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A Tough Battle in Hastings

27/11/2022

Hastings United 3-0 Corinthian-Casuals
Pope 10
McKenzie 13
Scott 72
Pitching In Isthmian Premier League
Saturday 26 November, 2022
Match Report by Finlay Stubbs
Photo by Stuart Tree

Justin Fevrier put his new-look side’s performance down to experience after a tough defeat against a well-drilled Hastings United but reiterated that there is enough quality in his squad to get out of this difficult period. Casuals travelled south-east to Hastings after suffering a heart-breaking late equaliser at Wingate & Finchley in midweek. Looking to build on that performance, Fevrier made six changes to his squad against an organised Hastings United side, who narrowly lost 2-1 to National League South side Chippenham Town in the FA Trophy last time out.

The two teams walked out to a large crowd of 652 people in attendance at the very scenic Pilot Field which was lit up in the late November skies, on what turned out to be a tough afternoon for the visitors. Both teams started the game trying to work each other’s game plans out. Casuals were without a fully fit recognised striker, forcing Fevrier to use a false nine system, and began the game looking to get on the front foot with their wing-backs high.

Hastings, meanwhile, were patient on the ball and looking to create overloads out wide. This plan seemed to work for the hosts and in the ninth minute of the game, a cross from the right made its way to Ben Pope, who fired home past Taylor Seymour for Hastings’ first of the afternoon. It soon got better for the home side when a free kick from the right-hand side was aimed towards the back post, headed across goal by Finn Omara and tapped in at the back post by Chinedu McKenzie. Casuals had been blown away inside the first 14 minutes, and Hastings had the game under control.

As the half went on, however, Casuals started to grow into the game and looked to use their wing-backs more in attacking areas. In the 31st minute, after a sequence of intricate passing, a low fired cross was driven across the 18-yard box and was hit just wide by the oncoming Zac Chislett. Near the end of the first half, Seymour was called into action to deny the impressive McKenzie his second of the afternoon after a cut back from the right. Then, in the 43rd minute, Tom Chalmers drove impressively through the Casuals midfield before his effort was denied emphatically by Seymour, in what proved to be the last chance of the half.

At the start of the second half, Fevrier made two changes in an attempt to get his side back into the game, as Kraig McLeod was replaced by Thomas Jackson, and Mohammed Cisse came on for the debutant Dave Vetterlein.

Both teams took time to find their rhythm immediately after the break, with Casuals trying to find a way into the game. However, the match opened up for Hastings when a through ball found Pope, who was taken down by Hakeem Adelakun in the box, and the referee pointed to the spot. Penalty for the hosts. Pope stepped up to grab his second, but his effort was well saved by Seymour who got down to his left to keep the scoreline at 2-0.

Striker Nathaniel Pinney was brought on for the youngster Gucci Osekanongo, who was booked earlier on in the match, and Fevrier’s men looked to keep possession at this point, either by playing into Pinney’s feet or by using the width of the pitch. In trying to attack Hastings, however, spaces started to open up in the wide areas, leading to Knory Scott getting on the end of a well-executed through ball, before cutting inside and finishing emphatically into the top-left corner to seal the win for the home team.

Seymour was called upon again and again in the closing stages, making an excellent save from a Pope effort and a miraculous double save late on to keep the scoreline down.

Overall, it was a very tough day at the office for Casuals, who at times kept the ball well and created a few openings but didn’t do too much to trouble Louis Rogers in the Hastings goal. However, that should take nothing away from the home side who were calm and composed in possession and attacked with real pace and quality.

Next up for Casuals is an away trip to local rivals Kingstonian in the Surrey Senior Cup, followed by an important league game at home to Brightlingsea Regent next Saturday.

Corinthian-Casuals (3-4-2-1): Seymour; Kudiywa, Collins, McLeod (Jackson h/t); Chislett, Osekanongo (Pinney 65), Adelakun, Vetterlein (Cisse h/t); Thompson, Stokoe; Dowridge

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Casuals Win!!

6/11/2022

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Corinthian-Casuals 3-2 Herne Bay
Cisse 7, 38; Walters 35,
Simpson 52 Smith 61
Pitching In Isthmian Premier League
Saturday 5 November, 2022
Match Report by Zac Welshman
Photos by Andy Nunn (Full set of photos HERE)

Casuals halted a wretched run of 12 successive defeats in sensational style in the opening game of Justin Fevrier’s tenure as manager, running out 3-2 winners against Herne Bay in a fiery game on a wet and windy afternoon. 

The new boss said, in his first interview with the club, that his teams play “on the front foot, winning challenges and wanting the ball back”, and that approach was evident right from the start. With Casuals resilient on the ball and composed under pressure, Herne Bay were forced into mistakes early on. Then, in the seventh minute, a Tyler Caton corner was fired low towards the near post and met by Mo Cisse, whose diving header gave us a one-goal lead.

