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!”

Corinthian-Casuals 2 - 1 Carshalton Athletic
Isthmian League Premier Division
Saturday 1st January 2022
Report and photos: Stuart Tree (full set here)
​Additional pics: Andy Nunn (full set here)

Corinthian-Casuals continued their decent run of form into the new year with a hard-working 2-1 win over neighbours Carshalton Athletic.

New Years Day has been kind to Casuals over the years as you’ll have to go back 41 years to find the last loss on the First of January. Having only lost once in the last eight matches, Manager James Bracken must’ve felt confident going into this tie against an always competitive Carshalton side.

Casuals were without ever-present Jack Tucker through having Covid but returning to the squad was Emmanuel Mensah as well as a place on the bench for Mo Diallo – recently signed from Worthing.

It was almost the dream start too, as within the first minute, Bobby Mills found himself bearing down on goal but forced Lloyd Thomas into a crucial save.

It spurred Casuals on and they continued to put the visitors under pressure until they finally cracked halfway through the half. Kieron Cadogan’s quick feet inside the box saw him push his shot past Thomas into the bottom corner.

Corinth were frustratingly pegged back after having the bulk of the play when defender Luke Read expertly headed home following a corner that had failed to be cleared.

But it wasn’t to last long as an excellent cross from Ben Cheklit found the arriving Bobby Mills front and centre to nod home leaving Thomas no chance and sending the bulk of the 507 in attendance into celebration.

Casuals had other chances to go in at the break with a comfortable lead but failed to capitalise on a decent 2-on-2 chance. Therefore, it was no surprise that Carshalton felt they were always still in the contest as they probed Casuals for the bulk of the second half.

Despite large amounts of possession in the home side’s half, the Robins rarely threatened. Keeper Danny Bracken had only one save to make, from Harry Ottaway who’s effort was comfortably retrieved. Debutant Mo Diallo had a shout for a penalty turned down at the other end, with the resulting challenge ending in a yellow card for simulation.

However, Casuals were able to hold onto their first half lead and claim all three points, lifting them above their opponents in the league table.

 “Naturally, we’re pleased with that,” commented James Bracken after the match.

“We hadn’t had a game in two weeks but maybe the break has done us some good. We’ve made sure the boys have kept sharp.

“I had to remind them that we won our last game 4-1 and to keep that momentum going. It’s been good to see us scoring goals too. In our dry spell, we’d been creating the chances, but just not finishing them. I thought today, we should’ve had another two at least.

“We’ve been creating those chances all season but now, at the top end, we’re reaping the rewards.

“I look at Ollie Sitch scoring two last week and Bobby and Kieron chipping in this week. That’s the way it needs to be. We need to get our midfield and our centre-halves to be doing the same too.

“If we can share the goals around, then we don’t need to rely on just one player to do all the legwork. I feel we’re in a position where we do have goals in us and we’re defending well. It’s nice to see that we don’t have to change much and we’re there or thereabouts. We feel that if we play well, we’ll win.” 

Carshalton Athletic 1 - 0 Corinthian-Casuals
Pitching In Isthmian League Premier Division
Saturday 10th October 2020
Colston Avenue. Att: 600
Report and Pics: Stuart Tree (full set here)

Carshalton Athletic defender Paris Hamilton-Downes’ 83rd minute super-strike was the only thing to separate his side and visitors Corinthian-Casuals at Colston Avenue yesterday.
 
Hamilton-Downes couldn’t have struck his pearler any better when Casuals failed to clear the ball and invitingly fell to the defender 25 yards out.
 
The first half passed without incident, as Corinth decided to sit back and soak up the inevitable pressure of the home side in front of a sell-out 600 crowd. Casuals came close when Ben Cheklit found himself with space in the area but blazed his shot over. Kelvin Manuel nearly scored for the Robins but saw his effort smack the outside of the post and to safety.
 
The second half belonged to the visitors as they pressed their hosts on a continual basis. Corinth even looked as though they had scored from an Ekim free-kick but a foul was called by referee Shelby Elson in the build-up.
 
Looking increasingly like a stalemate, it came to Hamilton-Downes to separate the two sides with just seven minutes remaining. A flurry of corners and attacks from Casuals didn’t bear any fruit and Manager James Bracken left Colston Avenue disappointed not to have taken any points from the match in what was otherwise a keenly contested affair between two even sides.
 
