Corinthian-Casuals 1 - 0 Faversham Town
Bostik League South
Saturday 27th January 2018
Report: Cameron Smith. Photos: Stuart Tree (full set here)

With practically the last kick of the game, Jordan Clarke’s composed last-gasp penalty deservedly sealed three points for the dominant Corinthian-Casuals at the soggy King George’s despite a valiant defensive shift from opposition Faversham Town.

Casuals looked to get back to winning ways after dropping points against Hythe Town and Whyteleafe over the past two weeks. Ray Turner’s eleven wanted revenge following Casuals’ 1-0 win in Kent in late September; Bracken unveiled a merciless attacking line-up on the team-sheet as Odunaike, Dillon, Clarke and Antonio started the match.

Whilst referee Steven Scott whistled the fixture into action, gusts of wind and a light shower greeted the chocolate and pink shirts of Casuals and the yellow of Faversham onto the unideal surface. Slipping and sliding from the start, the game was affected by the poor weather with scrappy play from both sides. However, through the mud and rain of the first half, the hosts seemed to adapt quicker as Gabriel Odunaike’s one-on-one opportunity was saved by alert keeper Simon Overland early on. Fabulous flair from the two flanks thanks to the combination of Clarke and Dillon, who swapped wings often, created an entertaining and attacking style of play from Casuals. It was entertainment for the Casuals to an extent as the first half ended with zero goals all-round, which on reflection did not represent Corinthian’s great performance.

Danny Bracken was called into action only once in the first-half, but it was praised by the Casuals contingent as his lightning-fast reflexes saved the home side from Faversham breaking the deadlock. It was attack after attack in the second-half as Corinthians weren’t able to penetrate the Lilywhites’ defence from open play or set-pieces. Clarke remained as involved in the game as he was in the first half: he was the Faversham full-backs worst nightmare on the wing. Chances came via Odunaike and Dillon with the odd McAllister drive too and when Max Oldham and Coskun Ekim entered the fray, the midfield duo seemed to inject a fair bit of confidence in the players and supporters. Despite the domination that lasted the full forty-five minutes, it was in added time in which Casuals would strike.

Three minutes after it was signalled that four minutes would be played after the 90, sub Ekim was fed the ball in the penalty area following sustained pressure in the Faversham half. Intelligently opting to move the ball out wide, the Turk ran towards the by-line with a swift turn, but as he ran towards the ball, a Faversham player stuck his leg out and clearly caught Ekim. As soon as the no.12 fell to the ground, the referee pointed to the spot as Casuals behind the goal, on the pitch and on the bench celebrated. Placing the ball on the centre spot from twelve yards out, Clarke took a deep breath before expertly slotting the ball into his bottom right corner as the keeper dived the wrong way. A cool celebration to match the cool finish, Super Jordan Clarke had finally got his goal and seemed to mimic Eric Cantona when he lifted his arms outwards with a serious expression on his face. The composure was certainly Cantona-esque as the referee soon blew the whistle for full-time. One goal to nil, Faversham had been downed, and Casuals had won.
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Unbelievably satisfying, the celebrations at the end of the match were superb as Casuals nicked three points from the defensive Faversham at the death - we wish the visitors all the best for the rest of the season. A trip to Ashford United and a Horsham home fixture is next on the horizon for James Bracken’s army but for now, all the Corinth supporters would have on their minds is Clarke’s coolness.

"Another last minute winner… we like to make sure everyone stays right until the end",  said Manager James Bracken joking after the final whistle. "I hate it when you see empty stadiums with fifteen minutes to go, so we make sure we do a bit of business in the last five minutes just to keep people here.
 
"But seriously, we’ve done it again. Today was a little different. In some games, we’ve left it until the last twenty minutes before we’ve really gone through the gears and put pressure on. There’s been matches, certainly more recent where we’ve drawn games because of that.
 
"I said to them, we have to start games like we play those last twenty minutes. The last period at Whyteleafe, we’ve done enough to get a draw with the exception of having a goal disallowed for offside. Sadly, on review of video evidence, it wasn’t off, which is two such decisions in the last five games that’s cost us four points.
 
