Corinthian-Casuals 1 - 2 Kingstonian
Bostik League Premier Division
Saturday 22nd December 2018
Match report and photos: Stuart Tree (full set here)

Corinthian-Casuals succumbed to defeat in the Borough derby against tenants Kingstonian going down 2-1 in a day full of Christmas fundraising and festivities.

A bumper crowd of 631 saw James Daly and an unfortunate own goal give K’s the three points putting the visitors 2nd in the league table.

Casuals were without two attacking threats in Jordan Clarke and Bradley Woods-Garness, both through injury and at times, it told with the home side lacking spark in the final third.

Much like the reverse fixture in August, play was cagey with neither side wanting to give up local bragging rights. Casuals had a couple of half chances before the first breakthrough. A cross from wide found James Daly who pounced from just yards out to give K’s the lead. Questions were asked on if the build-up was an offside infringement and reviewing video post-match, it was verified.

Ironically, K’s would go on to have two other very well-taken chances rubbed off by the opposite side assistant referee.  

Casuals almost got back to square-pegging immediately after when Max Oldham raced through on goal, but Rob Tolfrey steered the winger wide and away from danger.

K’s looked like they might have added a second but for Danny Bracken making a brilliant double save to deny Leigh Dynan’s side.

Despite having two efforts scrubbed off by the linesman’s flag, one of which was brilliantly volleyed by Daly, K’s looked to have put the game to bed when Jack Strange inadvertently steered the ball into his own net.

Casuals went ‘route one’ and Gabriel Odunaike pounced on mistakes by the centre halves to reduce the arrears. But the final ten minutes ticked away with no real threat and K’s held on for the win.

Thanks go to everyone for their generosity to two great charitable causes (Kingston Churches Action on Homelessness and Kingston Carers Network) and we wish both sets of supporters a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Assistant Manager Dan Pringle had these comments following the match.

“From our point of view, it’s a slightly harsh score-line on us. The first goal, video playback has shown the build-up was offside and obviously the second is an unfortunate own-goal. Saying that, we didn’t do enough to win it and a draw would’ve been a fair result in my eyes.

“Considering the different ‘resources’ of the two sides, you certainly couldn’t see that massive gulf in class by watching today.

“If you’d have said to me at the start of the season that by Christmas, we’d have 29 points and 12th in the league, we’d have taken that.

“The first few games of the season saw us take a while to adjust to this level but since then, we know what we need to do to be successful. If we can get back on a run like we had in November, then who knows what we can achieve.

“There’s belief in the squad and we’re looking up rather than over our shoulder. Get ourselves back on a good run and we’ll surprise a few people as we have done every season since James and I have been here.

"We’ve taken a side that finished 5th in the Bostik South and currently sit in 12th in the Bostik Premier, and that’s after losing key personnel too. It’s a minor miracle where we are. By rights, we shouldn’t be where we are.” 

​"That was certainly some of the most farcical conditions I’ve seen football played in," said Manager James Bracken following the 4-3 loss at Brightlingsea Regent.

"We can’t complain though. It’s the same for both teams. But it certainly made it nothing like a game of football. It was a war of attrition… an ugly game. Seven horrible goals and unfortunately, we let in one too many of those.

"We should’ve done better in the first half, especially for a couple of the goals. The referee has had a massive hand in a couple of them too. But concede four goals in the first half and you’ve always got a mountain to climb.

"That said, we had a go in the second half and credit to the lads. 4-1 down and it can go one of two ways. They took it with the right attitude and was a much more positive second period. With a bit more luck, we could’ve nicked another.

"You have good days, you have bad days and then you have these days. You can’t look back and analyse that. We just need to draw a line under it and concentrate on the next game.

"The first goal had nothing to do with the wind and we have to be critical of our mistakes on that. To concede so early on, set the tone for the game and with that wind at their backs, it gave them the confidence to put us to the sword. Fair play to them, they did that by putting four past us. We didn’t help ourselves in the early stages. My brother will be the first to say that he should’ve punched the corner ball away rather than trying to catch it. So we have to be critical in parts but there’s also a level where you look at the conditions and the pitch and need to give them some leeway. The reaction after half time is what I’ll judge the day on.