Manager James Bracken spoke after the loss.
 
“In the second half, there was only one team that was going to win the game and that was us. First half, we sat perhaps a little too deep and we gave them a reminder at half time to go and be a threat ourselves. We showed that. We had the ball in the net which I couldn’t see a lot wrong with that. I thought the goalie dropped it and we’ve stuck it in. That’s probably a 1-0 win to us had that been allowed.
 
“No excuses though; a great goal won the game for them. We had two opportunities to clear it from there and the ball ended up at his feet. Had we cleared one of those properly, the chance never would’ve appeared. That’s disappointing.
 
“Carshalton were right up the top last year and they’ve not created a great amount of chances against us. We carried threat of our own and another day, the result is very different.
 
“We’ve got a decent team here. Some of the football we played was a joy to watch. One passage of play had a backheel, nutmeg and knocking the ball one touch for a dozen passes and I’m salivating, thinking this is proper football. We’re in a decent place. We lost one-nil – it happens and we dust down and go again.
 
“We had a couple missing – big players for us. Everyone’s a big player for me. If I pick you, I believe you’re a big player. They’ve delivered a decent enough performance against Carshalton. We’ve got a week now and two training sessions but there’s not much to change in honesty.
 
“We’re solid, we’ve got good players. I’ve got no problems with the squad. We’ll have a good week’s training with a smile on our faces. Then we’ll fire ourselves up for three points at home against Enfield.” 

Corinthian-Casuals 2 - 3 Carshalton Athletic
Isthmian League Premier Division
Saturday 24th August 2019
Report and Photos: Stuart Tree (pics here)

​There were goals galore at King George’s on Saturday as Corinthian-Casuals will rue a slow start in the 3-2 loss to neighbours Carshalton Athletic in the Isthmian League Premier Division.

Manager James Bracken will take heart in the second-half fightback but once again, a tepid opening ten minutes ultimately cost the Amateurs any chance of points.

Nat Pinney returned to the starting line-up in place of the injured Ollie Sitch, whilst Hakeem Adelakun, who picked up a knock at Cray, was side-lined with Warren Morgan slotting in at left-back. Ever present in goal was Danny Bracken who was presented with an award for making 400 competitive appearances in a Casuals shirt.

Before much of the 271 in attendance could settle, Carshalton had taken the lead. Casuals looked slow to react to a swift Robins move which ended with Ernold Haxhiu sidefooting his effort past Bracken.

It was to get worse for Casuals, reeling from the initial shock. A poor judgement of a long ball allowed Ricky Korboa through and from inside the area, slotted past a helpless Bracken to make it 2-0 after just six minutes.

It could’ve been worse had Bracken not pulled off a smart save, tipping Jerry Amoo’s effort onto the post and to safety. Casuals were in danger of letting the game slip out of their hands within the first quarter of an hour.

The pace of the game slowed in the heat and Casuals gradually grew into the half, though chances were at a premium. Closest was Mike Dixon who raced onto a ball, beating an onrushing Pat Ohman in goal, but couldn’t convert after defender Luke Read cleared the lines.

But a lifeline was given to Casuals in the dying moments of the half, with Referee Andy Bennett awarding the first of three penalties in the match. Nat Pinney stepped up and notched Casuals first goal of the season.

An injured Jack Strange was replaced at half time with midfielder Coskun Ekim taking up a central defensive role. But it was Ekim who conceded a penalty, coming together with Korboa. Amoo fired to Bracken’s left, just out of reach of the keeper.

But Casuals weren’t done. A change of shape and added attacking options saw Morgan upended in the box after an impressive mazy run. However, Ohman was equal to Pinney’s spot kick and the scores remained the same.

That was until the 79th minute when substitutes Reyon Dillon and Leon Lalor-Dell combined to see the latter neatly finish from 15 yards to give Casuals hope. With wind in their sails, Corinth pushed forward. Serbony’s spectacular bicycle kick from 20 yards was sweetly struck but whistled inches over. Despite the late surge, Carshalton held on and take the three points back to Colston Avenue.
 
“We’ve had to thrash it out in the changing rooms after, because it’s not good enough,” lamented James Bracken after the match.

