clearance off the line and a quick save from no.1 Bracken nearly made it 2-1. However, soon, the score would be 2-1… but not to the away side. Three minutes after Uzun’s equaliser, Jordan Clarke’s magnificent midfield play saw the no.8 slip the ball past a wall of yellow shirts towards Max Oldham. The no.11 was calm and composed when he classily side-footed the ball into the bottom left hand corner to gift Casuals with the lead.

The final moments of the first half depicted a confident and assertive Casuals side controlling the game- everything was going to plan. That was until left-back Tommy Smith was given a straight red card for allegedly lashing out on a yellow shirt, which baffled the Corinth supporters. So at half-time, Casuals did have the 2-1 lead, but would face an eager Hertford side with a one-man advantage.

Mu Maan replaced Cunningham at half-time in an interesting change of tactics from Bracken. Fresh from an impressive assist in the first goal, Odunaike’s effort early in the second half was only denied by Charlie Mann, the Hertford shot-stopper. Casuals started well, but soon deteriorated, and had to thank keeper and captain Danny Bracken for a long string of superb saves. In particular, a piledriver of a shot in the penalty area was dealt with extraordinarily by Bracken as the keeper parried it away and was lauded by the Casuals supporters for his efforts.

Two more changes for Corinthians in the last ten minutes saw Reyon Dillon and Jamie Byatt enter the fray; Bracken looked for the decisive third. In the 89th minute, a Hertford set-piece was cleared by the Casuals defence and a fast-paced counter attack ensued with Reyon Dillon powering towards a Hertford man menacingly. Stepovers left the defender for dead before Dillon was one-on-one with the green shirt of Mann, and dispatched the ball through the legs of the keeper and into the net. It was a classic counter attack, and a classic Reyon Dillon goal. It was his third of the season, and it was Casuals’ all-important third goal of the match.

The victory was almost in the bag for the hosts when Hertford left-back Jay Lovell was given a second yellow card and dismissed- the last minute was played 10 men vs 10 men.

Six yellow cards, four goals, two red cards and one dazzling goal from Reyon Dillon. An eventful 90 minutes in Tolworth saw Corinthian-Casuals advance into the next round of the FA Trophy as the 3-1 result saw Hertford drive back to Hertfordshire disappointed - we wish them good luck for the rest of the season. Next on the agenda is a double home league feature as Ramsgate travel up to King George’s and play next Saturday, before Casuals clash with Molesey on the following Tuesday.

“A good win today”, said Manager James Bracken after the match.

“When you go down to ten men, it’s important to stay organised. Winning with ten men makes the win a little sweeter, especially as we extended our lead which is pleasing. Everyone stepped up when they were needed and thoroughly deserved the victory.

Along with the visiting fans, Bracken praised his brother’s ‘Man of the Match’ efforts between the sticks. “When you play with ten, they’ll bomb a lot of balls into our box and you’ll need your goalkeeper to make saves. Danny’s done that. Today, they had some decent efforts and he had to make better saves than perhaps he normally would. Some games, he’ll have everything kicked straight at him and he’ll routinely collect them.

“To be fair to my brother, he’s pulled off a number of excellent saves. That’s what he’s there to do and he knows that.

“There’s a great buzz around at the moment but we also keep a lid on it. You won’t see us down the lap-dancing club on the Champagne tonight, thinking we’ve all arrived.

“Of course we haven’t. We accept the win, we’ll pick the bones out of elements that could be better. We praise the good things and try to replicate those in the next match and we’ll make sure we focus on the next match, because if we don’t win the next, we’ll find ourselves on a losing streak.

“We won’t get carried away with another win but we’ve only had two defeats in the last fifteen games. If we only have two defeats in the next fifteen, we’ll be very close to the top of the league and hopefully pushing on in the cups, so we’ll keep it on the level and carry on as we are.

“Let’s get this right; there’s no such thing as an easy game. I didn’t rate Hertford today. I know circumstances made it a tougher game than it should’ve been, but we still won 3-1, so it was comfortable in the end. If we play 11 v 11 and hit 80%, I think we’d have honestly scored five or six. “But as they proved today, no one is a walkover – circumstances dictated that it’s gone the distance and they’ve stuck at it.”

Margate 2 - 2 Corinthian-Casuals
(Casuals win 5-3 on penalties)
Velocity Trophy 2nd Round
Tuesday 24th October 2017
Report: Cameron Smith. Pics: Stuart Tree (full set here)

Following a hugely-satisfying equaliser from Jack Strange in the dying minutes, Corinthian-Casuals players and supporters were able to celebrate again moments later when Ben Cheklit netted from the spot to win an exhilarating penalty shootout at Margate FC to progress into the next round of the Velocity Trophy in style.

