Corinthian-Casuals 2 - 2 Carshalton Athletic
Casuals win 4-2 on penalties
Specsavers Surrey Senior Cup 2nd Round
Thursday 3rd March 2022
Report: Stuart Tree. Pics: Andy Nunn.
A youthful Corinthian-Casuals side defeated an equally young Carshalton Athletic in the Surrey Senior Cup 2nd Round on a evening remembered for being Captain Danny Bracken’s 500th competitive appearance for the club.
They had to do it the hard way, having been pegged back twice to take the game to penalties. But it was fitting that Bracken would make two saves to win the shoot-out by 4 goals to 2… the first win on pens since 2017!
Off the back of an impressive FA Youth Cup run, Manager James Bracken gave debuts to six Academy lads and another two who remain unused on the bench. It was a gamble that paid dividends with the next game less than 48 hours after this tie. Likewise, the Robins also fielded a number of their upcoming youngsters in a testament to both club’s strong youth presence.
Casuals opened the scoring after ten minutes with Mo Diallo firing home from an acute angle. The lead lasted just five minutes with Ore Bello making the most of a counter attack, firing into the far corner.
On the stroke of half-time, Corinth re-gained the lead with a goal on debut for Cameron Beckles, who nodded home from close range from a corner.
Casuals had moments to put the game to bed, not least with Diallo hitting the post amongst other efforts. But Carshalton, who were unlucky not to have an earlier equaliser when Marc Gbaalou-Lida’s shot crashed off the underside of the bar and was cleared, despite appearing to have crossed the line. But Lida made amends with fifteen minutes to go to set up a tense finale.
The tie was decided on penalties with the first Carshalton effort superbly saved by Bracken. He’d follow this up with another stop to give the home side the distinct and clear advantage. Casuals were faultless with Nat Pinney, Cameron Beckles, Elliott Bolton and Misha Djemali scoring – the latter with the winning penalty.
As expressed by a number of neutrals enjoying a rare Thursday evening fixture, the tie was played with gusto in a game that was blessed with end-to-end action.
Casuals will host Kingstonian in the Quarter Final.
“It was a fitting way for my brother to end his 500th appearance with those two saves,” said Manager James Bracken after the win.
“I thought we were the better team over the ninety minutes and we got what we deserved, which is to be in the hat for the next round.
“My brother was disappointed that he didn’t play in the last league game but he’s been put in tonight and his experience was vital. He’s talked throughout, made a couple of saves in the first half and those two big penalty saves at the end. We’ve had a lot of penalty shoot outs over a recent period and he’ll know more than any of us that we haven’t won any. The first penalty is a special, special save. It’s in the corner, not at a good height for a keeper and hit with a lot of pace. To get across with a strong hand and keep it out was a great save.
“If we can go on and do something in this cup, we might look back at tonight with those two saves on his 500th appearance keeping our cup run alive. Hopefully, we can go on and challenge for the cup.
“Pleased with the young lads stepping in. Everyone done well. A couple stood out tonight. These lads, a lot of them are under-18. They’ve got a lot of potential, a lot of talent and have a great attitude about them. They’ve come in tonight and embraced it. They’ve learned a lot in a different environment to what they’re used to and really enjoyed it. Hopefully, that gives them the hunger to kick on for the rest of the season and the rest of their careers because they’ve got talent!”
Casuals win 4-2 on penalties
Specsavers Surrey Senior Cup 2nd Round
Thursday 3rd March 2022
Report: Stuart Tree. Pics: Andy Nunn.
A youthful Corinthian-Casuals side defeated an equally young Carshalton Athletic in the Surrey Senior Cup 2nd Round on a evening remembered for being Captain Danny Bracken’s 500th competitive appearance for the club.
They had to do it the hard way, having been pegged back twice to take the game to penalties. But it was fitting that Bracken would make two saves to win the shoot-out by 4 goals to 2… the first win on pens since 2017!
Off the back of an impressive FA Youth Cup run, Manager James Bracken gave debuts to six Academy lads and another two who remain unused on the bench. It was a gamble that paid dividends with the next game less than 48 hours after this tie. Likewise, the Robins also fielded a number of their upcoming youngsters in a testament to both club’s strong youth presence.
Casuals opened the scoring after ten minutes with Mo Diallo firing home from an acute angle. The lead lasted just five minutes with Ore Bello making the most of a counter attack, firing into the far corner.
On the stroke of half-time, Corinth re-gained the lead with a goal on debut for Cameron Beckles, who nodded home from close range from a corner.
Casuals had moments to put the game to bed, not least with Diallo hitting the post amongst other efforts. But Carshalton, who were unlucky not to have an earlier equaliser when Marc Gbaalou-Lida’s shot crashed off the underside of the bar and was cleared, despite appearing to have crossed the line. But Lida made amends with fifteen minutes to go to set up a tense finale.
The tie was decided on penalties with the first Carshalton effort superbly saved by Bracken. He’d follow this up with another stop to give the home side the distinct and clear advantage. Casuals were faultless with Nat Pinney, Cameron Beckles, Elliott Bolton and Misha Djemali scoring – the latter with the winning penalty.
As expressed by a number of neutrals enjoying a rare Thursday evening fixture, the tie was played with gusto in a game that was blessed with end-to-end action.
Casuals will host Kingstonian in the Quarter Final.
“It was a fitting way for my brother to end his 500th appearance with those two saves,” said Manager James Bracken after the win.
“I thought we were the better team over the ninety minutes and we got what we deserved, which is to be in the hat for the next round.
“My brother was disappointed that he didn’t play in the last league game but he’s been put in tonight and his experience was vital. He’s talked throughout, made a couple of saves in the first half and those two big penalty saves at the end. We’ve had a lot of penalty shoot outs over a recent period and he’ll know more than any of us that we haven’t won any. The first penalty is a special, special save. It’s in the corner, not at a good height for a keeper and hit with a lot of pace. To get across with a strong hand and keep it out was a great save.
“If we can go on and do something in this cup, we might look back at tonight with those two saves on his 500th appearance keeping our cup run alive. Hopefully, we can go on and challenge for the cup.
“Pleased with the young lads stepping in. Everyone done well. A couple stood out tonight. These lads, a lot of them are under-18. They’ve got a lot of potential, a lot of talent and have a great attitude about them. They’ve come in tonight and embraced it. They’ve learned a lot in a different environment to what they’re used to and really enjoyed it. Hopefully, that gives them the hunger to kick on for the rest of the season and the rest of their careers because they’ve got talent!”
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