"Start the first twenty like the last twenty and we might win games before the very end. We played with an increased intensity for the whole 90 minutes and taken us to the last minute to get something. But that’s a product of playing for the whole game at that intensity. The last twenty, Faversham were out on their feet. We penned them into their own box, by just attacking. That’s when something gives. In this case, it’s a penalty because players tire and decision making becomes wayward. That’s because of the work we’ve made them do, and we made them work for the whole ninety.
 
"There wasn’t a minute of the game where they got a foothold. There was a five minute period at the end of the first half where we just come off the pace a little, allowing them a little more space. Other than that, they’ve had to rely on trying the counter attack.
 
"They’re a good side. The front four that they have are effective and lively. They’ve got two lads on loan from the league above and are good players. But we made sure they had nothing left in the tank for the last fifteen. That’s a product of our hard work rather than their fitness.
 
"We had two training sessions this week which is a massive plus. Tuesday, we had an evening where I did nothing but work on play around the box. That told today. In the first half, we created two absolute sitters through good movement, good passing and it was evident. I was delighted with it.
 
"Had we even drawn today, I wouldn’t have been angry with them. Fair play to the boys as they gave everything. If we hadn’t got the three points, I’d have trouble dealing with it but I could accept what they gave out there. The goal was our reward.
 
"We have gone from one extreme to the other. We were winning games 4-3, 3-2. We tightened up the defence and we’ve conceded just three goals in the last eight games. We’re not letting many in but we need to go and take a few more of our chances. We keep clean sheets and that gives us a platform to go and win games. If we can add a few more goals to the mix, we’ll win every match.
 
"There’s something good here at the minute and we need to build on it. The extra training makes a massive difference. We came into the game today not on the back of a win, loss or draw. We came into the game on the back of two training sessions which had focus on this match and our play around the box. We created enough and on another day, we win that three or four-nil.
 
"We haven’t had an in-form player this season. That’s no disrespect to any of them. We haven’t had a player who’s played well from the first match to where we are now. Every player has had dips. Every player has been at sixty-seventy percent with the odd good game here and there. We’ve gone through the season so far without having a player where you say, ‘he’s on fire again… and again.”

"If they turn up with fire in their belly and hit their top form, we’ll take some stopping. Whether that’s for playoffs, competing for automatic promotion or whatever, we need to keep that fire. We had that today. Nathan Daly showed that at the end, gathering the players around. I’ve got a lot of time for that. I’m not telling him to do that. That’s a mark of a man that pulls boys together and feels he want’s to say something. I know they’ll respond to that. We just need to keep bringing it every training session, every matchday. Simple. "

Corinthian-Casuals 0 - 0 Faversham Town
Ryman League Division One South
Saturday 15th October 2016
Match report: Cameron Smith. Pics: Stuart Tree (full set here).

Ryman Division One South football returned as the solid Faversham Town held Corinthian-Casuals in the league to a frustrating yet entertaining goal-less draw at King George’s.

Sealing a first round qualifying trip to Chalfont St Peter, Casuals left it late against Thamesmead Town last week in the FA Trophy as the wonderful Warren Morgan stole the winner to complete a spirited comeback.

Shaun Okojie, who was absent for the Thamesmead clash, returned to the starting lineup ahead of Jamie Byatt. Another change was Kevant Serbony featuring on the bench as Jordan Clarke took his place on his inaugural right wing position.

Visitors Faversham had made the seventy mile trip to Tolworth in hope of leapfrogging their opponents in the table and netting their seventh win of the season. After exiting the FA Cup via Egham Town, the Lilywhites dispatched Three Bridges on Tuesday and were two points behind Casuals in eighth place.

Previous meetings brought back happy memories as last season, Casuals faced Faversham twice- and won twice. A 3-1 home victory and a 2-1 away win (where Jamie Byatt scored on his return to the club) were not enough as Faversham placed above Casuals last season.