Five penalty kicks. Five conversions. The perfect penalty shootout. As the Casuals contingent jogged to the other end of Hartsdown Park at full-time, James Bracken gathered his pink and brown army in a huddle and discussed the penalty-taking order. It was a surreal moment for the away support whilst the majority of the away fans shuffled to the home end to get a closer look at the action. About ten minutes ago they had been accepting defeat at the hands of the well-organised and sturdy Margate. But now, thanks to Strange’s superb header, Casuals had a 50/50 chance of advancing. And oh did they take that chance!

It was a two hour drive- a 183 mile round trip- to the seaside town of Margate, who sit 14th in the Bostik Premier Division and play their games at the artificial surface of Hartsdown Park. A 2-1 win over East Grinstead Town in the middle of September sealed Margate a second round home tie in the Velocity Trophy, whilst in Tolworth, Corinthians also bagged a 2-1 result, but for Casuals it was an away-from-home victory at Whyteleafe.

Three changes to the Casuals side that came back to defeat Hastings United 3-2 on Saturday included Ike Robertson-Feehi, Ben Cheklit and Gabriel Odunaike, who grabbed a spot the starting line-up. Meanwhile, an announcement that echoed across the ground brought bad news for Margate fans - their first-choice goalkeeper had been injured in the warmup, so centre-back Tom Wynter took his place in-between the sticks. The Gate were wearing their classic blue home strip and Casuals were in their natural chocolate and pink shirts. Inside ten minutes, Casuals seemed to be second to everything as the collected Blues took the lead with a Jack Bray header from a corner. 

However, Corinth picked themselves up after the 9th minute opener with a more structured approach to the match - the attacking midfield trio of Josh Uzun, Jordan Clarke and Ben Cheklit attempted to slip sly balls in behind the Margate defence at any opportunity. An improved performance from the visitors payed off when no.10 Clarke found himself 25 yards out before curling a pinpoint screamer into the bottom left corner of the keeper. It was level again in Kent, all thanks to Clarke’s effort that left Margate’s back four and no.1(3) for dead.

For the remainder of the half, possession dabbled between the sides, as did the chances. A Max Oldham strike from the left flank was parried away hastily whilst Danny Bracken was kept on his toes by a few tame shots from the Blues. But after 45 minutes, it was 1-1 on a windy evening by the seaside.

The next 45 would provide agony, anxiousness and amusement for every spectator in the ground. The Gate were consistently drilling the Casuals defence for a good twenty minutes when they finally struck. Matt Bodkin was the man to calmly tuck a one-on-one opportunity away in the 81st minute as rare cheers from Margate supporters were soon drowned out by the disappointed, but ever-resilient Casuals contingent.

Albeit over, James Bracken allowed brother Danny to race upfield towards a crowded penalty area for a corner in the dying embers of the match that Jordan Clarke would take. As the goal-scorer delivered a beautiful, floating cross into the box, Jack Strange managed to peel away from his hands-on marker and nod past the keeper to equalise in superb fashion! Rapturous celebrations behind the goal from the always-vocal fans, Casuals had shocked everyone in Hartsdown Park- including themselves- as they pegged Margate back at the death… it was 2-2!

Following three minutes of injury time, Margate and Casuals would have to settle the fixture with a penalty shootout and no extra-time. The lively Jordan Clarke was the first player to take a spot-kick, and he netted to put Casuals 1-0 up. The hosts scored to level proceedings, before Max Oldham’s confident, low strike edged Casuals ahead. Margate’s second penalty of the night was taken by midfielder Lee Prescott, who was too audacious with his kick and fired the ball high over the crossbar; almighty celebrations from the Casuals supporters ensued. However, nothing was final yet. Substitute Omari Delgado-Hibbert played it safe and slotted home to make it 3-1, but the Margate taker also scored; it was 3-2. Danny Bracken switched saving penalties to scoring penalties when he composed himself to fire home Casuals’ fourth penalty. A brilliant finish from a Margate player made it 4-3, which meant that if Ben Cheklit scored, Casuals had won. Cheklit seemed calm and collected during the run-up, and his lack of nerves helped him expertly guide a fantastic penalty kick into the top right-hand corner. The pink & brown army mobbed Cheklit whilst the supporters were in ecstasy, and chanted throughout the night.

Casuals’ success in this penalty shootout seemed to wash off the shootout taboo that came with the gut-wrenching loss at Dorking Wanderers in the play-off final last year. Thank you to Margate FC for their hospitality, and we wish them good luck for the rest of the season. The advancement into the third round left an extremely sweet taste in the mouth of Casuals supporters and players- who would be next to stand in the way of James Bracken’s pink and brown army?

