AFC Whyteleafe 5 - 1 Corinthian-Casuals
Combined Counties League Premier South
Saturday 28th December 2024
Report: Dominic Bliss
Photos: Stuart Tree (full set here) More photos from Andy Nunn here.
The first thing to say is this was not a typical 5-1 game. Casuals were not outclassed, simply beaten to the punch too many times by a ruthless Whyteleafe side who are in the thick of a tight promotion race.
At times, we had the better of the play between the boxes and our widemen were keen and effective. Trey Masikini was the liveliest player on the pitch in the opening exchange and won a penalty when he panicked the Whyteleafe goalkeeper into bringing him down just inside the area on seven minutes. Diogo da Silva, who also troubled the opposition backline during a bright start, stepped up to dispatch the penalty with nonchalant grace, sending George Hill the wrong way and giving Casuals an early lead.
Perhaps stung by Horley Town’s comeback the previous week, and aware of the threat posed by Whyteleafe, there was a reluctance among players and travelling support to get too ahead of ourselves.
With fog enveloping Church Road, the home side conversely began to play with more clarity, jolted into action by that early blow. Whyteleafe dominated the middle of the first half, with their midfield men Dan Bennett and Jordan Johnson-Palmer getting on the ball more, and green shirts surging onto second balls before looking to find their rapid wingers, Ryans Gondoh and Hall, at every opportunity.
The equaliser – after 20 minutes – was a piece of instinctive brilliance from Hall, who gave the Casuals defence very little chance to set themselves as he seized on a loose ball on the edge of the area following a blocked effort.
Kieron Cadogan came close for Casuals with a free kick shortly afterwards, as the visitors looked to respond. But just when we began to regain a foothold, we were caught cold by another through ball, and Matt Kellett-Smith arrived late in his attempt to intervene, bundling over his man just inside the area. The referee pointed to the spot.
Mo Maan returned to goal this week and read the penalty well, getting down to his left to push it away, only to see the determined Hall pounce on the rebound and score with his follow-up effort.
We were very much in the game until half-time, but within 10 minutes of the restart our optimism was dashed by a goal from Gondoh, our tormentor-in-chief in the reverse fixture against Whyteleafe earlier this season.
Yet Casuals continued to get on the ball and produce moments of promise, if only we had been more decisive in the final third. At times the combination play of Masikini, Cadogan, Da Silva and Reyon Dillon was enough to open up a half-chance, but we were shot shy, waiting for a clearer opening that just wouldn’t come.
Meanwhile, there was an intensity and a tenacity to the hosts’ play in both boxes. At the back, Corey Holder was vocal throughout, geeing up his team-mates, applauding every block, every challenge, every intervention the home side made in defence of their area. The experienced centre-back used to coach the Corinthian-Casuals FA Youth Cup side during our collaboration with Kinetic Academy a few years back and his nous, alongside the quality of skipper Helge Orome, made it very difficult for a lively Casuals attack to make a telling breakthrough.
It all played a part in the psychological battle, as Whyteleafe grew in belief, and Casuals’ confidence dropped off. There was no gulf in class, but there was a difference in decisiveness.
Mo Maan in goal made a couple of brave one-on-one blocks but could do little to prevent Gondoh and Orome adding a fourth, then a fifth, as we committed more men forward in search of a way back into the game.
On a day when it felt like every mistake was punished to the full, the frustration was in the fine detail. Whyteleafe’s fourth came from a break immediately after a Casuals attacking move that broke down due to over-elaborate play in front of goal. Their fifth came moments after Casuals’ substitute, Rafael Barbosa, was cynically brought down by the last man in the Whyteleafe backline after bursting towards goal with just the keeper to beat. The foul was made just outside the area, yet the referee decided to award just a yellow card, leaving Casuals dumbfounded as they watched the 11 men of the home side go and extend their lead at the other end.
No, the scoreline was not a true reflection of the game, or the respective quality within the two teams, but it did tell a story of its own about momentum. A few weeks back, Casuals were on the right side of an encounter like this, dismantling a spirited Sheerwater side as we seized on every loose ball and relentlessly pushed for more and more goals, eventually running out 4-1 winners in Tolworth.
A return to that level of performance wouldn’t take much. The ability is there, the support from our fans has never waned, and the togetherness within the dressing room was clear to see in the celebrations following Diogo’s opener. Sometimes a game just gets beyond a team in the middle of a difficult run. It will only take a battling victory to turn things around.
Corinthian-Casuals: Mo Maan, Gjoshe, Kellett-Smith, M Dos Santos, Protsyshyn, Antonio, Onovwigun (Barbosa 72), Da Silva (Cheklit 79), Cadogan (Cascoe-Rogers 68), Masikini, Dillon (Osunkoya 68)
Combined Counties League Premier South
Saturday 28th December 2024
Report: Dominic Bliss
Photos: Stuart Tree (full set here) More photos from Andy Nunn here.