As Corinthians lined up in chocolate and pink, Faversham stuck by their nickname and wore white as the sun dazzled onto King George’s. The first twenty minutes was pinball-esque as the ball bounced back and fourth from one side of the pitch to the other, occasionally gifting a team with a half-chance. Both sides were holding strong defensively but Casuals had the slight edge. Josh Gallagher hammered an ambitious effort from thirty-five yards on the volley but flew comfortably over the bar. Flashes of class from Shaun Okojie inserted energy into the game as the 6ft 2in striker held the ball from the strong Faversham centre-backs.

The first notable effort of the match was in the 45th minute as the Whites looked to take advantage at the end of the first half. A corner was not cleared convincingly as Sam Bewick peeled from his marker at the back post, but the no.7 mis-kicked as it somehow evaded the net.

Both sides were hungry to improve in the second-half as the weather deteriorated into thick clouds and a sporadic spot of rain. Casuals continued to combat the courageous Faversham defence as Juevan Spencer fired a shot a few inches over the bar. Josh Uzun, who had a relatively quiet match, used brilliant technique to volley a powerful effort towards goal but keeper Bridle-Card managed to catch it. A new signing, Ben Bridle-Card had impressed as he accurately supplied Faversham attackers with long, pin-point goal kicks. The away side did produce some attacking flair as a long ball from the half-way line was missed by Bracken and was bounced towards the empty net. Warren Morgan hoofed the ball away and the hosts survived a scare.

With around ten minutes to go, the best opportunity of the match fell to Casuals as an intelligent cluster of short passes from around the area resulted in Juevan Spencer bursting into the penalty area. He fed the ball to Josh Gallagher, who superbly curled a shot onto the crossbar and the rebound was controlled and then converted by Okojie.

However, a sharp blow on the referee’s whistle halted celebrations as the linesman flagged for offside. Disappointing. Luckless, Casuals attempted to surge forward with attacks but the disallowed goal may have destroyed their confidence and the final whistle blew. It was Corinthians’ first 0-0 of the season.

If Casuals took all three points in the clash, they would have climbed further up in the table as leaders Dorking lost to Chatham Town and Greenwich Borough succumbed to a 1-0 loss to Walton Casuals. Outside of the play-offs on goal difference, James Bracken’s army faces tenth-placed South Park before a trip to the conquerors of Dorking... Chatham.

After the match, Manager James Bracken said, "I was disappointed with the result but not the performance. We've won games this season where I've come in more disappointed than I have today.

"We've been searching for a dominant performance and today we delivered one. From the second half especially, it was evident that they were happy to come here and get a point.

"I said to the lads after, that's a mark of what we've achieved in the last eighteen months. Teams like Faversham, who you bet your house that they'll be playoff contenders, come to us and if they get a point, they go home happy. I don't think that was the case a year or two ago. That's something we've earned... respect.

"We were great but unfortunately, only up until the penalty box, where we just didn't have the quality to finish it. That's what really matters.

"You hope that officials get all the decisions right and I'm not saying the disallowed goal was rightfully ruled out or not. I didn't really see it. That's gone now anyway so it's pointless me dwelling on it. I'm only concerned with the next match against South Park. If we hit that same level of performance, I've no doubt we'll be better in front of goal, we'll score and we'll win.

"Of course I take it as a compliment when teams set themselves up to get a point here. It's not something I've ever done myself. I don't think I've ever gone into a game looking to get just a draw. Would I do that? Yes – if that's all that is needed to achieve something.

"I think Faversham did well to get a point and being honest, I think they'd say the same.

"If teams want to come here and play attacking football, we'll play that way too and if they do set up to defend, hopefully, we can create one or two chances and get the win."

 Faversham Town 1 - 2 Corinthian-Casuals
Ryman League Division One South
Saturday 5th March 2016
Attendance: 192
Match report and photos: Stuart Tree (full set of pics here)

“It’s great to be back” hailed returning hero Jamie Byatt as his 48th minute strike helped Corinthian-Casuals defeat playoff rivals Faversham Town in a thrilling contest.
 
Byatt’s deft lob was complimented by Shaun Okojie’s eighth goal in eight starts for the Amateurs in a 2-1 win that sees Casuals within touching distance of the playoff places.
 
