Byatt Building Bridges to Relegation Safety

Goalscorer Byatt in action vs Crawley Down

CORINTHIAN-CASUALS 1   THREE BRIDGES  0
RYMAN DIVISION ONE SOUTH
Thurs 27th March 2014
by David Harrison

Casuals continued their impressive form, keeping a clean sheet for the fourth game in a row. With the only goal of the match they beat Three Bridges,  leap-frogged them in the League,  and moved another step away from the danger zone.  The team showed one change from the side which had demolished Redhill two nights before,  Ross Defoe coming in for the injured Jordan Vidal at left back.

Casuals began as they had finished on Tuesday,  with purpose and style.  Ellis Wilson-Joseph had a shot within two minutes; then a run by Juevan Spencer on the right saw Steve Goddard's shot saved.  The goal that followed on 12 minutes was worth the admission money by itself.   Saheed Sankoh controlled a difficult ball out of defence before cleverly putting Dave  Hodges away on the left.  He made ground before hitting a trade-mark left foot cross into the visitor's box.   It arrived waist high to the advancing Jamie Byatt who volleyed it left foot past the bemused keeper.  Goal of the month and perhaps even better.  It was Byatt's 26th strike of the season.  "There's only one Jamie Byatt", they sang behind the goal.

Casuals could and should have had more before half time;  Spencer was showing his pace on the right combining regularly with Goddard;   Byatt had another shot saved.  Wilson-Joseph made a run from the halfway line only to see his shot hit the post. Goddard even "tried a Rooney" from 50 yards. At the other end Danny Green was enjoying himself at full back while Danny Dudley and Joe Hicks in the centre made the territory their own with powerful support from Ross Defoe on the left.  A Three Bridges corner and shot over the bar was the nearest the visitors came to disturbing Danny Bracken's evening.

At the interval Joel Thompson took the place of Goddard who was feeling the hamstring that he had tweaked at Redhill two days before. Within moments Thompson found himself barely five yards out.  Hodges forced the ball across but somehow Thompson could hit only the underside of the bar.   Another run by Spencer offered a chance but the winger's shot was just wide.

Then developed another small drama. Linesman Erroll Walker damaged an Achilles tendon  and had to withdraw.   After a tannoy appeal failed to produce a qualified replacement  regular First Team sub Chris Watney volunteered his services.  But the visitors weren't keen  to let him officiate. Happily referee  Michael Hayden decided he would manage without a linesman and the game finally continued after a 15 minute hiatus.               

Sadly the match never regained the intensity that had gone before.  Hodges offered another chance to Thompson but the big man hit the bar again.  Sankoh continued to prompt from midfield.  Bracken remained untroubled in goal and the game rather petered out.  But the final whistle marked up three wins and a draw in the last four games - a run of form  when it really matters.    

Team:   D.Bracken;  D.Green, R. Defoe, D.Dudley, J.Hicks (C);  E.Wilson-Joseph, J.Spencer,  S.Sankoh;  J.Byatt, S.Goddard (J.Thompson 45'),  D.Hodges.  Subs not used:  M.Falm, T.Williams,  J.Wadmore, B.Bowra

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