Corinthian-Casuals 0 - 2 Lewes
Bostik League Premier Division
Tuesday 5th March 2019
Report: Cameron Smith - Pics: Stuart Tree / Andy Nunn (Andy's set here)
A promising first-half deteriorated into a disappointing loss for the wasteful Corinthian-Casuals, with play-off pushing Lewes taking all three points in a 0-2 win on a rainy Shrove Tuesday at King George’s.
James Bracken’s pink and brown army commuted away from North London on Saturday evening with a new-found confidence following a hard-earned and deserving 2-2 result at Haringey Borough. Odunaike’s slick finish and Osman’s belter were the goals that got the Casuals fans punching the air, and the two were part of ten players that reserved a place in the starting eleven for the first midweek match in Tolworth in 2019. Tucker for Spencer at right-back was the only change.
Casuals and Lewes have had their fair share of clashes over the years; most recently the East Sussex –based side defeated the Corinthians 3-0 on a dark and dingy Wednesday night in December.
Darren Freeman’s team were the favourites, but the Bracken Brothers relished the title of underdogs. Straight in like wolves on fresh meat, the hosts seemed to dominate from an offensive point of view. Granted, Lewes did have a dangerous attack and pinpointed complacencies in the Casuals back four but multiple chances from Casuals were not taken. Recorded shots would not have been high, but the sheer movement around the flanks and middle was impressive. It was no cigar for Corinth no matter how hard Antonio tried to force the ball through in midfield, Adelakun tried to deliver the perfect cross at left-back and Odunaike tried to be the fox in the box. A wonderful save from Danny Bracken towards the end of the half was early warning signs for Casuals- if they did not take their chances soon, the Rooks would take advantage.
After the goalless first-half, it was clear that Lewes were not looking to leave King George’s without any additions to their promotion voyage. After more of the same, it was in the 66th minute where the deadlock was broken and Kieron Pamment slotted the ball past Bracken from a tight angle. A draw would have been great for the home side but half-chances was as far as Casuals got to the goal- no.1 Lewis Carey organised his defence well throughout flurries of corners and set-pieces. Perhaps concentrating on the chance to level, Casuals conceded one right at the death as Luke Blewden nicked Lewes’ second and the nail on the Corinthians’ coffin.
Thank you to Lewes and we wish them well for the rest of the season. It becomes seven games without a win for Casuals. James Bracken and his staff are peeking over their shoulders now as six points separate them from relegation but with the Corinthian spirit and our incredible support, they will try their utmost to survive. Mid-table Bishop’s Stortford are up next on the agenda in the home match on Saturday.
“We need to fight now,” said Manager Bracken following the loss. “We need to be hard to beat. We’ll need to nick a few games. It might not be the prettiest but we are where we are and that calls for a sense of reality to ensure we get the job done.
“We’re not bottom. We’re not thinking that we must win the majority of our games, but we still have to pick up points here and there.
“The next three games after Bishop’s Stortford on Saturday will be against sides competing for the title or playoffs.
“After that, we’ll have five massive games now at the end of the season where we’ll probably have to get three wins out of those. That’s not a position that anyone wants to be in, but we are.
“I find it hard to accept the position that we’re in. I look at teams in and around the top ten that I know we’re better than. That’s easy for me to say it and the table doesn’t lie, but on our day, we’re as good as anything in this division. We’ve proved that against the top sides. Against the top nine, we’ve played fifteen games and won seven of those. We’ve won nearly 50% of our games against the top nine. It’s the inconsistency in us that’s put us where we are.
“There’s no excuse not to be up for every match at this level. No disrespect to anyone, but when you’re playing your Potters Bar’s or your Brightlingsea’s, you have to be up for those as much as the perceived big games. All of the sides at this level have won promotion from the level we were playing at for years. Lewes and Carshalton came up with us. Burgess Hill, at the bottom won promotion a few years ago with a record points tally. Whoever you’re playing in this division, they’re proper football clubs who at the very least, were top sides from the tier below.
“Every single game, we’re massive underdogs. It’s like us playing Lewes or Carshalton last season, every single week. We must be up for every single match. In the league below, you can win at 70% but in the Premier, we need to be at 100% week-in, week-out. There’s no room for a lull. We need to be focused, committed. Unfortunately, when we’ve faced teams in and around us, there’s perhaps still that perception that there is room for complacency. We need to look at ourselves regarding that.”