"That reaction is what we’ll need going into the derby match with Kingstonian next week. It’s a massive game for everyone. They’re on a good run and notched another good result against Bognor Regis. We’ll be doing everything we can to get prepared for this. Tactically, mentally, I’ll ensure we’re prepared for what K’s will bring and be prepared to get the three points we perhaps should’ve picked up today.

"We’ll be up for it and it’s up to us to ensure we do enough in the early stages of the game to get a grip of it, get the fans behind us and hopefully, we can then carry each other right through to the final whistle with three good points."

Brightlingsea Regent 4 - 3 Corinthian-Casuals
Bostik League Premier Division
Saturday 15th December 2018
Match report and pic: Stuart Tree

Corinthian-Casuals succumbed to a 4-3 defeat at Brightlingsea Regent in conditions described by Manager James Bracken as ‘farcical.’

Strong winds and heavy rain put pay to any football being played as both sides were buffeted by strong winds and torrential, freezing rain.

It was Regent who capitalised the most, taking a 4-1 lead into the break before a Casuals comeback simply ran out of time. With the wind driving straight down the length of the pitch, it was no surprise that six of the seven goals were scored at one end.

Bracken made two enforced changes to his side that defeated Tonbridge Angels in the week. Out was Mu Maan and Jordan Clarke, replaced by Reyon Dillon and Max Oldham. Bracken had gone with a line up that looked packed with attacking players, though defensively, floundered after just two minutes when Jordan Barnett slammed home an Aaron Condon cross.

It was to get worse for Casuals with barely six minutes on the clock; a disputed free kick was played to Billy Hunt who turned and shot past Bracken to double Regent’s lead. It was mooted that anything on target at that end would probably result in a goal.

Pinned in their own half, Casuals were three down when Condon shot from 20 yards to leave the Amateurs flailing. Hope was restored after Coskun Ekim’s free kick was lofted to the back post, met by Reece Hannigan who angled his header across goal to find Gabriel Odunaike to poke home. A comeback on?

Potentially, though matters weren’t helped when Regent restored their three goal lead.  Condon’s wind-assisted corner was fumbled by Danny Bracken and found the net. Though Regent were three goals to the good, there was quiet optimism that roles would be reversed, and the home side would now have 45 minutes to defend that end.

And so it came; It didn’t take long for Casuals to reduce arrears. A lofted ball deep from defence caused all manner of problems for the Regent centre backs and fluffing their lines, Max Oldham raced on to round keeper James Bradbrook and score into an empty net.

The next 20 minutes or so saw Casuals attempt to play along the ground, passing to feet. This wasn’t a day for pretty football. Lofted balls into the box was the order of the day and so they squandered a good portion of time utilising their best attacking aid… the weather. In a throw of the dice, Bracken made a triple substitution and went more direct. So direct, that Hakeem Adelakun’s halfway line free kick sailed over everyone, including Bradbrook and into the goal. There were last gasp chances, with Reece Hannigan and Warren Mfula causing problems. However, time ran out and Regent held on for a vital three points.

It was a day to remember and equally a day to forget. It’s been a while since we’ve witnessed football played in those conditions (Banstead away 5-4 in the Surrey Senior Cup if older fans remember?). Sadly, a football match was never in danger of happening and a poor first half saw Casuals slow to adapt to the weather. It could’ve been worse – had the rain come an hour or two before, chances are the game wouldn’t have finished and Casuals would have to make the 220 mile round trip on a cold Tuesday in January. This one can be chalked off, put down to experience and move on to the Kingstonian derby match next Saturday.

​James Bracken's post match comments can be read here.

"We’re delighted with that result," said James Bracken following the 2-1 win over Tonbridge Angels.

"Tonbridge have come here third in the league but been on an indifferent run, as we have ourselves. But we have to be pleased. They’re one of the pre-season favourites and have got some good players. They’re a good side.