“We looked at the stats last season and we conceded three times more goals in the first half than the second. And that’s coupled with the fact we’ve scored twice as many in the second half as we had the first half. That’s frightening statistics.

“We’re a team who comes on strong due to good fitness levels, but when we’re conceding in the first half as we are, we’re always chasing games.

“Their penalty was soft. I didn’t think it was a spot-kick. It’s shoulder to shoulder and the lad threw himself on the floor as he did all afternoon. That’s not the way to play football. It was relentless. The referee got wise to it in the end, booking one of them for a dive, but by then, it’s too late.

“In a crazy way, we should’ve got something out of the game. At half time, I said ‘thank your lucky stars that we’re still in this game’. The way we played in the first half was appalling. We didn’t do anything right. But we’ve improved in the second and could’ve got a point had we not missed a penalty.”
​
Casuals travel to Cheshunt on Bank Holiday Monday.

Corinthian-Casuals 1 - 0 Carshalton Athletic
Bostik League Premier Division
Saturday 30th March 2019
Report: Cameron Smith. Photos: Stuart Tree (full set here)

Jack Rudoni’s exceptional run on the right flank before his perfect assist to midfield maestro Majed Osman, who delightfully tapped the ball home in the 85th minute, ended Corinthian-Casuals’ run of ten games without a win as Bracken’s Army edged Carshalton Athletic for the third time this season.

From trips to Hornchurch, Tonbridge and Folkestone that ended with zero points to disappointing home losses to Bognor, Margate and Lewes, the past ten games have been tough for the Corinthians. A test of mentality for the players and devotion for the fans, twenty goals conceded and seven defeats in those ten games was forgotten after last week’s clash versus top-of-league Dorking Wanderers. No goals scored, but no goals conceded as the 0-0 draw had the Casuals supporters in fine spirits due to the five points that separated them from relegation. But safety was still far from achieved; Corinth’s sixth last game was a clash versus play-off hunters Carshalton Athletic.

A Monday night in September saw Clarke, Mfula and Hannigan get on the scoresheet at Coleston Avenue in the Velocity Trophy win- two months later, Clarke and Mfula scored at Carshalton again, but it was Odunaike’s winner that sealed a satisfying 3-2 victory in the league. A hat-trick of wins against the Robins was on the cards for James Bracken and his team. Travelling to King George’s Arena in 6th and a point off the play-off spots, Adeniyi’s side had a thirteen game unbeaten run and a starting eleven that was familiar to many at Casuals. Danny Dudley was a solid centre-back for many seasons in pink and brown whilst more recently, heroic striker from last season Harry Ottaway was donning the no.12 jersey up-front.

Four changes for the Casuals saw a debut for Oliver Sitch, who was in ahead of the injured Max Oldham. Meanwhile, Adelakun was out for Warren Morgan, Osman was on for Odunaike and Antonio played ahead of Mfula. Mirroring the Dorking game, the first half was scrappy and both teams seemed to cancel each-other out. Any set-pieces for the hosts was taken advantage of as bodies piled into the box on multiple occasions. Reece Hannigan out-jumped and out-strengthened no.5 Dudley three times in fifteen minutes, with one bouncing dangerously in-front of keeper Ohman before being cleared. Ottaway had a first-time effort from outside the box that swerved over the bar early on. Antonio’s trademark low centre of gravity and classy footwork came in handy; in one instance white shirts were falling all over the place to try and retrieve the ball. Both keepers did not have lots to do in the first 45, but it was still intriguing and entertaining for the 404 spectators at the sunny King George’s.

In the second-half, Carshalton were on the back foot. Casuals were really pressurising the rattled Robins’ back four, specifically the impressive and relentless Oliver Sitch. Squeezing through any gaps and chasing the ball like a lion finding its prey, and he made a great companion to Rudoni, who proved his Man-Of-The-Match performance vs Dorking was not a one-off. Sitch was situated on the right flank when he curled a shot just over the bar. The attacking performance was commendable, but Carshalton threatened as the half progressed. Ottaway was looking most likely to score against his former team and a diving header had Casuals supporters with their hearts in their mouths, but it flew over. The striker was on a yellow card for simulation that seemed to anger everyone in white as a penalty was waved away. Time flew by and before you knew it, Casuals and Carshalton were in the final ten minutes. Would the game be a replica of the Dorking draw? Or would a team be able to nab a goal? Majed Osman had the answers to both of those questions.