At the other end, a crucial Danny Bracken penalty save kept the Casuals in the game before Luke Harvey gave the home side a lifeline back into the contest. However, Corinth held on for the last ten minutes to claim a third successive victory over the Lilywhites.
 
Byatt was immediately introduced to the starting line-up following his move back to King George’s Arena in the week. New signing Sam Robinson also made the squad, taking a place on the bench. Brandon Johnson welcomed a return to action after serving his five match suspension.
 
Whether the game would even start came into question after two particularly bad patches on the playing surface gave cause for concern. However, the match officials deemed it playable much to the relief of all in attendance.
 
Both sides started lively and made for an open game. Faversham looked dangerous on the break though Casuals had chances to take the lead early on. Warren Morgan’s back post header looked to have found the target but ruffled the wrong side of the net. Morgan was then up-ended on the very edge of the penalty box. Ben King’s resulting free kick was scooped away by Faversham’s stopper Will Godmon.
 
With supporters still exiting the clubhouse for half-time refreshment, Byatt gave Casuals the lead. A neat pass from Terry Murray played in Byatt who found himself free. With Godmon advancing, Byatt’s slick lob left the Faversham keeper stranded and the ball fell just under the crossbar, much to the delight of the small band of travelling fans.
 
Seven minutes later, Byatt’s strike partner, Shaun Okojie doubled the lead; Byatt turned provider as his pass found Okojie bearing down on goal and the striker showed maturity beyond his age to shrug off Faversham captain Ryan Cooper and strike low past Godmon.
 
Casuals looked the more likely to score again, however Faversham had a golden chance to half the defecit when Brandon Johnson was adjudged to have handled the ball in the penalty box after the midfielder stumbled and fell. Yet again, Danny Bracken proved his worth by expertly saving from Charley Robertson's spot kick.
 
Faversham began to probe more and more and got their rewards with ten minutes left. A corner whipped in found Luke Harvey at the near post who duly snuck the ball past Bracken and the defence.
 
Faversham pressed for an equaliser but Casuals held on for a fine victory which sees them just two points out of the playoff places.
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“We’ve got the best possible start to the three games that we’re attacking this week. We’ll look to get another six points out of the next two”, said Manager James Bracken after the match.
 
“I’m pleased with today. Everything that we know is there was on show. Fighting spirit, the ability to dig in and scrap. Even when we conceded at 2-0 up, we soaked up a lot of pressure, didn’t give Faversham a lot of chances and saw the game out.
 
“Jamie will always score on his return. I might get rid of him and bring him back next week just so he can score again.
 
“I didn’t want Jamie to leave in the first place. He decided that he wanted to try something new. But we had a two-second conversation about him coming back and he’s here – and I knew he’d score.
 
“I knew Shaun (Okojie) would score too. They’ll hopefully bring the best out in each other as they make a nice pairing. But to supplement that, we’ve got James Cottee knocking on the door.
 
“We’ve got a lot of players. Now is really the time where I’ll be keeping a close eye on selection. We’ve rotated the squad throughout the season to keep them together, but now I’ll make sure I put boys on the pitch that I know are ready to fight for every point between now and the end of the season.
 
“There’s only nine games to go so players that want to be involved need to fight for their place.
 
Speaking about Danny Bracken’s pivotal penalty save, James Bracken said “A bit of homework paid off. I watched the highlights of Faversham’s game last week and Charley Robertson took two penalties and put them both in the same place.
 
“I said to my brother, ‘if they get a penalty next week and Robertson takes it, you dive low to your left.’ He’s remembered and subsequently dived low to his left and of course has saved it."
 
Speaking of his goal and return to the club, Jamie Byatt commented, “It was a great through ball from Terry (Murray) and I saw the keeper off his line so I gave the ball a little dink. I thought it was going over at first but it hit the back of the net.
 
“The boys played really well. Bracks made a great save from the penalty. We dug in, sat back a bit in the second half and let them come at us. But we held our own and come away with the victory.
 
“It’s great to be back. I missed it here. I went away to try a few different things. They didn’t work out for me and now I’m back. Hopefully I can help Casuals carry on what the team have been doing all season and get us in the playoffs.
 