"We showed character again. We do that every time it’s required. On the back of three defeats, it could’ve been easy to capitulate, especially after we gifted them their goal. That was a catastrophic error on our part. It could’ve been easy to lose the game following on from doing the same against Potters Bar Town on Saturday. But we came back stronger, scored a good winner so I’m very pleased.

"We made sure we stayed in the game. The boys took 15 minutes to adapt to what we were asking of them. When we settled, we were good for the last 20 minutes of the first half.

"Second half, they started well and we gave them a gift of a goal but we finished strong. All in all, a decent night.

"We need to be realistic with ourselves. When we’re winning, I believe we’re going to win the league and when we lose a few, I take it too personally, because I’m ultimately responsible. No one has felt worse than I have these last few days. That’s why I’m delighted that the lads showed the character they did tonight.

"When we scored the goal, we grew in confidence and played some decent football. We can still be better and I’m sure we will. We just need to realise that when we win, we’re not getting carried away thinking we’re the finished article. Conversely, when we lose, ensure we’re not beating ourselves up too much. The team that’s lost the last three were the same team that won five of the previous six. We’re a decent side. They’re good players and tonight we got it right.

"We’re expecting a tough game at Brightlingsea Regent on Saturday. They’ve been picking up good results lately and it’s not an easy place to get to. Therefore, it’s not a gimme especially if it’s a cold, wet and windy day on the coast. There’s nothing being taken for granted and I expect a hard game. If we perform to the levels that we can, then we’ll be within a good chance of winning. If we don’t, we’ll come up short. There are certainly no walkovers in this league.

"Finally, i’d like to personally thank the boys that tirelessly worked on the pitch after Saturday. It was an absolute quagmire out there at the weekend. I feared the worst coming into this game that we wouldn’t have a good pitch to play on and the spectacle would be spoiled. After Saturday, we wanted to put on a performance that entertained everyone and gave us the best chance of three points. The work that Connor, Billy Stringer, Jon Williams and Dan Harris have put in is tremendous and I’m taking this opportunity to thank them."

​It was three defeats in a row for Corinthian-Casuals as Potters Bar Town came from behind to snatch a deserved 2-1 victory at King George’s Arena on Saturday.
 
Warren Mfula had put the hosts in front with a second-half strike but goals from substitute Aaron Morgan-Cummings and Dernell Wynter gave all three points to the visitors.
 
“A couple of weeks ago I said, ‘I couldn’t see anyone beating us’,” lamented Manager James Bracken after the loss. “That’s because we were doing things so well, that was how it was looking at the time. Sadly, we’ve stopped performing to that level. But we had bad spells at the start of the season and we fixed it.
 
“We didn’t play well enough with the wind behind us on Saturday. We appeared to settle for 0-0 at half time and go for it after the break. That wind was strong enough that we could’ve penned them in and had plenty more wind-assisted shots. We need to take advantage of opportunities like that.
 
“However, we got our noses in-front and looked more of a threat. Sadly, we took our foot off the gas and relaxed too much. We didn’t win enough first balls or second balls. It just wasn’t good enough. Sometimes we think scoring once is enough. We need to take advantage of good spells and put games to bed.
 
“The defending for the two goals was poor. We looked at those that we conceded in the week at Lewes. The last two we conceded constituted errors from four or five players. Potters Bar’s first goal was the same. We’ve had multiple opportunities to clear the ball and not one player has been able to do that.
 
“It was a quagmire out there and the conditions were difficult. The wind didn’t help matters at all. But at this level, players must do their jobs defensively. If we don’t, their attack stays alive, they score and from there, they have the momentum.
 
“There’s not a lot between Saturday and tonight to address it. At the minute, we need to get on the training ground. We have to give opportunities to players where shirts become available on a Monday or Thursday evening. Training allows us to pick a team that reflects what we’ve seen during these sessions. Now, we’re picking a side that have won, but strayed a little. We’re not being able to see where players are until you put them in a match. It’s difficult. It’s a guessing game as to how you think they’ll perform.
 
“But we’ll be ready for Tuesday. I believe we’ll win, because I will always believe we’ll win any game we go into. We have to ensure we come out of the match with something and look to build on that come Saturday.
 