On eighty-three minutes, James Bracken made an inspired decision that shows just how good of a manager he is. On the side-lines for months, fan favourite Reyon Dillon was a surprising inclusion on the bench and Bracken’s faith in his return showed when he was subbed on. A wishful but clever boot up-field was held brilliantly by the physical Dillon, who chose to try and round Athletic defenders instead of feeding Rudoni. He had no choice in the matter and his essential contribution to the move was over when he was tackled. The tackle was clean, but it fell perfectly for Rudoni on the right flank. Dribbling carefully but with unpredictable speed, no.8 Rudoni was reminiscent of Leo Messi when he demonstrated his intelligence and patience and somehow chose not to pull the trigger until he was extremely close to the keeper on the by-line. When he did, he spotted Majed Osman peel away from a defender and the first-time tap in across goal was glorious. The midfield ace had been annoying the white shirts the whole game, and the fantastic flick would annoy them even more. A knife could have sliced through the tension behind the goal as Rudoni squared it for Osman, but there was an incredible wave of celebration at first, then relief that washed over King George’s. Scenes is an apt word to use as the Casuals on the pitch and in the stands punched the air, hugged anyone near them and sang as loud as they could. Osman had been wonderful, and the goal was the icing on a delicious, pink and brown cake.

Despite suspenseful moments during the last five minutes as well as stoppage, Carshalton could not find a late equaliser and Osman’s goal was decisive. Casuals had broken the ten game winless streak in style! Danny Bracken and his brilliant defence, which included a MOTM performance from the superb Jack Strange grabbed a clean-sheet whilst Ekim, Sitch, Antonio and Serbony put in a real shift in the often-gridlocked midfield. Rudoni and Osman’s combination for the winner summed up their games and the smart sub from Bracken and his team summed up their tactical victory.

Good luck to Carshalton for the rest of the season. Three points at last, Casuals are now eight points off the bottom three! Sitting on forty-two points, Casuals are now remarkably level with neighbours Kingstonian, only separated by goal difference. James Bracken’s pink and brown army march onto bottom-of-the-league Burgess Hill next week and with five games left, need as many more points as they can get to ensure safety

“Massive credit to all of the boys when they play like that,” said James Bracken following the 3-2 win at Carshalton.

“I thought they should’ve had a penalty in the first half. I also think we should’ve had two in the second half. Thankfully, we scored from one where the referee waved away the shout. How could he say no to that? It was a stonewall penalty.

“I’m struggling to see anyone that’ll contain us for ninety minutes and struggling to see how anyone will score enough goals to beat us. Let’s get the facts straight; we gifted Carshalton the first goal today through an error and the referee has given the second with a penalty. We’ve come to Carshalton for the second time this season and scored three goals.

“Speaking of struggling, I’ve heard comments saying we’re struggling this season. Look at the facts; we’ve won the same amount of games as Bognor Regis. We’re five points off the playoff places with two games in hand.

“Struggling is having a four grand a week budget in the league below being mid-table. We’re punching well above our weight. If we lose a game, everyone comments on how we’re struggling. But let’s have a reality check. Look at the teams below us. The likes of Folkestone for example. Or look at the teams just above us who we’ll overtake if we win our games in hand. At the minute, we’re the team of the season.

“I’ll admit, our early season form wasn’t what we wanted it to be. We went through seven signed goalkeepers and lost our top goal scorer through injury with no money to replace him. But I don’t whinge about it… we get on with it. We’ve had to ride a couple of storms but it’s how we’ve reacted that’s key.

“We’ve performed well for the last dozen games. Apart from a couple of blips along the way, we’re getting better and better. That’s the bottom line.

“The boys are getting more and more understanding of what I’m asking of them. They’re working their socks off in executing it. There’s been a realisation that in the level below, you can carry one or two players and get a result. At this level, you cannot carry anybody. Everyone needs to understand the game-plan, everyone needs to know the shape and discipline and they’re doing that. That’s when you ask the question, who’s going to beat us?

“Of course, when you win, you always feel like that. But really… if we continue to play like that, who is going to beat us?