“I thought we were the better side for most of the game but we didn’t have enough shots on target”, said Manager James Bracken after the final whistle.

“If we had, with their stand-in keeper, we’d have obviously scored more. I have the same gripe with set pieces too, where we needed to stick more on him. That’s probably the main reason why we went to penalties.

“However, it gave us the opportunity to show spirit. Being 2-1 down away from home with ten minutes remaining gave us the chance to show our resolve. From there, we went on and scored five out of five penalties.

“I’m sure that a penalty shootout will happen again this season – whether it’s in the Cup or playoffs. Now we can go into that with this experience in mind. If those five boys are on the pitch, they should be confident stepping up again and the others can also be confident knowing we’re a side that can win from the penalty spot.

“You come into these games knowing both sides will make a few changes, which we both did. Margate still had a good side. We didn’t make wholesale changes. We gave one or two a game from the bench and a few others a chance to get into the squad who haven’t been involved for a few weeks.

“But when you travel this far on a Tuesday night, I want to be fair to not only the players, giving them a real chance to win the game, but to be fair to our supporters. We’ve had a good turnout again tonight and they’ve sung and chanted all evening. We didn’t want to come along, put out a disjointed side, lose 3-0 and waste an evening. Hopefully they enjoyed it and had a good night.

Asked about his preferences for the draw in the next round, Bracken commented, “I don’t want Bury, Leiston, Lowestoft… anyone miles away. We’ll give them a swerve. It’d be nice if this competition was local like they claimed it was supposed to be. Coming here to Margate on a Tuesday night is in no way shape or form, local.

“One of the local sides would be my preference just for the team’s sake, the supporter’s sake and my sake in terms of travelling, getting time off work, etc. Other than that, I have no real preference. I want games that we can win and we can beat anybody. Let’s see how far we can go.”

Corinthian-Casuals 3 - 2 Hastings United
Bostik League South
Saturday 21st October 2017
Match report and photos: Stuart Tree (full set of pics here)

​Corinthian-Casuals made it six points in three days as they added a 3-2 scalp of Hastings United to the gripping 1-0 win at Lewes in midweek.

Though behind twice, Casuals fought back through goals from Mu Maan and a brace from Max Oldham, finishing in relative comfort despite the harsh conditions.
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Following the 4-2 loss at Cray, albeit with a depleted squad, on paper, the next two fixtures – away at unbeaten Lewes and home to last season’s playoff semi-finalists Hastings United ensured James Bracken’s side would be tested to the max.

But Gabriel Odunaike’s 88th minute strike sunk the Rooks and Corinth were looking to build upon that dramatic finale against mid-table placed United.

Going with the same starting line-up as the one that featured at the Dripping Pan, Bracken would add Kevant Serbony and Reyon Dillon to the bench, both of whom had missed midweek.

Storm Brian wasn’t as fierce as first predicted but nevertheless wouldn’t make for ideal footballing weather. Coupled with a playing surface longer than Bracken would’ve wanted, slick interchanging passing might have been a tough ask. Though fair play to both sides as they made for an entertaining encounter regardless.

Before some had even taken their seats, Casuals found themselves behind; Danny Bracken could only punch a cross out to Simon Johnson and the Hastings Captain, with the wind behind him, crashed home a well struck shot that left the keeper no chance.

Hastings looked to add to Casuals woes early, taking advantage of the downwind gusts. Bracken forced to make a fine save from Sam Adams.

The home side looked to keep the ball on the deck and slick work mixed with darting runs saw Hamilton Antionio played through on goal but his effort was well saved by Charlie Horlock. The Hastings custodian was called upon again, brilliantly saving with his fingertips from Danny Cunningham’s 20 yard curling shot.

It wasn’t long before Casuals were level; Bracken had bemoaned that his side don’t score enough from set-pieces. Since then, they’ve executed free kicks and corners to greater effect. Josh Uzun’s dead-ball was whipped in to find the head of Jack Strange. Horlock may have got a vital touch to push it onto the crossbar but the rebound found Mu Maan who made no mistake in finding the target.

The second half saw the wind advantage change though it was Casuals who were slow out of the blocks. Defensively switching off for a minute, the Amateurs allowed too much time for Hastings to build their attack and it was no surprise when Sam Adams drove his shot low into the bottom corner to once again give the advantage to United.

However, that was as good as it got for Hastings for the rest of the match. Casuals attacked with pace and vigour and United’s back line struggled to contain Max Oldham, Jordan Clarke and Danny Cunningham for the last half hour.

