Ramsgate 2 - 2 Corinthian-Casuals
Bostik League South
Saturday 14th April 2018
Match report and photos: Stuart Tree (full set of pictures here)

Corinthian-Casuals let a two-goal lead slip at Ramsgate on Saturday, ensuring more work needs to be done to guarantee a playoff place in the Bostik League South.
 
First half goals from Max Oldham and Harry Ottaway gave the visitors the lead but Ramsgate struck back in the 56th minute from the penalty spot and equalising with less than ten minutes remaining.
 
“There’s always goals in this fixture,” I worriedly predicted, after the previous three seasons had seen sixteen goals shared between the sides. Last season’s dramatic 4-3 win was as tough as they come on the heart and previous to that, Casuals had let a two-goal half-time lead slip to lose 3-2 on a windy Wednesday evening.
 
Casuals came without a win to their name in three, though Cray, Walton and Lewes were hardly the three you’d pick as three-point bankers. Ramsgate were on a run of reasonable form having won five of their last eight matches. Southwood a notoriously tough place to raid for precious points.
 
The visitors began bright, with Oldham heading home from a Josh Uzun corner on 17 minutes – the ball apparently moving in slow motion before finally crossing the line.
 
Corinth then had to soak up some sustained pressure as Ramsgate pumped balls into the box on a continual basis. Gareth Williams called into action on occasion, expertly tipping one over.
 
Despite this, the lead was doubled when Ottaway latched onto a perfect through ball and calmly finished. It was a classic counter-attack and appeared to deflate the hosts. Everything was positive at half-time.
 
The second half was a stark contrast to the controlling first. Despite having half chances to further extend the lead, Ramsgate were given a lifeline when a foul on the edge of the box saw Aaron Millbank step up. Casuals’ keeper Gareth Williams got a hand to the shot but was unable to keep it out.
 
Josh Uzun came closest for Casuals when his delicate lob left Luke Watkins stranded with only the crossbar making a last ditch intervention.
 
But on 81 minutes the comeback was complete when Ramsgate broke and a cross into the box saw Rory Smith head home to level the scores. Jamie Byatt and Ottaway both had good chances to re-take the lead but in the end it was Gareth Williams who had to make a superb last ditch save in added time to prevent Casuals coming away pointless.
 
Whilst James Bracken’s side were unable to take all three points, playoff rivals Walton Casuals suffered a defeat meaning Corinth require four points from their last three matches to guarantee a playoff position.
 
"It feels like a loss to me,” admitted Bracken after the match. “We’re 2-0 up at half-time. We know it’s never a safe score. You need to do certain things right when protecting that lead. We haven’t done that.”
 
“I’m beyond frustrated with it. We’ve been incapable of carrying out my instructions in the last few games. They’re simple things that need to be actioned to win a game of football. If they’d done the basics, they won’t score. It’s falling on deaf ears continually, so it’s deeply frustrating on my part. If they listen to me, we’ll win every game.
 
“We do need to remember that we’ve played good sides these last few weeks and haven’t threatened the goal nearly enough. Not enough shots, not enough goalmouth action. Today we scored two and had five or six other good chances. We’ve hit the bar and their keeper has made a couple of good saves. We were much better as a forward threat but badly let ourselves down with poor defending.
 
“Is the glass half full or half empty? At the moment, I’m not sure. I’m not going to dress things up for our boys. They need to listen, do what is asked and have a desire to defend as well as attack. They need to do what is necessary on the pitch. That might be a horrible 50 yard recovery run against someone with pace. We haven’t had enough of that recently and we need to address that quickly.
 
“We still need to secure our playoff place. There are three games left and a lot can go wrong. On the flipside, a lot can go right. So we need to make sure come Saturday, we’ve got the right team selections, the right tactics in place and go win. We do that, we’re in decent shape.
 
“Two massive home games now, because Hythe Town away on the last day is not a game you want to be going into needing something to secure a playoff spot. They’re on a fantastic run at the moment so we need to make sure next Saturday is nothing else but three points. We need a win by hook or by crook – whatever is necessary in order to get a positive result.
 
“If we come up short, then it’s clear we aren’t good enough. I believe we are good enough, but the boys need to quickly look at themselves and realise what I’m saying is right. If they do that, then we can secure playoffs, go into the semi-final confident and win the whole thing.”

Corinthian-Casuals 4 - 2 Ramsgate
Bostik League South
Saturday 4th November 2017
Match report and photos: Stuart Tree (full set here)

​Corinthian-Casuals came from two goals behind to comfortably win 4-2 over Ramsgate in the Bostik League South.