“If you’d have said to me, after the defeat in August at home to Folkestone, that we’d be above them come November, I’d have been slightly surprised. But people know what I’m like. If something isn’t working, I’ll fix it. We wouldn’t have just gone on as we were. We changed what we were doing. We’ve re-enforced and analysed and most importantly, put 100% belief in it.

“The first month of the season there was the realisation that we weren’t good enough, but we’ve worked with what I’ve got. Now, we’re getting it right. If we all keep our heads straight, there’s no reason why we cannot continue this all season.
​
“We’ll lose two in a row at some point. It will happen. But that’s when we look back at these games and realise what we can achieve.”

Carshalton Athletic 2 - 3 Corinthian-Casuals
Bostik League Premier Division
Saturday 17th November 2018
Match report and photos: Stuart Tree (full set here)

For the second time this season, Corinthian-Casuals came away from Carshalton Athletic with a victory, scoring three goals in the process.
​
Goals from Jordan Clarke, Warren Mfula and Gabriel Odunaike was enough to give Casuals a second away win in the space of four days and move the Tolworth-based outfit up to 12th in the Bostik League Premier table.

Following a dramatic late winner at Bognor on Tuesday night, Casuals faced another stern test in local rivals, Carshalton who’d won their last five league matches on the bounce.

However, Casuals would have recent memories of the Velocity Trophy win to call upon after Casuals disposed of the Robins at the same venue just weeks ago.

Corinth started brightly and were ahead after just six minutes. Clarke fired home from ten yards following a penetrating run from Juevan Spencer on the right. Buoyed by the early lead, Casuals continued to control the game.

Hearts were in mouths when Robins’ Ricky Korboa was upended in the Corinth box, however, strong appeals were instantly waved away by the official. By rights, it should’ve been awarded.

Casuals could’ve gone into the break, two goals to the good if not for Daniel Pappoe clearing one off the line for the home side.

Robins were level just after half-time. Korboa was able to beat Danny Bracken to a loose ball and with the keeper in no-man’s land, the striker happily slotted home into an empty net.

But the lead was restored on 57 minutes when an excellent through ball played in Odunaike who was upended in the box, with Mfula on hand to finish the move, neatly firing home with two covering defenders guarding the line.

It was to be one-all with penalty claims turned down as Spencer was fouled by Jordan Cheadle with the referee choosing to play on. Ironically, it was Spencer who upended Korboa at the other end which finally led to a spot kick being awarded. Omar Koroma converted to level the scores once again.

But it was to be Casuals’ day; A goalmouth scramble resulted in the ball being cleared only as far as Mu Maan, who’s shot took a wicked deflection off Odunaike with keeper Ohman completely wrong-footed.

Despite a couple of close calls, one which Cheadle skimmed the crossbar from a free kick, Casuals held on for the win which sees James Bracken’s side climb two places up to twelfth.

Read Manager James Bracken’s post-match thoughts here.

Carshalton Athletic 0 - 3 Corinthian-Casuals
Velocity Trophy 1st Round
Monday 17th September 2018
Match report and photos: Stuart Tree (full set here)

Corinthian-Casuals made it two wins on the bounce on Monday with a resounding 3-0 win over Carshalton Athletic in the Velocity Trophy 1st Round.

The win follows a dramatic last minute victory at Harlow Town on Saturday that saw Casuals come from behind to win 2-1 at the death, courtesy of a Danny Cunningham strike.

The striker was rested alongside a few others with consideration of the proximity of these two matches – just over 48 hours between. Mo Maan made his return in goal, recovered from the back injury sustained early on in the first game of the season at Margate back in August.

Carshalton had also made a few changes from the side that drew with Bognor but boasted three ex-Casuals in their line-up; Danny Dudley, Jordan Cheadle and Jerson Dos Santos. But it was to be an ex-Robin who’d inflict first blood in this encounter.
Jordan Clarke had left Casuals after two years at King George’s but barely settled in the Robin’s nest. Having made a fleeting appearance over the summer for Peter Adeniyi’s side, Clarke was back under the tutelage of James Bracken. Was there anyone more determined to show what his ex-club were missing? When Clarke found that extra yard past his marker – Adeniyi himself, no less, he unleashed a fierce 25 yard shot that left Billy Bishop no chance in goal. Clarke’s celebration said it all. ‘I told you so’ was the language displayed by the arms folded, stock still before beating his chest and pointing at the Casuals faithful in appreciation for the continued support.