Bostik League Premier Division
Tuesday 5th March 2019
Report: Cameron Smith - Pics: Stuart Tree / Andy Nunn (Andy's set here)
A promising first-half deteriorated into a disappointing loss for the wasteful Corinthian-Casuals, with play-off pushing Lewes taking all three points in a 0-2 win on a rainy Shrove Tuesday at King George’s.
James Bracken’s pink and brown army commuted away from North London on Saturday evening with a new-found confidence following a hard-earned and deserving 2-2 result at Haringey Borough. Odunaike’s slick finish and Osman’s belter were the goals that got the Casuals fans punching the air, and the two were part of ten players that reserved a place in the starting eleven for the first midweek match in Tolworth in 2019. Tucker for Spencer at right-back was the only change.
Casuals and Lewes have had their fair share of clashes over the years; most recently the East Sussex –based side defeated the Corinthians 3-0 on a dark and dingy Wednesday night in December.
Darren Freeman’s team were the favourites, but the Bracken Brothers relished the title of underdogs. Straight in like wolves on fresh meat, the hosts seemed to dominate from an offensive point of view. Granted, Lewes did have a dangerous attack and pinpointed complacencies in the Casuals back four but multiple chances from Casuals were not taken. Recorded shots would not have been high, but the sheer movement around the flanks and middle was impressive. It was no cigar for Corinth no matter how hard Antonio tried to force the ball through in midfield, Adelakun tried to deliver the perfect cross at left-back and Odunaike tried to be the fox in the box. A wonderful save from Danny Bracken towards the end of the half was early warning signs for Casuals- if they did not take their chances soon, the Rooks would take advantage.
After the goalless first-half, it was clear that Lewes were not looking to leave King George’s without any additions to their promotion voyage. After more of the same, it was in the 66th minute where the deadlock was broken and Kieron Pamment slotted the ball past Bracken from a tight angle. A draw would have been great for the home side but half-chances was as far as Casuals got to the goal- no.1 Lewis Carey organised his defence well throughout flurries of corners and set-pieces. Perhaps concentrating on the chance to level, Casuals conceded one right at the death as Luke Blewden nicked Lewes’ second and the nail on the Corinthians’ coffin.
Thank you to Lewes and we wish them well for the rest of the season. It becomes seven games without a win for Casuals. James Bracken and his staff are peeking over their shoulders now as six points separate them from relegation but with the Corinthian spirit and our incredible support, they will try their utmost to survive. Mid-table Bishop’s Stortford are up next on the agenda in the home match on Saturday.
“We need to fight now,” said Manager Bracken following the loss. “We need to be hard to beat. We’ll need to nick a few games. It might not be the prettiest but we are where we are and that calls for a sense of reality to ensure we get the job done.
“We’re not bottom. We’re not thinking that we must win the majority of our games, but we still have to pick up points here and there.
“The next three games after Bishop’s Stortford on Saturday will be against sides competing for the title or playoffs.
“After that, we’ll have five massive games now at the end of the season where we’ll probably have to get three wins out of those. That’s not a position that anyone wants to be in, but we are.
“I find it hard to accept the position that we’re in. I look at teams in and around the top ten that I know we’re better than. That’s easy for me to say it and the table doesn’t lie, but on our day, we’re as good as anything in this division. We’ve proved that against the top sides. Against the top nine, we’ve played fifteen games and won seven of those. We’ve won nearly 50% of our games against the top nine. It’s the inconsistency in us that’s put us where we are.
“There’s no excuse not to be up for every match at this level. No disrespect to anyone, but when you’re playing your Potters Bar’s or your Brightlingsea’s, you have to be up for those as much as the perceived big games. All of the sides at this level have won promotion from the level we were playing at for years. Lewes and Carshalton came up with us. Burgess Hill, at the bottom won promotion a few years ago with a record points tally. Whoever you’re playing in this division, they’re proper football clubs who at the very least, were top sides from the tier below.
“Every single game, we’re massive underdogs. It’s like us playing Lewes or Carshalton last season, every single week. We must be up for every single match. In the league below, you can win at 70% but in the Premier, we need to be at 100% week-in, week-out. There’s no room for a lull. We need to be focused, committed. Unfortunately, when we’ve faced teams in and around us, there’s perhaps still that perception that there is room for complacency. We need to look at ourselves regarding that.”
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