The next 30 minutes saw Casuals looking to control the game and see out the new boss’ gameplan. Elijah Simpson’s dominant hold-up play brought Caton and Luke Stokoe into the game which, coupled with the darting runs of Zac Chislett and Misha Djemaili in the wing-back positions, stretched Herne Bay and forced them into playing on the counterattack.

However, it was on such a break that they nearly gained an equalizer, as Bode Anidugbe’s effort from outside the box scuttled across the turf and tested debutant Casuals goalkeeper Taylor Seymour, before Marcel Barrington picked up the rebound, rounded Seymour and dragged his finish just wide. The intent was there from Herne Bay and, in the 35th minute, a slick one-two from Kieron Campbell and Jason Banton down the left resulted in a low, pulled-back cross from the by-line that was struck home by Tushaun Walters to bring it level.

Resilient after the setback, Casuals immediately went out to restore their lead, and just three minutes later a long ball was forced into the box and flicked on for Cisse to instinctively poke home his second amid the resulting scramble.

As Herne Bay sought to restore parity before the break, Casuals were forced into some resolute defending to try and keep them out. The equalizer nearly came but Seymour made a brilliant point-blank save after Barrington found himself unmarked in the box, and Casuals went in 2-1 ahead at half-time. 

As we kicked off again, now under the lights, the early stages were equally as tempestuous as the first half as far as the conditions went, but the play was more measured with both teams having consistent spells of possession and trying to catch each other out.

The approach remained the same for Casuals – press hard, force errors, and win the ball back at the earliest opportunity. In the 52nd minute, after a quick break, Chislett’s devious ball in from the right was won on the edge of the box by Simpson, who did what he’d done all game up to this point and outmuscled his man, before bringing it under control with his first touch, setting himself with the second and firing hard and low into the far corner with the third. The players headed over to celebrate their two-goal lead in front of the Casuals fans, who Fevrier praised after the game for their excellent support.

Herne Bay brought Rory Smith off the bench in the 57th minute as they went in search of goals, and Casuals survived a near-miss moments later when Walter’s curling effort from outside the box initially slipped from Seymour’s grasp but was gratefully clutched on the goal line at the second attempt.

Herne Bay ramped up the pressure at this point, and Fevrier would have been frustrated when a misplaced pass by in the middle of the pitch saw the visitors break, and the substitute Smith halved the deficit with a neat finish.   The visitors applied plenty of pressure after their second goal but mature, composed defending, combined with another outstanding save by a full-stretch Seymour kept Casuals’ lead in tact with 20 minutes left to play.

Some smart passages of play and solid game management saw Casuals stem the flow of pressure over the next 10 minutes, but then two-goal Cisse – who had run the game up to this point – picked up two yellow cards in quick succession and was sent off for a tug that halted a Herne Bay counter.

With 10 minutes left to play and down to 10 men as the sky darkened and a splattering of fine rain began to come down, everything was left to play for in an electric final act. But it might not have been that way as the lively Djemaili pounced on a cross from the right only to be agonisingly denied his goal by the linesman’s flag.

It was a case of absorbing the pressure for the final few minutes as Casuals were forced to play in their own half. In an effort to freshen up the team as added time loomed, Stokoe made way for Ruben Carvalho with three minutes of normal time remaining and received some much-deserved applause as he made his way around the pitch. 

With the finish line in sight, an 89th-minute Herne Bay corner very nearly spoiled the party. Herne Bay’s keeper, Josh Strivovic, made his way into the box and it was a heart-in-mouth moment for the home crowd as an outbreak of nervy head tennis ended in Smith latching onto the loose ball and putting it in the back of the net. However, the celebrations were ended as quickly as they began, as the assistant referee’s flag went up and disallowed the goal.

In the end, Casuals saw out five minutes of hard-fought added time to secure a 3-2 win and three points in Fevrier’s first game in charge.

Speaking after the game and delighted with the result, the new boss was pleased that “the game plan worked in phases” but admitted there was still “work to do on the ball” as he looks to implement his ideas and methods.

A Velocity Cup fixture against Hastings United on Tuesday will provide an opportunity to rotate, examine more of the squad and try new things, but it was an excellent first day on the touchline for the new manager, and the new-found optimism will be welcomed as the team look to build on it.

Corinthian-Casuals (3-4-3): Seymour; Green, Thompson, Adelakun; Chislett, Soulya-Osekanongo (Masikini 66), Stokoe (Carvalho 87), Djemaili; Caton, Simpson (Dillon 73), Cisse

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A Tough Battle in Hastings

Casuals Win!!

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