Corinth could’ve been ahead before Clarke’s 45th minute strike. Mu Maan had crashed one off the crossbar that nearly broke the goal. His brother, Mo at the other end was never overly troubled but was called upon to save from Courtney Swaby.
​
It was only five minutes into the second half when the lead was doubled. Warren Mfula finished off a delightful move when he slipped through the back line and slotted neatly past Bishop’s left side.

Two was soon to become three when a Coskun Ekim corner found Reece Hannigan’s head around 12 yards out. After a couple of close calls, Hannigan finally had his debut goal for the Casuals.

Things went from bad to worse for the Robin’s when player/manager Adeniyi was dismissed for two bookable offences. The referee had consulted with his linesman for quite some time before showing the Manager the door.

Corinth continued to attack in pace and in numbers. Gabriel Odunaike continued to be a threat as did substitute Gil Carvalho, who forced a fine save from Bishop to prevent it being a mauling. On balance of play, there was only one winner and unsurprisingly, the scoreline reflected this.

Casuals will now face Chipstead at home in the next round. Date TBA.

Carshalton Athletic 0 - 0 Corinthian-Casuals
Bostik League South
Tuesday 26th December 2017
Match report and photos: Stuart Tree (full set of pics here)

Corinthian-Casuals and Carshalton Athletic both drew blanks in a high quality Boxing Day clash at Colston Avenue, to leave both sides still just outside the automatic promotion places.
 
Casuals and Carshalton came into the match 3rd and 4th in the table respectively. Looking to avenge the 4-2 loss to the Robins on the August Bank Holiday, Manager James Bracken still had a number of players missing but drafted in fan favourite Terry Murray at Centre Back much to the delight of the travelling support. Harry Ottaway and Nathan Daly were the notable absentees from the 3-2 win at the weekend with Reyon Dillon leading the charge up front.
 
As to be expected from two sides who like to play attractive football, both sides were happy to zip the ball around on the artificial surface – a welcome change to some of the poor pitches at this time of the year. Despite the slick football, neither side were committed to pushing forward and the opening exchanges were a little cagey. Casuals threatened with their first chance coming courtesy of Ben Cheklit’s free kick, only parried by Billy Bishop who was able to gather at the second time of asking.
 
At the other end, Danny Bracken made a fine save after Carshalton broke down Casuals defence and Mikel Miller blasted at the stopper from the edge of the box.
 
Casuals best chance fell to Reyon Dillon with the first half closing when Gabriel Odunaike unselfishly squared the ball to the big striker but his shot was just the wrong side of the post and only troubled the outside of the netting.
 
The second half belonged to the Robins, certainly in possession and territory. Bracken once again made two fine stops to ensure parity in the scoreline, one a brilliant scoop around the post from Ricky Korboa. Casuals attacks were more fleeting though Dillon would feel he should’ve put the Casuals in front when Max Oldham’s cross fizzed along the goalmouth and only needed the faintest of touches to find the target.
 
Max Oldham caused the most fear for the Robins back line and he was felled by Dudley just on the edge of the penalty area. Step-up Josh Uzun who narrowly flashed his free kick wide.
 
Carshalton could’ve won it at the end when possession was loosely given away and allowed Ricky Korboa to run through with only Bracken to beat. However, the resulting wild shot flashed over the bar and into the distance.
 
In a game devoid of any real bad challenges, it was inexplicable as to how both sides shared nine bookings but despite the best efforts of the referee to take centre stage, both Carshalton and Casuals were able to put on an entertaining afternoon’s football for the 424 in attendance.
 
James Bracken commented after the game, "I don’t ever accept coming into a game looking for a draw, but sometimes, after the match has finished, sometimes you can say a draw is a good and fair result. It’s a point gained rather than two lost today."
 
"It was a good game of football. It was a good advert for this league. Carshalton like to play, we set up a certain way to counter it. We had our chances as did they. Certainly right at the death, we’ve made a couple of poor errors through players tiring. One of them, it’s his second game and the other his first for two months. Understandably a little bit of tiredness crept in at the end.
 
"Other than that, the chances were few and far between.
 
"A point keeps them behind us. This isn’t an easy place to come and Carshalton played very well today. I’ve seen them a few times this season and that’s as good as I’ve seen them move the ball around in the second half as I’ve seen this year. But we’ve more than kept with it. We’ve had our own attacks, not through controlled possession as they have but still created one or two chances.
 