Despite dominating possession throughout, Casuals found themselves with a mountain to climb after the half hour mark. But a quick fire brace from Jordan Clarke levelled the scores on the stroke of half time before Nathan Daly grabbed his first goal for the club and Jack Penny could only find his own net to make the scoreline comfortable.

Manager James Bracken after the match admitted that whilst it was no excuse, Casuals were without several players, all who potentially would’ve featured. Not least at the back, changes had to be made with Tommy Smith serving his suspension and the duo of Warren Morgan and Dave Hodges unavailable. 36 year old Jamie Byatt paired up with Jack Strange, celebrating his 20th birthday. A minute's silence was held in memory of Security Officer Vince Huggett's wife, Tina who tragically passed away this week.

Ramsgate, sitting in a lowly 19th place in the league had done their homework on Casuals and like the previous three fixtures – Hastings, Margate and Hertford Town, the Amateurs were susceptible to an early goal. A quick break down the right saw Alfie Paxman turn in his effort at the near post for a shock lead.

Despite dominance in play, Casuals were sucker-punched once again. Utilising the same tactic that saw them take the lead, Ramsgate made it 2-0 this time courtesy of Billy Munday, firing into the top corner.

Heads never dropped and Bracken’s side have an unwavering belief in their ability. Jordan Clarke pulled one back on 38 minutes much to the relief of the home support. He added a second on the stroke of half time converting a Reyon Dillon cross. How that last seven minutes must’ve changed the team talk.

Casuals were far more assured in the second half and looked to be only one winner following the equaliser. Though they had to wait a further 25 minutes before taking the lead. Gabriel Odunaike cutting in from the byline, passed it across the six yard box to find Nathan Daly, bagging his first goal for the club – cue explosive celebrations.

The game was put out of reach five minutes later when Jack Penny could only turn Danny Cunningham’s cross into his own net. Casuals looked to extend the lead further and Reyon Dillon fired home only to be denied by the offside flag.

The win is Casuals’ fifth in a row and 11th in 13 games, leaving the Amateurs 3rd in the league. Casuals face Molesey at home on Tuesday night.

“We certainly made hard work of it,” said Bracken after the match.

“But 4-2 in the end which I have to be happy with after going 2-0 down.”

“Conceding early as we have been lately isn’t a good habit. We don’t want to be conceding the first goal in games which we’ve done too often of late. Whilst it gives us an opportunity to show spirit and resilience, which we keep doing, it’s far from ideal.

“Our general play in the first half was very, very poor. The quality of our passing left us way too exposed at the back. We committed too many bodies forward and got punished coming back the other way, on the counter. It’s not good and we’ll look at that, but it’s simply down to us not being good enough with the ball.

“Some might say we underestimated our opponents. Never. We’ll never underestimate anyone. Not from my part, from preparations or the way I approach any match. I said to the players before that Ramsgate hadn’t scored for three games, they’ve not won for five games… don’t be the team that everyone looks at the results with surprise seeing they’d beaten us.

“Jordan’s goals before half time massively changed the team talk. I’d have stripped the paint off the walls and been rattling in the changing room had we gone in two down.

“But when you come back to 2-2, you have to give them a certain amount of praise. When you go two-down, you don’t expect to come in at half time, level. My team talk was going to be reading the riot act to get a reaction. As it happens, they reacted themselves, got back into it and give them credit for it. We just asked them to build on it from there.   

Corinthian-Casuals 1 - 0 Ramsgate
Ryman League Division One South
Saturday 24th September 2016
Match report: Cameron Smith. Pics: Stuart Tree (full set here)

Two crucial second-half substitutions orchestrated by James Bracken proved the difference as Corinthian-Casuals earned their first clean sheet of the season in a 1-0 win over Ramsgate.

As the team sheet emerged on a mild Saturday afternoon, ripples were sent across King George’s, a fascinating selection from boss James Bracken had everyone talking. Despite impressing in the midweek clash against East Grinstead Town, goal-scorer Shaun Brown was benched ahead of namesake Shaun Okojie in attack. Josh Gallagher returned to the starting XI with the the injured Kevant Serbony sitting out. The defence saw the midfielder Niall Wright and the imposing Jack Strange pair up in centre-back whilst Dave Hodges made his first league start since the season opener after a spell on the sidelines. Warren Morgan took his place at his accustomed right back position. Terry Murray, Juevan Spencer, Shaun Brown and Jamie Byatt created a superb bench which Bracken could utilise at any point.