Casuals almost equalised in audacious fashion when Josh Uzun spotted Horlock off his line and powered a free kick from the half way line, beating the keeper but striking the crossbar. Eat your heart out Beckham!

With 25 minutes remaining, the breakthrough finally came courtesy of Oldham. Cutting into the box, his cross-come-shot could only be diverted by Ollie Rowe into his own net.

Two minutes later and Oldham struck again. This time, he met a Cunningham cross at the near post and no defender intervention was needed on this occasion. Casuals had the lead for the first time.

The last twenty minutes saw Casuals push for a fourth and squandered numerous chances including a one-on-one from Cunningham. Wasteful perhaps but the task was complete and Casuals had their victory. The win takes Bracken’s side up to third in the table.

“Happy with six points from the last two games but I expect that from my team.” said Bracken following the win.

"The Cray result was a strange one. The impact of the injuries and illness was telling. Even on the players that did play, they felt that perhaps we had too many missing. As I said at the time, that side was still good enough to go and win, but didn’t perform.

"But we learned from that and built on it come Wednesday and then today, in difficult conditions and picked up another three points.

"When the first goal goes in, often you’d be a little worried that we haven’t started well, but funnily enough, I thought for the first couple of minutes, we’d started very well. But we gave away a free kick, don’t mark two of their players and between them, they end up scoring. So you fear the worst.

"We’ll look back at that and especially if we’d have lost, people would be culpable. We’d scrutinise it and players would perhaps lose their positions over it. But we rectified it and got the win. We’ll still look at it and improve. One or two individuals who haven’t done what they should be doing will be told and it’s up to them to take it on board.

"Josh’s effort from the halfway line was a wonderful effort. Uzun’s technique is unbelievable. We’ve put him in the middle for the last couple of games and given him a bit more licence to get on the ball.

"He has that quality and he’s very alert. Once he saw the keeper off his line and wind at his back, he’s probably the one player within this squad that you’d encourage to take that on. Very unlucky not to score. Would’ve been goal of the season without a doubt." 

Casuals travel to Margate in the Velocity Trophy on Tuesday.

Cray Wanderers 4 - 2 Corinthian-Casuals
Bostik League South
Saturday 14th October 2017
Match report: Cameron Smith. Photos: Stuart Tree (full set here).

On a mild October afternoon in Bromley, Corinthian-Casuals’ two late strikes were not enough to salvage any points versus the clinical Cray Wanderers; Bracken’s injury-stricken side sit in 6th place in the unpredictable Bostik League South.

It was Jack Strange’s powering header that hammered into the roof of the net at King George’s on Saturday that sealed Casuals’ place in the next round of the FA Trophy. You would think that the one week break that followed would be a good thing for the Casuals, but in fact, James Bracken wasn’t able to select nine first-team players due to injuries or illness picked up during the week. Coskun Ekim, Kevant Serbony, Danny Cunningham and Tommy Smith were out on the side-lines, whilst a frontline of Jordan Clarke, Ben Cheklit and Reyon Dillon looked to challenge the Cray defence.

Around an hour from Tolworth, Corinthians travelled to Hayes Lane, home of National League side Bromley, who share their 3G artificial turf with Bostik South’s Cray Wanderers. Casuals’ first win in years was last season’s 4-3 thriller at Hayes Lane as Cray had previously proved to be a major bogey side. Located in and around the play-off positions, ‘the Wands’ hope to improve on last season’s mid-table position, and have had a bright start to the 17/18 campaign.

The chocolate & pink of Casuals and the yellow of Cray started proceedings on the 3pm mark, with the hosts clearly the better side after fifteen minutes. Sustained pressure and decent passages of play resulted in the opening goal. No.10 Aaron Rhule was free at the back post when a cross floated straight onto his head and into the back of the net. It was 1-0 to Cray after the first 15, how would Bracken handle conceding first? The answer was to continue with his original strategies, and hope that Wanderers would falter. The home side did not falter much, but did allow Casuals to get back in the game- the best chance was via a Josh Uzun corner, in which Mu Maan nearly bundled in if it wasn’t for the hands of Cray keeper Nick Blue. Then, in the 40th minute, Karl Dent stood over a free kick from 25 yards out for Cray, and curled an accurate effort into the bottom left corner of the net, leaving Danny Bracken stranded, unable to palm away the shot. This strike from the no.8 had condemned Casuals to a two goal deficit just before the break.