“If we play the way we have today then we’ve got a good chance of making the playoffs, especially if we win against Hastings on Tuesday night. To come here and get three points, that’s a good start and we’ll kick on and look to win as many as possible.”

Corinthian-Casuals line up: Bracken (c), Morgan, Hodges, Dudley, Murray, King, Serbony (Robinson), Johnson, Byatt, Okojie (Cottee), Wright (Spencer). Subs not used: Uzun, Davies.

Corinthian-Casuals 3 - 1 Faversham Town
Ryman League Division One South
Saturday 16th January 2016
Attendance: 144
Match report: Stuart Tree (full set of photos here)

Corinthian-Casuals downed playoff hopefuls, Faversham Town by three goals to one at King George’s Arena in the Ryman League Division One South and kept them on track for a top five finish.

A penalty from Josh Uzun was followed up by goals from Shaun Okojie and Warren Morgan before Faversham grabbed a late consolation.

Although recent losses to Dulwich Hamlet and Sutton United were still fresh in the mind, both ply their trade in higher divisions. In terms of league form, Corinth have only lost once in the last seven games and that narrow loss to Molesey was courtesy of an injury time winner when down to ten men.

However, goals had been hard to come by of late and Manager James Bracken gave Shaun Okojie his first start of the season, pairing him up with the versatile Josh Uzun and the returning Cherno Mendy.

Fresh from his return in midweek (which saw him score), Joe Hicks moved to a midfield role along with Brandon Johnson.

The visitors had the best of the opening exchanges; George Monger forced a good low save from Danny Bracken in goal, who got enough of the ball to steer the shot wide. Shortly after, a long ball played down field from the Faversham keeper and Liam King got in behind the defence and should’ve scored. However, he poked his effort inches wide, much to the disbelief of those in attendance.

On 15 minutes, the game had its first turning point; A perhaps harsh penalty was awarded against Faversham after Mobolaji Dawodu had been adjudged to have fouled Josh Uzun. The striker dusted himself down and stepped up to slot home his 14th goal of the season.

The home side began to press for a second and Joe Hicks came closest from a corner, forcing a smart save from William Godman in goal. Hicks looked dominant in his new centre midfield position and played in Cherno Mendy who could only fire over from an acute angle.

Uzun turned provider for the next goal after his corner was swung into the middle of the goal. With the imposing Shaun Okojie on hand to meet it, the striker put the ball over the line before being hacked away. There was some confusion as to whether a goal had been given and was confirmed by the assistant referee that it had indeed counted. Chants of ‘the Lino is a Russian’ rang around the ground shortly afterwards.

Casuals could’ve had the game out of sight before half time as Warren Morgan, Dave Hodges and Josh Uzun all linked up in some free flowing football. Corinth had an intensity about them which had been lacking for a few games.

As is often said, at two-nil, the next goal is crucial. And it fell to the home side just after the break. Breaking down the right, Morgan cut inside his marker and fired past Godmon before desperate defender Ashley Brown confirmed the goal by smashing it into his own net. Three nil and the contest was over.

However, with a few changes made for both sides, Faversham grew into the game and Bracken had to be on form to deny the visitors their chances. Things got a little nervy with 20 minutes to go as Renford Tenyue finally found a way past the visibly disappointed Bracken.

Casuals rode out the game without too much concern and condemned Faversham to only their 2nd defeat in 12 matches .The win leaves Casuals 10th in the league but with games in hand on the majority of their playoff rivals.
Corinth Manager James Bracken could take nothing but positives from the outcome.

“It was a welcome return to winning ways. We’ve had a few tough games of late and playing cup games against teams from a higher league isn’t easy. However, I always maintained I want to get back to the league and get a run of games against opposition that I feel we can beat.

“The wins will start to come again. Faversham are a very good team who are in good form, but we were better than them today and hence we picked up the three points.

“We’re fair in our selection and if the boys perform, they keep their shirts. We’ve had some defeats where players have under-performed and we haven’t scored as many goals as we should have, so others have come in for their opportunity.