The visiting side were mid-table Ramsgate, who had beaten Casuals in the last meeting between the two in November last year. Hoping to improve on a mediocre 12th spot in the 2015/16 season, the Rams had not won in six games and were on a four game losing streak.

The white shirts of Ramsgate started brightest as the dynamic Ashley Miller fired an early shot towards goal but it was parried by Danny Bracken. Lots of corners came and passed for the visitors as Casuals were swept away by the surge of confidence and attack by the Kent-based club.

In the 17th minute, the deadlock was so nearly broken as Tom Chapman sent a remarkable effort from the right hand side of the area which cannoned off the crossbar and the curling chance denied Ramsgate an opener.

Casuals’ best moment of the half came five minutes from the break as Josh Uzun delivered a pinpoint free-kick for the towering Jack Strange. The centre-half connected but could not convert as the header dodged the crossbar by a few inches. A single moment of creativity nearly wrote Jordan Clarke on the scoresheet as the winger exploded onto the scene, tucking the ball just wide of the post from twenty yards out.

Chapman’s fire-cracker and Clarke’s outburst were the main talking points of the half, which otherwise was poor.

As the second-half started, indecision was cited as the problem, thwarting Casuals’ ability to take the lead on multiple occasions. James Bracken decided to use his star-studded bench as fan favourite Juevan Spencer and Tuesday’s star Shaun Brown made their way on the pitch for wide-men Jordan Clarke and Josh Uzun.

The injection of fast-thinking, creativity and movement on and off the ball was evident as Corinth pounced on the Ramsgate defence. The marauding Dave Hodges provided a fantastic knock to sub Juevan Spencer who controlled expertly before prodding the ball past the oncoming keeper Luke Watkins to the open Shaun Okojie. Stretching, Okojie managed to grab the all-important touch as the ball rolled over the line and into the net. It brought relieved yet surprised celebrations from the Casuals contingent as the home side edged ahead.

Continuing his terrific form, Shaun Brown let loose from 25 yards but his shot met the gloves of Watkins, who cradled the ball and started a Ramsgate counter. A Ramsgate substitute was also making an impact on the game as Alfie Paxman hammered the post ten minutes from time. An unfortunate injury for sub Shaun Brown forced the winger to come off for Jamie Byatt.

Casuals held on to steal three points from the hard-done-by Ramsgate to stay in third place. The 1-0 victory had confirmed Rams’ fifth consecutive loss but they look able to change things on Tuesday night at Sittingbourne. Meanwhile, James Bracken’s pink and brown army face Three Bridges at home on Tuesday.

“I'm delighted with the result today,” said Manager James Bracken. “That's probably our best win of the season in terms of how solid we were for the whole game. We were organised, hard working and our shape throughout the game meant that there was no period in the match where we lost our positioning.

“Everyone grafted for the first hour and made sure we hadn't conceded. We then made a couple of changes that tilted it in our favour to go and win the game.

“We probably could've added one or two more goals in just the way the game panned out on the counter attack. But all in all, I'm delighted with the lads and it's another good win.

“Ramsgate's league position doesn't reflect where they'll end up in April. I don't think they're a bad side at all, which made it a little tougher going for the first hour. We probably lacked a bit of thrust in our game but certainly gained more defensive shape which meant we were in the game.

“Conceding two or three goals has been a problem for us this season. I'm pleased with what I've seen and like I've said before, I've wanted to get back to winning games by 1-0. On another day, that would be two or three-nil and praise would be heaped on us saying that's fantastic... that's brilliant.”

Ramsgate 3 – 2 Corinthian-Casuals
Ryman League Division One South
Wednesday 18th November 2015
Southwood Stadium
Attendance: 126
Match report and photos: Stuart Tree (photos here)

Corinthian-Casuals suffered a second-half collapse at the hands of Ramsgate as they let a two-goal lead slip and ultimately left the Kent coast pointless on a gusty Wednesday night.

Juevan Spencer notched two in two minutes at the end of the first half for the Amateurs but an Ian Pullman brace coupled with a Joe Taylor penalty was enough to seal a stunning comeback from the Rams.

Casuals may have felt aggrieved that they didn’t earn at least a point from the fixture after Tom Loynes looked to have handled Juevan Spencer’s header on the line. However, referee Simon Finnigan waved away strong protestations and Casuals made the long journey home with nothing to show for the evening.