As the referee started the second half, both set of supporters switched sides and filled up on the grub in the clubhouse. Would Corinth finally have something to cheer about? No. A low cross in the 60th minute was converted by Rhule, who was at the back post again to score for Cray. At two goals down, it seemed Casuals still had an opportunity to claw themselves back into the game, but as the third goal was netted, that opportunity slipped from their grasp even more. Despite the disappointing 3-0 score-line, the Corinthian contingent behind the goal were still singing loud, and completely drowning out any noise from the Wanderers, and were halfway through a song when no.9 Michael Power scored two minutes after the third. It was now 4-0 to Cray.

Over? Far from it, said Malachi Robinson. It was the 64th minute when the left-back latched onto a terrific cross from the right flank; a booming tap-in flew past the Cray no.1 as Casuals fans were eventually able to celebrate. One down, three to go! It took a tad longer for the second to arrive, but when it did… Jordan Clarke had a relatively quiet game before the 72nd minute, and wasn’t able to advance past the yellow-shirted full-backs, until now. The no.11 picked the ball up on the left flank and swerved past three or four players in an epic run as he edged closer to the goal, and capped off this individual brilliance with a fake-shot before teeing up Reyon Dillon in the six-yard box, who sliced the ball in. The loudest cheer of the afternoon was when Dillon sprinted to the halfway line in an attempt to save time; it was 4-2 with twenty minutes left.

The final stages of the match included an agonising Josh Uzun free-kick that plummeted into the gloves of the Cray no.1, who dived to palm the ball away, amongst other Casuals half-chances. But in the end, James Bracken’s eleven (despite the late substitutions of Uzun and Jamie Byatt) could not comeback from Cray’s mountainous lead as the fixture ended 4-2 to the hosts.

Carshalton’s 2-1 loss at Guernsey and Hythe Town’s win over high-flying Whyteleafe was not pounced upon by Corinth, who sit inside the play-offs on goal difference in 6th place. A daunting trip to Brighton was next on the agenda as Lewes awaited the Casuals storm on a Wednesday night, before Saturday brought football back to Tolworth for Hastings United at home.

"We were 2-0 down before we got going. The first 45 minutes was a write-off," said James Bracken after the match. 

We didn’t stop them from playing, though they’ve only had two efforts on goal in that period. But hey, they’ve scored four goals and fair play to them.

We never asserted ourselves in the first half. Whether it was showing them too much respect, which isn’t warranted. They’re an okay side but no more than that. They should’ve been comfortable with the win at the end, but we made sure it wasn’t.

We had nine missing today. I know that Horsham said last week that they had eight players not fit and lost 8-0 to Cray. Well, I had nine missing.

But it’s not an excuse. The team that we put out was good enough to win as they proved in the second half by scoring two goals away from home. We can’t concede the first half of a match. We can’t defend like we did for a few of their goals. You’re not going to get away with it. We got what we deserved. You cannot concede four goals and expect anything from the match.

We need to look at this, improve and make sure we’re better in the next game. We need to kick on.

I’m hopeful that one or two will be back for selection for sure. Three or four of the lads back would be better. But if these lads who played go again, they get my full faith, my full support and we’ll be ready. So don’t bet against us.

Corinthian-Casuals 2 - 0 AFC Dunstable
Buildbase UK FA Trophy Preliminary Round
Saturday 7th October 2017
​Match report: Cameron Smith. Pics: Stuart Tree (full set here)

It was a slick finish from Josh Uzun and an almighty header from the jubilant Jack Strange that sealed Corinthian-Casuals a place in the next round of the FA Trophy, after defeating the ten-men of AFC Dunstable 2-0 at King George’s.
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Non-League Day. An annual 24-hour celebration of the lower leagues in England, usually taking place during the International Break, so more spectators can get behind their local side; promoting Grassroots football. A terrific partnership with Prostate Cancer UK to boot, Casuals’ preliminary round tie at home to AFC Dunstable certainly attracted more than the usual attendance.

A statistic that really does showcase what Non-League is all about - Corinthians would be facing Dunstable in their fourth game in the matter of a mere week. James Bracken has insisted in many post-match interviews that Casuals’ squad depth is a huge advantage, with the gaffer saying they have a whole different eleven to their usual which is capable of ‘finishing in the top six of the Bostik League’. The previous two league games saw a 2-0 result in both: Casuals were victors versus Shoreham, but losers at Greenwich Borough on Tuesday night. An impromptu decision to play in the London Senior Cup on the Thursday night paid off- a much-changed Corinthians side thrashed National League South club Welling United 5-1.