"We’re starting to get there. That’s one defeat in the last six and a clean sheet away at Carshalton. I believe we’ve turned the corner and now out of what was our blip. We need to push on and pick up a consecutive run of three points."
​

Corinthian-Casuals 2-4 Carshalton Athletic
Bostik League One South
Monday 28th August 2017
Match report - Cameron Smith

It was a fourteen minute second-half spell that condemned Corinthian-Casuals to a 4-2 loss as Carshalton Athletic’s capability to convert their chances defeated a Danny Cunningham brace in the Bostik League Divison One South at the King George’s Arena.

“I believe this is a better team than the one we had at the end of last season.” These words from James Bracken following the 5-0 victory over East Grinstead on Saturday injected even more hope into Casuals supporters as the annual Bank Holiday fixtures were next; a tough clash with Carshalton Athletic was on the horizon. Jerson Dos Santos stole the show in the visit to West Sussex with a terrific hat-trick, whilst Reyon Dillon and Josh Uzun were the other scorers.

The Robins have had a brilliant start to their 17/18 Division One South campaign as an unbeaten run of three games includes two wins and a draw, as well as their progression into the first round of the Emirates FA Cup. Predicted to grab an automatic promotion spot at the start of the season, Peter Adeniyi’s side have a few renowned names in their squad, with goal-scoring machine Tommy Bradford, former-Chipstead striker Raheem Sterling-Parker and ex-Corinthian Casuals centre-back Danny Dudley in their ranks. The fantastic Dudley, who was a crucial part of the team that reached the play-off final last season, joined Carshalton in the summer and would make his first appearance back at King George’s.

Looking to combat the strong starting eleven of the Sutton-based club was the on-form Casuals side, fresh from a morale-boosting win two days before. James Bracken decided to utilize the great depth of his squad; hotshot Gabriel Odunaike and set-piece king Josh Uzun were rested. It was Malachi Robinson who would take the place of ‘Gabby’ on the wing, whilst Uzun would give the no.9 shirt to Daniel Cunningham. After a few absences, Dave Hodges returned to the match-day squad, but was given a spot on the bench as Jamie Byatt thrived in left-back again.

Silky passing and outstanding organisation (especially in midfield) saw Casuals outbalance the strong attacking and defensive presence of Carshalton in the first thirty minutes, with the twenty-minute mark producing an opening goal. After a few minutes of speculation around the penalty area, Ben Cheklit found some space on the right flank to whip an early cross towards Cunningham in the box. It was a perfectly placed assist for the striker to peel away from his marker Dudley and dive towards the ball, before connecting and sending it into the goalkeeper’s near post. Brilliant anticipation from Cunningham gave Casuals the 1-0 lead. Starting slightly better than the visitors, Corinth could not keep up with the pace and prowess of the attacking red shirts of Carshalton as they settled. Then, in the 43rd minute, Casuals would lose their lead. It seemed inevitable that Jordan Cheadle, who netted a set-piece at King George’s on Boxing Day for former side Walton Casuals, would dispatch the penalty. Jack Strange’s challenge resulted in the spot-kick, which Cheadle did in fact score. Carshalton struck back just before the break; it was 1-1.

Half-time gave spectators a chance to have a breather following forty-five minutes of full-on football. Would the second-half bring the same intensity? Or would one side prevail?

It was the latter that was the outcome.

Six minutes after play was resumed, Carshalton struck via no.11 Mickel Miller, who managed to capitalise from a corner. A decent following, the Robins contingent behind the goal were delighted to take the lead for the first time in the game, but they would be celebrating again soon. Miller was not finished with the chocolate & pink defence and would burst onto the scene in the 63rd minute, before beating Danny Bracken and firing into the net. It was a very different performance from the Casuals everyone saw in the first-half as the tight midfield and solid back four was loosened up by the clinical Carshalton. It was now 3-1, but Raheem Sterling-Parker wanted in on the goalscoring two minutes later; the no.9 oozed class when he slotted home another goal for the away side. Four goals to one, Athletic were surely victors?