The first thing to say is this was not a typical 5-1 game. Casuals were not outclassed, simply beaten to the punch too many times by a ruthless Whyteleafe side who are in the thick of a tight promotion race.
At times, we had the better of the play between the boxes and our widemen were keen and effective. Trey Masikini was the liveliest player on the pitch in the opening exchange and won a penalty when he panicked the Whyteleafe goalkeeper into bringing him down just inside the area on seven minutes. Diogo da Silva, who also troubled the opposition backline during a bright start, stepped up to dispatch the penalty with nonchalant grace, sending George Hill the wrong way and giving Casuals an early lead.
Perhaps stung by Horley Town’s comeback the previous week, and aware of the threat posed by Whyteleafe, there was a reluctance among players and travelling support to get too ahead of ourselves.
With fog enveloping Church Road, the home side conversely began to play with more clarity, jolted into action by that early blow. Whyteleafe dominated the middle of the first half, with their midfield men Dan Bennett and Jordan Johnson-Palmer getting on the ball more, and green shirts surging onto second balls before looking to find their rapid wingers, Ryans Gondoh and Hall, at every opportunity.
The equaliser – after 20 minutes – was a piece of instinctive brilliance from Hall, who gave the Casuals defence very little chance to set themselves as he seized on a loose ball on the edge of the area following a blocked effort.
Kieron Cadogan came close for Casuals with a free kick shortly afterwards, as the visitors looked to respond. But just when we began to regain a foothold, we were caught cold by another through ball, and Matt Kellett-Smith arrived late in his attempt to intervene, bundling over his man just inside the area. The referee pointed to the spot.
Mo Maan returned to goal this week and read the penalty well, getting down to his left to push it away, only to see the determined Hall pounce on the rebound and score with his follow-up effort.
We were very much in the game until half-time, but within 10 minutes of the restart our optimism was dashed by a goal from Gondoh, our tormentor-in-chief in the reverse fixture against Whyteleafe earlier this season.
Yet Casuals continued to get on the ball and produce moments of promise, if only we had been more decisive in the final third. At times the combination play of Masikini, Cadogan, Da Silva and Reyon Dillon was enough to open up a half-chance, but we were shot shy, waiting for a clearer opening that just wouldn’t come.
Meanwhile, there was an intensity and a tenacity to the hosts’ play in both boxes. At the back, Corey Holder was vocal throughout, geeing up his team-mates, applauding every block, every challenge, every intervention the home side made in defence of their area. The experienced centre-back used to coach the Corinthian-Casuals FA Youth Cup side during our collaboration with Kinetic Academy a few years back and his nous, alongside the quality of skipper Helge Orome, made it very difficult for a lively Casuals attack to make a telling breakthrough.
It all played a part in the psychological battle, as Whyteleafe grew in belief, and Casuals’ confidence dropped off. There was no gulf in class, but there was a difference in decisiveness.
Mo Maan in goal made a couple of brave one-on-one blocks but could do little to prevent Gondoh and Orome adding a fourth, then a fifth, as we committed more men forward in search of a way back into the game.
On a day when it felt like every mistake was punished to the full, the frustration was in the fine detail. Whyteleafe’s fourth came from a break immediately after a Casuals attacking move that broke down due to over-elaborate play in front of goal. Their fifth came moments after Casuals’ substitute, Rafael Barbosa, was cynically brought down by the last man in the Whyteleafe backline after bursting towards goal with just the keeper to beat. The foul was made just outside the area, yet the referee decided to award just a yellow card, leaving Casuals dumbfounded as they watched the 11 men of the home side go and extend their lead at the other end.
No, the scoreline was not a true reflection of the game, or the respective quality within the two teams, but it did tell a story of its own about momentum. A few weeks back, Casuals were on the right side of an encounter like this, dismantling a spirited Sheerwater side as we seized on every loose ball and relentlessly pushed for more and more goals, eventually running out 4-1 winners in Tolworth.
A return to that level of performance wouldn’t take much. The ability is there, the support from our fans has never waned, and the togetherness within the dressing room was clear to see in the celebrations following Diogo’s opener. Sometimes a game just gets beyond a team in the middle of a difficult run. It will only take a battling victory to turn things around.
Corinthian-Casuals: Mo Maan, Gjoshe, Kellett-Smith, M Dos Santos, Protsyshyn, Antonio, Onovwigun (Barbosa 72), Da Silva (Cheklit 79), Cadogan (Cascoe-Rogers 68), Masikini, Dillon (Osunkoya 68)
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