There were places for newbie Omari Delgado-Hibbert, Max Oldham and the in-form Ben Cheklit on the bench as a frontline of Jordan Clarke, Reyon Dillon and Danny Cunningham walked out onto the carpet of the King George’s Field. The typical chocolate & pink of Casuals kick-started the Trophy tie versus the blue shirts of Evo-Stik League South side Dunstable. Based in Bedfordshire, the OD’s let Casuals know they weren’t just there to partake in the festivities of Non-League Day as their physical and intimidating style of play was established from the off.

However, the hosts did not seem fazed, and took their first real opportunity very well. Two assists on Thursday night had clearly boosted the morale of powerhouse Dillon, who controlled the ball with ease, before slipping the ball past the Dunstable back four and allowing Josh Uzun a clear shot on goal. The no.7 slotted the ball low into the bottom right corner of the helpless goalkeeper; Casuals were 1-0 up inside ten minutes. Uzun punched the air in a low-key celebration before getting straight back to work.

Threatening again, a Coskun Ekim shot was swallowed by goalkeeper Jamie Head following build-up from the pacey Jordan Clarke. Dunstable were a strange side to play against as repeated fouls seemed to be on purpose, in attempt to anger Corinth. So when the first booking of the game was given to Casuals centre-back Tommy Smith, Bracken had the right to be irritated.

Despite their over-zealousness, the visitors had a relatively strong defence that managed to keep out a strike-force bursting with creativity. So when the half-time whistle blew, Dunstable would be pleased that they had only conceded one.

Six minutes into the second-half, Dunstable’s slim but visible chances disappeared. A single tackle on Josh Uzun had effectively ended the Evo-Stik side’s FA Trophy chances. At first, it was a ripple of shock that swept across King George’s Field as James Bishop lunged into a bizarre two-footed challenge that not only missed the ball completely, but made clear contact with fellow no7 Uzun on the halfway line. The ripples of shock turned into ripples of anger in the Casuals end; the contingent demanded a red card whilst the handbags were out on the pitch- Casuals players infuriated with the shocking ‘tackle’. After the argument died down, the referee Jim Paterson reached for his red card and gave it to Bishop, who exited without any appeals.

The remainder of the second-half was nearly completely dominated by Corinthians. A high and wide Dillon effort, a Cunningham shot that smacked off the post following a superb Clarke run and another Cunningham chance- this time it was cleared off the line- made up the twenty-minute period between the dismissal and the second-goal. Uzun, who miraculously continued playing after being the victim of the reckless Dunstable challenge, whipped a perfect corner into the crowded penalty area in the 73rd minute. The corner seemed to go in slow-motion as one-by-one, the Casuals supporter realised that Jack Strange was peeling away from his marker and was rising into the air to meet the cross.

Ever since the season opener, it had been an oddity to how Strange was not able to score a header from set-pieces after dozens of opportunities, and the Casuals fans knew that. So when Strange connected with the corner, there was a universal intake of breath amongst the supporters behind the goal. Reality was restored when Strange’s header found the back of the net, and the centre-back ran behind the goal to celebrate with supporters in pure jubilance. His teammates joined him, and the win was albeit sealed- Strange had finally scored his header, and Casuals were 2-0 up!

One last celebration was in the dying minutes, when Dunstable no.9 Bernie Christie sprinted through on goal, with Danny Bracken in an awkward position. But, England’s no.1 was brilliantly practical as he use his feet to keep out Christie and maintain a clean sheet. Full-time at King George’s saw Casuals progress into the next round of the FA Trophy, thanks to a 2-0 victory over Dunstable.

To raise money for Prostate Cancer UK on Non-League Day, legendary Casuals supporter Roger Stringer organised a crossbar challenge for fans (and players!) to participate in, which saw £290 raised! Top work, from a top man! Next on the agenda for the Casuals is a trip to Cray Wanderers in the league… will James Bracken’s pink and brown army be able to bounce back after the disappointing Greenwich loss on Tuesday?

“We didn’t do ourselves justice in the FA Cup", said Manager James Bracken who’d also scooped the league’s Manager of the Month award on the same day. “For me, it put more emphasis on our desire to do well in this competition.

“I want to win everything. Are we going to win the FA Trophy? Maybe not, but why not have those ambitions whilst we’re in it. We’ll try to win every game and see where it takes us.”
 
“Good performance today. Competent, comfortable, controlled especially when tempers could have boiled over. We kept our lid and played well. I wouldn’t rate any of our lads less than a 7 today. I thought Tommy Smith was superb. He’s had to be patient for opportunities but come in and didn’t put a foot wrong.
 
“Both goals were pleasing; first thing we did today was positionally swap Jordan Clarke and Josh Uzun and within thirty seconds of that, Josh has popped up in that position and scored.
 