The Corinthians behind the goal, nor the ones on the pitch gave up after the fourth and seemingly deciding goal flew into the back of the net. Dos Santos was on the edge of the area when he decided to power a shot towards goal, and despite the goalkeeper getting his gloves on it, the rebound fell perfectly for Cunningham. Fuelled by his first, the striker was first to the loose ball again, when he nodded past keeper Richard Ossai. Awoken by Danny’s second goal, the Casuals fans resumed their chants and resumed their support- it was 4-2 with twenty-two minutes left. Anything was possible!

However, just moments before Cunningham netted his second header of the day, Ben Cheklit hobbled off the pitch for Max Oldham, which was a worrying sign for the Casuals. The final twenty minutes were long and agonising for both sides, but it was definitely more agonising for Corinthian-Casuals, who had three stand-out chances to jump back into the game.

Dos Santos was circulating on the edge on the box again when the no.10 had another effort on goal, but his low shot narrowly missed the goal, and clipped the post on its way behind. Carshalton seemed to sit back slightly in the last 10 minutes, so their relaxed style of play would be shaken by a glorious chance for Casuals.

The third golden chance was rejected by Richard Ossai- the Carshalton shot-stopper. Cunningham proved to be a real pain for the Robins throughout the 90 minutes and nearly grabbed his hat-trick when Jamie Byatt’s incredible left foot curled a cross for the striker, who managed to clip the ball high in the air with a single touch. It was an audacious effort that deserved to dip over Ossai and into the net, but the keeper’s quick reactions prevented a third goal. The deflated Casuals supporters could only applaud Ossai’s stunning save.

Jack Strange was shaking his head when he left the field for half-time at East Grinstead, and even muttered to the Casuals supporters ‘I could’ve had a hat-trick!’ as three identical headers from set-pieces flew narrowly wide. Strange would be put in the same situation again versus Carshalton as the centre-back connected with a Uzun (who came off the bench for Mu Maan) corner and directed the ball towards goal. The leap was perfect, the power was perfect and the accuracy… was near-perfect as the header shattered against the underside of the crossbar. The ball bounced on the goal-line before being cleared and the Casuals supporters joined the players in screaming for a goal to be allowed- they thought it was over the line. Referee Mr Sunny Gill peered over to the linesman on the touchline, who was shaking his head and the man in black continued with play. Harsh was an understatement as James Bracken’s army had hit the post and the crossbar, but to no avail.

The full-time whistle blew without another Casuals goal as Carshalton left Tolworth with three points and a 4-2 away win.

Thank you to Carshalton Athletic for a thrilling Bank Holiday fixture on a roasting Monday afternoon. The result bumped the Robins into second place in the league as Walton Casuals remain at the top without a defeat or a draw- four games, four wins. Casuals’ short-lived winning streak was over, but James Bracken’s side would be happy that the next round of the FA Cup was next on the list as Ashford Town beckoned on Saturday 2nd.

After the match, Assistant Manager Dan Pringle reflected on the afternoon.

"First 45 minutes, we were in total control. We attacked at will, created some good opportunities but were disappointed to go in at half time at one-apiece. It was a sloppy penalty to give away. I feel they were quite fortunate to be on level terms with us at that point.

“We can put the loss down to a mad ten minutes in the second half. We switched off and got punished for it. We showed good character to come back from it. Great for Dan Cunningham to bag a couple of goals and Jack Strange's header, which was clearly over the line could’ve made all the difference. But we left it too late.

“When you concede four goals, you cannot expect to win a game of football.

“We need to cut out the errors. The four goals we conceded were very sloppy on our part. We weren’t carved open or never inflicted any sustained pressure on us. But the two goals in two minutes hurt us.

“It’s one game today where we’ve been punished for mistakes but there’s 42 more league games to go. Let’s see where we are at the tail end of the season.

“Everyone has to be a little bit careful with their expectations of the club. Last year was fantastic, reaching the playoff final. But we lost nine players in the Summer. To completely rebuild the squad again with people expecting the same results from us is obviously difficult.

“We have no playing budget as everyone knows and we’ve had to start from scratch again. But James and I have so much belief in our ability and in the ability of the lads that there’s no reason we can’t be up there again.

“This is probably the toughest start to the season that we could’ve had. But we’re through to the next round of the FA Cup and two wins in the league, including beating title favourites Greenwich… we’d have probably taken that if it was offered to us at the start.”