It was the second long distance trip for Casuals in the space of five days after their dramatic win over Ryman Premier title contenders Leiston in the FA Trophy on the Saturday. Although only one enforced change was made by Manager James Bracken to his starting line up – Ross Defoe in for the unavailable Dave Hodges, it would prove to be pivotal. Bracken was limited with options from the bench with Charlie Girdler – yet to make his league debut and Assistant Manager Joe Davies amongst the substitutes.

A win would propel Casuals up to fourth in the table and with three wins on the spin, confidence was high. However, Ramsgate were also flying high and within the playoff spots.

With the wind blowing a gale off the nearby coastline, it was predicted early on that the conditions would play a part in the match and all five goals were scored in the direction of the following wind.

Emmanuel Akokhia had the first chance for Casuals, curling a shot around his marker but only finding Luke Watkins in goal. The first clear cut effort fell to Juevan Spencer; after neat play down the wing, Cherno Mendy whipped in a cross that Ramsgate found hard to clear and the unmarked Spencer somehow could only hit the bar from five yards out. Terry Murray was next to go close after his rasping header just passed over the bar from another set piece.

Nick Treadwell came closest for the Rams in a subdued home side’s first half. The forward could only fire wide after Luke Wheatley headed across Danny Bracken’s goal.

Minutes later, Casuals took the lead. Spencer and Mendy’s pace caused the Ram’s back four much concern and the latter’s precise ball played in the former and had no hesitation in firing past Watkins in goal.

Before Ramsgate could recover, Spencer struck again. This time taking advantage of a Joe Kane back pass which fell short and the winger bagged his brace at the near post. 2-0 wasn’t a scoreline that flattered the visitors and in truth, the game should’ve been out of sight.

If Corinth hadn’t put the match to bed before half time, they really should have two minutes after the break. A beautifully weighted ball from Kevant Serbony found Mendy on the left who only had Watkins to beat. However, the striker showed too much of the ball and gave the keeper the chance to close him down and block the resulting shot. Casuals were to rue their spurned chances.

Almost immediately, Ian Pullman pulled a goal back in a very well worked free kick. With the wind proving tough to judge any clearances, the dead ball was knocked in from the halfway line and Kane Smith diverted his header across goal for an unmarked Pullman to slot home.
​
And then it was two; Loynes was found on the wing with only Ross Defoe to beat but the stand-in full back tripped the Ram’s striker and a penalty was given. Joe Taylor calmly placed the ball in the net from the resulting spot kick to give parity to the match.

Ramsgate adopted a ‘shoot on sight’ policy and sent a number of rasping wind-assisted shots in the direction of Danny Bracken. One smacked the bar whilst the keeper did well to handle others, even making an impressive triple save to keep Corinth in the match. But he’ll be upset with the one that got through. A foul on the edge of the box gave Ramsgate a great opportunity to fizz one at the keeper and most expected this. But the resultant free kick from Pullman was a pea-roller which trickled along the floor somehow beat Bracken who could only fumble it into his own net.

James Bracken threw on Ben Cotton and Stef Joseph in an attempt to get something out of the game and pushed forward, seeing Akokhia’s shot well blocked before Bracken was once again called into action to produce another fine save at the hands of Pullman.

Perhaps Casuals deserved a point and should have at least had the opportunity to level the scores. Deep into added time, Mendy once again found Spencer who beautifully headed home only to see Loynes clear off the line turning the ball away with the use of his arm. But although many at that end had seen the infringement, the Referee hadn’t and turned away protests from the Casuals players much to their frustration.

And that’s how it ended; a frustrating night for James Bracken’s team as they look to recover their early season league form which has since deserted them and have now only gathered six points from their last six league matches. Though it can be argued that their recent cup runs are putting a strain on the squad (Casuals are still in all knockout competitions bar the FA Cup), James Bracken will have to find a way to address the inconsistency, starting with East Grinstead on Saturday.

After the match, James Bracken commented on the performance.

“We’ve got to look at ourselves seeing as we lost the game. First half we played relatively well and we should’ve been three or four up. We had a couple of great chances, including hitting the bar from less than six yards and the free header. At four-nil, it’s game over. But at two-nil, it’s never safe.

“I tell them where they have to defend for set pieces and that they’ve got to stay resolute just like we did on Saturday at Leiston. But we haven’t hit those levels tonight.

“But I’m getting really fed up with the standard of refereeing. Not just one or two decisions but the whole game through. They hear a scream, hear a shout and they blow their whistle.