“I’m never one to use excuses but when we went to Lewes last week, our top three goal scorers were all unavailable. There’re not many teams that can afford to miss their three main strikers and still expect to be at the same level. It’s good to have Warren Mfula back from those three.  
 
“We have no budget to bring in re-enforcements when we need them. We have good players and good lads here that are waiting for opportunities and they’re coming along. If they take them, that’s great. If they fall a little short, they can’t say they didn’t get an opportunity.
 
“It’s not all doom and gloom though. If you’d have said we’d go into Christmas in twelfth position, everyone would’ve taken that. It’s up to us all now to ensure the next few games, we get it right and go out and become winners again.” 

Wingate & Finchley 2 - 0 Corinthian-Casuals
Bostik League Premier Division
S​aturday 1st December 2018
Match report and photos: Stuart Tree (full set here)

Corinthian-Casuals suffered their first defeat in the league in five matches, but Manager James Bracken insists his side are “still in the mix”.

The 2-0 loss at Wingate & Finchley on Saturday dropped the Tolworth outfit to tenth in the league but are just two points outside the playoff places with at least one game in hand.

“We’ve won five of the last six so losing a game doesn’t put us out of contention,” commented Bracken.

“We’re right in the mix. We’re still four points behind K’s with two games in hand. Had we won, we’d have been in the playoff places because Worthing lost. Leaders Dorking lost with Tonbridge winning their first game in six, so everyone is dropping points.”

Casuals headed into Saturday’s clash in North London on the back of a dramatic 2-1 win at Leatherhead. But they were slow out of the blocks and Sean Cronin gave the hosts the deserved lead after twenty minutes. Prior to that, Wingate had a strong penalty appeal given only as a free kick and a goal disallowed for offside.

Casuals grew into the game and forced a succession of corners. They were having joy on the wings too. Gabriel Odunaike cut his cross back only for Mfula to fire over. Jordan Clarke’s wicked curling shot looked goal-bound too, but whistled wide of the upright.

Despite Corinth enjoying prolonged periods of pressure, Wingate struck again after the interval. Picking up on a loose Casuals pass, they surged on the break and made it 2-0 courtesy of Reece Mitchell.

Casuals continued to get something from the game but were unable to muster a comeback for the second time in a week. Juevan Spencer went closest when his chip clipped the crossbar.

“The first twenty minutes were a write-off,” said Bracken after the match.

“We’ve gifted them two goals. The first was a poor goal to concede on our part. Even the second goal, we’ve given away the ball very sloppily under no pressure. But if you look at the bigger picture, there was plenty to be pleased with. Let’s bear in mind, we’ve come to Wingate – an established club at this level, given them a two-goal lead but been the better team. That’s football for you.  

“Their keeper has made a couple of good saves and there have been a couple of deflections which could’ve easily gone in.

“I thought we were a little unlucky at times but too often, we weren’t clinical enough. We got into some great positions. We had three or four one-on-ones coming in on the angle and not hit the target.

“Today could’ve easily been a 3-2 or 4-2 win for us had we taken our chances.”

“We didn’t start with enough fire in our bellies and the first twenty minutes, we were very passive. Tactically, we had errors to correct at half time. To be fair to the lads, they implemented the changes in the second half. That’s why most of play was in their half other than when we sloppily gave the ball away.

“It was like a basketball game in the second half. End-to-end stuff. Sadly, we gifted them a goal by just doing the wrong things. We were playing well but had a lapse where we gave away possession too easily. They’ve scored off the back of a break-away. All we had to do was keep playing the way we were as it was working. Had we equalised, I believe we’d have kicked on and got another.

“But apart from the first twenty minutes, I can’t be too critical of the boys. They put in a good amount of work and especially in the second half, we were worthy of coming away with something.

“I’ve learnt more about myself in these first few months in the Bostik Premier League than I’d learnt about myself in the previous ten years. I always knew I was a winner, but I didn’t quite realise how much I hated losing. You have to come breathing fire every week. You cannot pick and choose what games you’re motivated for. If we do that, with the quality we have, we’ll win most weeks.”
​
Casuals travel to Lewes on Wednesday night.