“I think we’ve scored about ten set pieces in three years. I’ve read the riot act to them, gone and won the ball a few times myself and shown them how easy it is. Second half, Jack Strange has come out and buried one.
 
“Everything we’ve worked on this year, whether it’s conceding goals or not scoring enough, when we’ve addressed it, we’ve had a positive reaction.
 
“We put in some lovely free kicks and corners in the first half and yet we don’t look like we’re going to get anywhere near them. I told them how you get on the end of them and the next corner we put in, Jack Strange has done what I’ve asked him to do and scored a lovely goal. Hopefully, that’s a penny dropping for him and a few others.
 
“We need twenty set-piece goals this season. It’s not unrealistic. For me, we should be scoring from a corner every other game. That’s something we’ll look to improve on over the coming games as well.”

Corinthian-Casuals 5 - 1 Welling United
London Senior Cup 1st Round
Thursday 5th October 2017
Match report: Stuart Tree. Pics: Andy Nunn (full set here)

Corinthian-Casuals cruised past a makeshift Welling United side in the first round of the London Senior Cup and in style, winning by a comfortable 5-1 margin.

Two goals from Ben Cheklit book-ended a fine performance with further goals from debutant Amari Hibbert-Delgado, Mu Maan and Max Oldham. Utilising the depth of his squad, Manager James Bracken was able to name an almost entirely different line-up from the 2-0 loss to Greenwich Borough just 48 hours before.

Welling, who had an important National League South fixture to contend with on Non League Day made several changes themselves. A mix of experience and youth was the order of the day for the South East London side.

Casuals started brightly and barely ten minutes had passed before Ben Cheklit ran at the Welling defence before striking home from 20 yards.

They doubled the lead minutes later when strong wing play from Reyon Dillon outpaced Archie Johnson and his forceful cross found Hibbert-Delgado who converted from just yards out.

Corinth were well on top and slick interchanges befitted a crowd greater than the 48 announced as in attendance on this cold October evening. Hibbert-Delgado played a beautiful inside pass to Dillon who pulled back from the byline to find Mu Maan, again converting from the six yard box. 3-0.

A feisty Welling team talk at half time appeared to briefly galvanise the visitors – or at least one of them as King George’s lay witness to a brilliant solo effort from Matty Sinclair. Picking up the ball from the edge of his own box, Sinclair ran 70 yards through the centre of the park before firing past the helpless Danny Bracken from outside the area into the top corner. A goal of real class.

It was probably too much of a mountain to climb for Welling and Max Oldham made sure of the result midway through the second half. Poor defending from the Wings allowed the winger too much time in the box to control a cross and stab home from 8 yards.

And Ben Cheklit rounded off proceedings in style with another fine effort, weaving in and out of the Welling defence before slotting the ball into the opposite corner, out of reach of Adam Deadman. Cheklit celebrated with his non-playing teammates who’d joined in with the fans in cheering on the Casuals.
​
James Bracken’s side progress into the second round where Casuals will host Dulwich Hamlet.

Corinthian-Casuals 2 - 0 Shoreham
Bostik League South
Saturday 30th September 2017
Match report: Cameron Smith. Pics: Stuart Tree (full set here).

Max Oldham’s team-goal tap-in and Jordan Clarke’s elegant long-ranger saw Corinthian-Casuals grab another three points at the King George’s Arena, this time versus last-place Shoreham FC as James Bracken’s pink & brown army stormed into second place in the Bostik League South.

Bogey side South Park did not pose any threat to Casuals on a mild Tuesday evening; Daniel Cunningham netted a hat-trick with Max Oldham and Josh Uzun adding their names to the scoresheet. The five-goal thrashing prompted Bracken to implement five changes when Shoreham travelled to Tolworth on a chilly Saturday for a 3pm kick-off.

Positioned at the foot of the table, ‘The Musselmen’ have not started life in the eighth tier as well as they had hoped for with a measly four points. However, the tricky Dan Simmonds has popped up with six goals for Shoreham despite a poor start, and Sammy Donnelly’s side are only one point off the safety of 23rd. Wearing the traditional royal blue home strip, Shoreham had travelled from West Sussex in attempt to cause an upset against an in-form Corinthians.