“The first half, he almost swallowed his whistle three times for totally nothing challenges. You think to yourself, why are you blowing four or five times, like it’s kicking off when it’s a nothing foul? He was totally influenced by a scream when there was literally no foul to give. No contact… no one near… but a load of shouting and he blows his whistle.

“It was 100% handball on the line at the end. The problem with us is that we need to appeal for what is ours because everybody else does. Yet it only seems to be myself and Joe next to me that is appealing. Juevan’s made the first chance and it’s hit the defender on the hand, and he’s gone for the rebound which is fair enough because you play to the whistle. But why haven’t we got three or four other lads already shouting out for handball? Why isn’t that call out there? It’s a penalty! They certainly would’ve shouted for it and they’d certainly been given the penalty and had one of ours sent off.

“It’s frustrating… not only with that but with our own play. In my opinion, if we’d have played anywhere near the level we did at Leiston, we’d have scored five.

We had opportunities to play players in, we had moments where players were making the right runs but we took too many touches and squandered chances. That’s what we didn’t do on Saturday. I said we were perfect at Leiston and even without the ball, we were great. Tonight, we didn’t defend well conceding three poor goals and we’ve not been particularly good with the ball. Yes – we’ve scored two, but on a night like tonight, it’s not enough.

“We’ll pick up and go again. But that was a tough one to swallow because we were two up and perhaps they thought that two was enough.

“When you play away from home on a windy old night like tonight, two goals isn’t clearly enough. That’s why we lost.

“We’ve got to look at ourselves a bit, take heed of what I’m telling them. If they do, we’ll kick on and if they don’t, they won’t play.” 

Corinthian-Casuals 2 - 1 Ramsgate
Ryman League Division One South
Saturday 22nd August 2015
Match report and Pics: Stuart Tree (all photos can be seen here)

Corinthian-Casuals came from behind to continue their unbeaten start to the season and reach the summit of the Ryman League Division One South.

Two second half goals from Emil Salama and Juevan Spencer were enough to combat Ramsgate’s opening penalty in what was a lively encounter in the August heat. It could’ve been more; Josh Uzun saw his spot kick saved and Matt Reece missed a golden opportunity to wrap it up.

James Bracken made a few changes from the 4-0 win against South Park in the week; Kevant Serbony and Emmanuel Akokhia once again started. Diego Maradona was the notable exclusion due to other commitments.

Ramsgate’s preparations were hampered by the breakdown of the team bus. Having to swap with the supporter’s coach, the players and officials made it in time, but thoughts were spared for the travelling Rams army stuck on the side of a motorway for the afternoon.

The early tempo wasn’t tempered despite the sweltering conditions, which was set to test both side’s fitness levels. Early chances fell to Emmanuel Akokhia and Danny Dudley who could only head high and wide of the Ram’s goal.

The game’s first real chances fell to the visitors; finding himself through on goal, Ian Pulman was only denied by the fine feet of Danny Bracken in goal. Minutes later, Ramsgate’s Luke Girt crashed one against the crossbar. It was evident that the Kent coasters weren’t intending on losing their own unbeaten start.

At the other end, Sekou Kaba’s fine header looped over Luke Watkins but the tall midfielder found himself in an offside position. Emil Salama produced a brilliant run which left his markers for dead but couldn’t quite convert the chance. It would’ve been a goal of the finest individual quality had it not narrowly missed the post.

After the break, The first turning point came; a high ball into the Casuals’ box wasn’t met cleanly by Serbony and the resulting bounce was adjudged to have hit his arm on the rebound. Penalty! The spot kick was calmly tucked away Pulman and the Rams had the lead.

Much like the Hythe Town game just a week before, Casuals showed that they were going to fight for the points. Akokhia narrowly headed wide from a corner and had a glorious chance to equalise after he was felled in the box by Nick Humphrey. However, Josh Uzun couldn’t make it three successful penalties in three successive games as his spot kick was saved by Watkins… the rebound not quite falling to Akokhia.

However, the screw was turning and it wasn’t long before Casuals had their equaliser. Pace started to be a real problem for the Ram’s back four and Salama found himself through on goal and slotted home much to the delight of the fans. And on 78 minutes, Juevan Spencer found himself in a similar position which ended in the same result. 2-1.

Substitute Matt Reece came close to making it three but Watkins, who was excellent all game, denied the striker. Ramsgate pushed forward in order to get an equaliser, but with a defence that’s only conceded one goal in open play this season to contend with, the Casuals comfortably held out for the win.