“We stuck Shaun Okojie up front today; he’s scored a couple of times coming off the bench so deserved to start. Today, he’s led the line for 90 minutes, scored a goal and done everything I’ve asked of him. For those reasons, I’m delighted with Shaun.

“Joe Hicks coming back in is a massive boost for us. He leads by example. Joe will push the other boys around him and drive them on.

“They’re big plusses having those two in the side and playing so well.

“We’re going to have to beat teams in and around us. Right down to thirteenth place, everyone’s fighting to get in the top five and the playoff places. Pretty much every game is a six pointer. It’s not only winning the three points, it stops them getting the points.

“The next four or five league games are massive. If we can pick up three or four wins from them, we’ll put ourselves in a very strong position and hopefully we can attack the last ten games with confidence and end up there or thereabouts.

Speaking about targets and if they’ll break the club record for points in the league, set just last season, Bracken said,
“I’d have to have a serious look at myself if we don’t break last season’s points record for the league. But we will. We need 10 points to do it and we will. The highest position we’ve finished in the Ryman South is 13th but we’ll top that this year.

“They’re little targets but our goal is the playoffs. Points totals are great, we made history in the FA Trophy which is great but we want to get touching promotion. We want to actually achieve something.

Bracken thanked fellow Ryman South Manager Mark Hams – boss of Walton and Hersham, after he praised the Casuals’ Manager this past week.

“I’m a human being like anyone else and if people give you praise, then of course that’s nice. It gives me a little bit of confidence in what we’re doing. But it’s a team effort; Joe Davies, Dan Pringle, Jon Williams, Alan Winnett, Carly Doyle… we support our players totally and they’re doing the job on the pitch.

“Mark’s comments in the week were nice and we’ve had it from Neil Cugley, the Folkestone Manager who said earlier in the season that this was the best Casuals side he’d ever seen. Those comments go a long way and it’s great that people can talk well of you. But we have to focus on ourselves and it’s about producing the results each week.”

Casuals travel to Sittingbourne in the Alan Turvey Trophy Quarter Final on Tuesday and South Park in the league on Saturday.

Casuals: Bracken, Morgan, Hodges, Dudley, Murray, Johnson, Hicks (King), Serbony, Okojie (Akokhia), Uzun (Wright). Subs not used: Spencer, Defoe.

 Corinthian-Casuals 1-0 Faversham Town
Ryman League Division One South
Saturday 7th February 2015
Attendance: 123
Match report: Darren Pasley
Pics: Stuart Tree

Casuals made it the best possible return from Brazil as they defeated title chasing Faversham Town 1-0 on Saturday. 

As well as a welcome 3 points it was also a clean sheet against the divisions top scorers.

Fielding near enough the same starting XI that faced their Brazilian counterparts a fortnight ago the hosts started well against a Faversham side that came into the game on the back of a shock 2-1 defeat at Hythe.

The games first serious effort arrived in the 9th minute when Maz Bettache hit a fierce daisy cutter from fully 30 yards which keeper Robert French had to be alert down to save.

A confident opening to the game for the hosts was rewarded in the 14th minute when Casuals took the lead through Dave Hodges.
Juevan Spencer showing good pace and skill to beat two men and drive though the middle and after his pass found Byatt, the strikers right wing cross was only headed into the path of the arriving Hodges who calmly sidefooted past French.

Faversham were showing plenty of promise themselves and Josh Stanford was keeping his marker Danny Green on his toes with various displays of trickery on the ball.
Despite plenty of possession however in the final third the visitors were struggling to make inroads against a Casuals backline that had conceded 5 goals against basement boys Redhill in their last league game.

Casuals themselves were neat and resourceful in possession and Carl Wilson-Denis nearly found himself in on goal following Hodges through ball but the big striker stumbled and forced himself wide.

On 33 minutes there were shouts for a penalty as Stanford jinked inside Green and sent in a low cross to the left. Jack Harris the on-loan Maidstone striker was sent flying but referee Neil Morrison adjudged that Danny Dudley had won the ball.