There was a certain chill in the air as spectators sat or stood around the ground; the two sides walked out onto the supreme surface ahead of the tenth match-day in the Bostik League South. Vocal from the off, Shoreham’s style of play was established in the opening twenty minutes as the rough and hands-on defence amalgamated with the promising attacking aspect However, the visitors’ opening display was expected by Bracken & Co. and was combatted with the quick-thinking midfield of Casuals and a pacey frontline of Cunningham, Reyon Dillon and Jordan Clarke. So in the 20th minute, it was no surprise that Cunningham, fresh from a classy hat-trick on Tuesday was involved in the first strike of the match. A left-footed drive from the no.9 from just inside the area was parried away well by the Shoreham goalkeeper. Dave Hodges was incisive when he collected the ball on the left flank and fed Cunningham again, who delightfully squared the ball for the two chocolate and pink shirts in the area. Dummying the ball in the six yard box, Reyon Dillon skilfully let the ball run to the back post, where Max Oldham tidily finished. A terrific team-goal had put Casuals 1-0 up.

Casuals were drowning in set-pieces for the remainder of the half as Jordan Clarke’s countless efforts to produce a goal failed, excluding a cross that was going to end up curling straight into the net if it wasn’t for the gloves of James Broadbent, the Shoreham no.1. Other than chances, it was a rather feisty match, with midfield rock Kevant Serbony receiving a yellow card after squaring up to an equally-involved Shoreham no.10, who was also booked. As half-time was signalled, Casuals would be pleased with their performance, but would also be hungry for the vital second goal.

The 160 in attendance were not forced to wait long for that second goal… only seven minutes to be precise. No changes to either side at the break saw no changes in quality or distribution of possession- it was all Casuals. Collecting the ball with a sense of composure twenty-five yards from goal, Jordan Clarke unleashed a superbly placed finish that made the effort look oh so easy as the ball was hit low and hard into the keeper’s left hand corner. Clipping off the post, Clarke’s strike was unbelievably accurate, and it was a worthy first goal of the season from the no.11. “Super Jordan Clarke, running down the wing, hear the Casuals sing, super Jordan Clarke!” was chanted repeatedly by the Corinth faithful as the goal-scorer was mobbed by his teammates.

Despite a layer of comfort that was provided alongside the second goal, Casuals seemed to increase their work-rate and creativity, but faltered in the essential clinical aspect of finishing. Gabriel Odunaike was substituted onto the pitch in the 70th minute nearly made an instant impact with a perfect opportunity to slot home skimming the post. However, Odunaike’s shot was nothing compared to the chance that Hodges made for himself late on. Perhaps the definition of agonising, Hodges was fed the ball on the halfway line and decided to take advantage of a long stretch of free space infront of him. Bamboozling three blue shirts with his sheer acceleration, Hodges paced through the Shoreham ranks in a masterful run, but the left-back fell short at the finish when he wasn’t able to get enough power on his shot from just inside the area. The ball dribbled towards Broadbent whilst the Hodges and the Casuals contingent had their heads in their hands. Agonising, but also extremely unlucky.

The game ended with the score-line at 2-0. For the most part, the result would please the Bracken Brothers as Casuals edged into 2nd place in the league. However, they would also be disappointed that the goal difference (which is the best in the whole division) was not increased, as Corinth had multiple chances to score more. Next on the agenda is a trip to Greenwich Borough, who were the hosts during the nail-biting play-off semi-final that cements itself in Casuals’ bespoke history as the night in which the 10-man underdogs came back to beat the semi-pro side 4-3, is on Tuesday night.

“That could’ve been more today for sure,” said Bracken following the win.
 
“We hit the post, squandered a few opportunities and not found the killer pass probably more often than I’d have liked. Saying that, 2-0 up after the 5-0 win on Tuesday along with the good away win at Faversham caps off a decent week.
 
“We freshened the team up a little. I said in the changing room that it’s about me showing faith in everyone and believing everybody is good enough to play and get points. It’s pleasing we can do that. It helps save tired legs and allows others vital minutes to improve their match fitness.
 
“It’s not just about winning games. Over the course of a season, I have to deal with 22 people that want to play football and today, we were able to give a few more an opportunity. They repaid it with another three points and a clean sheet.
 
And Bracken spoke of the desire to win in all competitions.
 
“I said at the start of the season, I’m taking every competition seriously. I know all managers say that and then put out a youth side.
 
“I’ll always put out a side that is capable of winning and with the squad we have, I can put out an eleven for one match and a totally different eleven that would be capable of finishing in the top six of the Bostik League.
 
“We have enough players, so we’ll be taking every competition seriously – the London Senior Cup, the Surrey Senior Cup, League Cup.
 
“I want to win the league, but if we get promotion and a trophy, then that’s acceptable. I don’t just want to get promoted – I want to win something. I’d like the club to have a trophy in the clubhouse, that when my time is done, they look on the wall and see that we won something. I want to leave that mark.”