Casuals have now won four and drawn one of their league and League Cup campaign, resulting in the top spot for James Bracken’s side. Afterwards, he spoke to Stuart Tree;

“This was similar to our first game of the season where it was feisty at times. Maybe one or two decisions both ways were a bit unjust but when you win 2-1, you forget about all of those things. Of course, if you lose 2-1, it’s the thing on the front of your mind.

“You’ll never hear me blaming referees for results unless it’s really bad; we’re out there for 90 minutes and we should be able to win a game in that period.

“On the balance of the game, we didn’t deserve to go behind but we gave away a penalty, which happens and it was an unfortunate one. It’s not as if they’ve really worked the ball well and stretched us where we’ve committed a foul… it was just clumsiness.

“I said to them at half time that the last twenty minutes, it’ll be all us, whatever happens as the opposition will out on their feet. And to be honest, it could’ve been a lot more… four or five if we took our chances, but 2-1 is a win.

“We try to play back-to-front so you end up with a lot of the lads in advanced positions and when you get the ball around the box, you’ve got a variety of options. All of the boys are technically good enough to finish. That’s the way we want to play and it’s working at the moment so we’ll continue to do it.

“It’s a good feeling… who doesn’t want to go home top of the league? But I’ve said it for the last few games – we’ve played four league games and got forty-odd to go.

“It was a different obstacle again today. We’ve gone behind again but we found a way to come back and win. Considering the young lads we’ve got, we seem to be finding a way of turning games and getting something out of it. 

Corinthian-Casuals 3-0 Ramsgate
Ryman League Division One South
Saturday 15th November 2014
Attendance: 127
Report and pics by Stuart Tree


Casual’s Boss Matt Howard praised his team for their 3-0 win and dominating performance over Ramsgate after a tough previous week.

Coming into the match, Casuals had won just once in eleven matches and lost 4-1 in successive matches to South Park and Folkestone in the past week.

Howard was able to choose from returning players Lee Hall, Carl Wilson-Denis and Jamie Byatt who had previously missed the encounter at South Park. Meddie Nsubuga came in at Right Back freeing up Danny Dudley to take his preferred position in central defence.

After a cagey start from both sides, it was left to Joe Hicks to break the deadlock on the half hour mark. The Captain rose high to head the ball past the Ram’s keeper and give the Casuals the lead.

Corinth were starting to impose themselves on the match more and Joe Hicks went close twice more in the first half, almost matching his first header from a corner and again going close in a near post flick.

The bright autumn sunshine of the first half was replaced by an ever thickening fog in the second. Ramsgate looked to get back into the match with only Danny Bracken and the Crossbar keeping the visitors from levelling.

But after a couple of good opportunities spurned by the ever attacking partnership of Byatt and Wilson-Denis, Byatt made it two on 68 minutes, finding himself free to pick his spot and double the lead.

Ten minutes later and it was three; Byatt grabbing a brace after the striker rose high above his defender to loop his header clear of the stranded Ramsgate keeper and into the net.

Casuals were dominant by this point and other chances went begging. Substitute Cisse Bamoussa found the target from an acute angle but was adjudged to have strayed offside. It didn’t matter. With Casuals back to their best, it was too much for the Kent seasiders who travelled back home in the now dense fog, without a point.

After the match, Matt Howard spoke to Stuart Tree.

“We needed that today. We could have scored five or six goals, but we’ve put away three and haven’t conceded and the result is we’ve got our second win on a Saturday.

“It was a stark contrast to the loss at South Park last week. I said to the lads after the match, that’s what happens when you put the effort in… something that was previously lacking.

“We have had a few walking wounded and they are coming back slowly but surely. This might be a bold statement but when we have everyone fully fit and available, we’re not a bad side and we’ll be there or there about come the end of the season. However, with 46 games in a season, we’re not going to have everyone available. We have 29 players signed on and we have to make best we can with them.

“Fifty points is our first target; that’ll pretty much ensure survival in the league. That was our initial target at the beginning of the season. After the start we had, did we get a little carried away? We probably did, but to have 30 points on the board in the middle of November, that’s not bad going.

“We’ve got twenty points to achieve that first target. Do I think we’ll beat that target? I’d like to think so. Last season we finished with 55 points so if we can top that, we’ve done well.

“It’s a cliché but one game at a time!”  

Stuart Tree's photos of the match can be seen here.