Looking back perhaps the games pivotal moment arrived in the 37th minute when Kieran Oliver turned and shot inside the area. Bracken pulled off a magnificent flying save but the ball dropped to Harris who it appeared had a tap in. Somehow his goalbound effort from 6 yards was gathered and clung onto by Bracken who had astonishingly got back up from the initial save. It was a miraculous piece of goalkeeping and ultimately worthy of securing all 3 points.

At the other end Casuals were looking to add a second before the break and Spencer again at the heart of things saw a curling cross towards Byatt hooked away by visiting skipper Matthew Bourne at the last second.

The visitors emerged for the second half immediately looking to force the equalizer. Their intentions were shown almost from the kick off as Charley Robertson forced Bracken into action once more with a low effort.
The frantic start to the half continued as Wilson-Denis was inches away from volleying Hodges cross home having initiated the move.

The game was then halted for over 5 minutes as Jamie Maxted was forced off inured for the visitors. From the restart Robertson again caused Casuals problems as he weaved through the backline but with the ball breaking to Standord the little winger curled wide and over when well placed inside the box,

Jamie Byatt came close to doubling the lead midway through the second half as Spencer again being the provider sent over a cross for the hitman to just head over.

Debutant Jack Sullivan for Faversham nearly leveled the scores when his intended cross to the back post just evaded Brackens upright.

With Faversham pushing forward and holding a high line Casuals looked to breach via midfield runners and Bettache nearly did exactly that. With 20 minutes remaining the young midfielder found Spencer breaking from deep and through on goal only the outstretched toe of keeper French denied the winger a clear route inside the area.  From the ensuring scramble 10 yards outside the area the award was eventually drop ball to the defending teams relief.

Moments later French again denied Casuals this time brilliantly tipping over Lee Hall’s first time effort from the edge of the area.

Inside the last 10 minutes and it was the home side looking the more likely to add to the score. French showing good hands to cling onto Byatt’s goalbound effort after the ball fell invitingly inside the box.

With the Casuals backline in commanding form the visitors were restricted to efforts from distance or set pieces and in the 8th minute of stoppage time Bracken once again showed his worth as he clung onto Robertson’s fiercely struck drive.

The final whistle was soon to sound and a victory for a Casuals side who responded to their defensive critics by shutting out a side that averages nearly 3 goals a game this season.

A delighted Matt Howard was full of praise after the match

“I saw that result coming – to be honest we all did. The Brazil trip has left them buzzing and its given the whole club a lift.
We’ve beaten one of the best sides in the league, infact taken 4 points off them overall. There was a new found hunger out there and one or two looked different players. They played well in Brazil and have brought that form back over here.”.

Commenting on Danny Bracken Howard added, “ Bracks made a double save on 40 mins and quite frankly it was world class and that inspired the lads for the rest of the match. It certainly backs up mine and Luke’s (Garrard) belief that he is the best keeper in the league.”
“We’re defending well and hopefully that is the start of a run now for us. One we need and we are really looking forward to Tuesday (AFC Wimbledon) and Three Bridges next Saturday.

Stuart Tree's full set of pics can be viewed here 
 The goal can be seen here

Faversham Town 1-1 Corinthain-Casuals
Ryman Division One South
Saturday 4th October 2014
Attendance 179


By: Darren Pasley


Casuals became the first side this season to leave the Shepherd Neame Stadium with something as they held Faversham to a 1-1 draw.

It was a deserved point and certainly gives Casuals a platform to build on with nearly a third of the season gone.

It felt like the new season albeit 2 months into it had finally arrived on a wet cold and miserable day in East Kent.  Casuals without Jamie Byatt who came off injured last week handed a first start to Jason Turley.

The slippery surface was causing difficulty for both sets of players as they struggled to adjust to the conditions. Referee Bentley gave Hall and then more so Turley the benefit of the doubt for two early heavy challenges.

A scrappy affair was lit up in the 13th minute with the games opening goal. A corner from the right for the home side wasn’t cleared and with the ball still in the box Keiran Oliver managed to squeeze in a shot from 12 yards which appeared to take a deflection as it went past Bracken.

Naturally this gave the hosts confidence and the initiative to push on and the Casuals backline were being tested as the Lilywhites mixed up their game in an attempt to capitalise on their early dominance.

In spite of this early pressure the visitors came close to equalising on 22 minutes when Dave Hodges right wing corner was met by the towering Danny Dudley but home keeper Simon Overland flung himself to the left to keep the header out.

Faversham’s two strikers Kieran Oliver and Dean Grant were proving a real handful and it was the latter who was next to have an attempt at goal after weaving through the challenges of two defenders but to Casuals relief he slipped whilst shooting enabling Bracken to gather with ease low down.

There was a hairy moment for Brackens opposite number Overland in the 32nd minute when he fumbled Juevan Spencer’s right wing cross but the home custodian was able to recover and catch the ball on the line much to his relief.

The visitors were seeing more of the ball in the final 10 minutes of the half and creating a spell of pressure for the first time, the main outlet was Hodges with a series of superb crosses but each time they were defended brilliantly by the home side

Corinthian’s should have equalised 6 minutes before the break. After winning the ball in his own half Dudley broke forward and fed Hodges down the left. His low cross was blocked on the 6-yard line and scrambled away but fell to the arriving Bettache. Somehow though the young midfielder shot wide with his weaker left foot with the keeper beaten.

Into first half stoppage time and the hosts went close twice to doubling their lead. Firstly skipper Jason Scarborough arriving at the back post from a set piece saw his effort deflected past his own post by Spencer. Bewick went even closer with a low side footed effort, which skimmed past Brackens far post after good work from Grant.

Casuals emerged for the second period looking to press the home side further up the pitch. Bettache was the first to find an opening on 54 minutes after a neat passage of play but he elected to shoot harmlessly over with others well placed. The home side continued to offer a threat of their own and ex-Hythe man Sam Bewick headed narrowly over from Maxted’s fizzing cross.

Grant still proving a real handful saw another effort beaten away by Bracken in the 56th minute as the game ebbed and flowed. Bracken again was called into action on the hour mark, making a superb point blank range stop following a corner. Hicks on hand to clear the danger.

On 65 minutes the visitors drew level. Welch-Turner’s ball to Bettache appeared to zip of the surface and away from Algerian playmaker. However home captain John Scarborough who had been superb all afternoon slipped on the surface allowing Mahres to take control of the ball and play in Dave Hodges who arrived before the onrushing Overland to poke the ball home.

The set back rocked the home side and suddenly Casuals started finding space that had eluded them in the first half. With the game seemingly open it was the visitors with their abundance of pace who looked most likely and 15 minutes from time they fashioned a glorious chance to take the lead. Referee Ian Bennett played the advantage as Gill was crunched in the centre and down the right Juevan Spencer raced towards goal. His low cut back found Bettache 12 yards out but his first-time effort was magnificently blocked by the legs of Overland despite the keeper going the other way.

Matt Howard threw on Reece Placid who returned after 7 weeks injured sensing the points were there for the taking.

There was a final scare for each side in injury time. Firstly Joe Hicks came within inches of heading into his own net with Bracken stranded following a corner. Scarborough nearly did the same at the other end as he sliced Spencer’s low cross but the ball spun into the chest of a grateful Overland.

Honours finished even which was probably the right result over the 90 minutes although both sides will feel they could have won on another day.

         After the match Matt Howard commented 

I’m not going to be greedy; we’re happy with a point. It’s Faversham’s first points that they’ve dropped at home this season… played seven and won seven, so it’s good to come here and get what we got.

“On another day, maybe we do nick it and to be fair, the last ten minutes it could’ve ended 4-4, but we’ll take the point and go into Friday’s league game against Whyteleafe and stopping the rot.

“We played really well as a team and it’s nice to see Reece Placid back after being out for seven weeks.

“Friday is our fifteenth game in the league and that’s a third of the season gone, and we’re pleased with where we stand at the moment.

“We’ll more than likely mix it up a little on Tuesday for the cup game and in theory it’s a brilliant idea to have the game on a Friday but it might come back to haunt us having two games in three days. But we have players chomping at the bit to be playing so we can move it around quite comfortably.”


Highlights of the game are available to view courtesy of the Favershams C K Kent Youtube channel
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