Corinthian-Casuals 1 - 1 Hornchurch
Isthmian League Premier Division
Saturday 7th March 2020
Report and photos: Stuart Tree (full set here)
Corinthian-Casuals earned another vital Isthmian League point on Saturday courtesy of a 1-1 draw with championship chasing Hornchurch.
It was another display from James Bracken’s side that pleased the boss following on from the midweek win over East Thurrock United.
There was an immediate place in the starting line-up for debutant Kieron Cadogan as Bracken looked to utilise four attacking players, including Nat Pinney, Gabriel Odunaike and Ben Cheklit. On the opposite side was arguably the most formidable strike force in the Isthmian League with Jamie Cureton, Chris Dickson and Adam Cunnington set to test Casuals’ back line.
Had it not been for some resolute defending and two superb saves from Danny Bracken, Hornchurch could’ve easily led from early on as they exerted pressure on Corinth. But it was the home side who came closest to breaking the deadlock when Cheklit cut inside his man and unleashed a shot across Joe Wright only for it to rebound off the inside of the far post.
With 20 minutes played, Casuals took the lead. Gabriel Odunaike was upended in the box and the referee took his time to deliberate whether it was a foul before correctly awarding the spot kick. Nat Pinney sent Wright the wrong way to make it 1-0.
Hornchurch were level 12 minutes later; from a Casuals corner, the Urchins broke up the field in quick fashion with Dickson making most of the running. His pull-back found Jordan Clark (no… not that one) who side-footed it past Bracken in a swift and effective counter.
The second half was a cagier affair, though had its moments. Jamie Cureton, a player that’s scored his fair share of excellent goals against Casuals volleyed a wicked shot narrowly over the bar. At the other end, full back Jack Tucker found his way through on goal and riding a clumsy challenge, decided to square the ball rather than take the shot. However, his pass to Odunaike was intercepted and the danger cleared.
The full time whistle was welcomed as Casuals had held their lofty opponents for the second time this season to a 1-1 draw. Considering all the other results affecting sides around them (only Merstham picked up a point), the draw was a pleasing outcome from the afternoon as well as how Casuals had applied themselves against strong opposition.
Delighted with the performance. Hornchurch have got some fantastic players and they don’t have any obvious weak links,” said Manager James Bracken after the match.
“They carry a lot of threat especially with their front three and have decent players to come off their bench. They’re a good team. But we’ve more than matched them today. I don’t just mean we’ve dug in and fought and ground out a point. We arguably had the brighter opportunities throughout the game. Even near the end, we’ve got our right back in their box looking to pull back for someone to tap in.
“We had a decent balance to our play. Our defensive shape was good and when we got the ball, we put moves together and played some fantastic football. Some of the moves throughout the thirds would’ve graced any level. Credit to the lads for that. We’re starting to get in the habit of picking up good points and believe we can beat anybody.
“We’ve never been also-rans. We know we’ll give anyone a good game. This season, it’s been hard to see wins coming at times. But now, I look at it and we’ve got goals in us, a number of avenues from which we can create chances and we still have the grit and determination to make it hard for sides to score against us.”
Looking ahead to the match at Merstham on Tuesday night, Bracken was under no illusion at how important this fixture is.
“Merstham have earned a decent draw against Bognor, after leading 2-0, so we have to give their forwards and them in possession a bit of respect. We’ll need to ensure our defensive side matches the levels against Hornchurch, etc. If we do that, and we play like we have this past couple of weeks, they’ll have to play very well to get any points.
“We’ll be prepared, and we’ll concentrate on ourselves – I rate these players and I fancy us to go out there, create chances, score and play good football. Why shouldn’t I after what I’ve seen the last few games from us? We’ll just keep it going.”
Isthmian League Premier Division
Saturday 7th March 2020
Report and photos: Stuart Tree (full set here)
Corinthian-Casuals earned another vital Isthmian League point on Saturday courtesy of a 1-1 draw with championship chasing Hornchurch.
It was another display from James Bracken’s side that pleased the boss following on from the midweek win over East Thurrock United.
There was an immediate place in the starting line-up for debutant Kieron Cadogan as Bracken looked to utilise four attacking players, including Nat Pinney, Gabriel Odunaike and Ben Cheklit. On the opposite side was arguably the most formidable strike force in the Isthmian League with Jamie Cureton, Chris Dickson and Adam Cunnington set to test Casuals’ back line.
Had it not been for some resolute defending and two superb saves from Danny Bracken, Hornchurch could’ve easily led from early on as they exerted pressure on Corinth. But it was the home side who came closest to breaking the deadlock when Cheklit cut inside his man and unleashed a shot across Joe Wright only for it to rebound off the inside of the far post.
With 20 minutes played, Casuals took the lead. Gabriel Odunaike was upended in the box and the referee took his time to deliberate whether it was a foul before correctly awarding the spot kick. Nat Pinney sent Wright the wrong way to make it 1-0.
Hornchurch were level 12 minutes later; from a Casuals corner, the Urchins broke up the field in quick fashion with Dickson making most of the running. His pull-back found Jordan Clark (no… not that one) who side-footed it past Bracken in a swift and effective counter.
The second half was a cagier affair, though had its moments. Jamie Cureton, a player that’s scored his fair share of excellent goals against Casuals volleyed a wicked shot narrowly over the bar. At the other end, full back Jack Tucker found his way through on goal and riding a clumsy challenge, decided to square the ball rather than take the shot. However, his pass to Odunaike was intercepted and the danger cleared.
The full time whistle was welcomed as Casuals had held their lofty opponents for the second time this season to a 1-1 draw. Considering all the other results affecting sides around them (only Merstham picked up a point), the draw was a pleasing outcome from the afternoon as well as how Casuals had applied themselves against strong opposition.
Delighted with the performance. Hornchurch have got some fantastic players and they don’t have any obvious weak links,” said Manager James Bracken after the match.
“They carry a lot of threat especially with their front three and have decent players to come off their bench. They’re a good team. But we’ve more than matched them today. I don’t just mean we’ve dug in and fought and ground out a point. We arguably had the brighter opportunities throughout the game. Even near the end, we’ve got our right back in their box looking to pull back for someone to tap in.
“We had a decent balance to our play. Our defensive shape was good and when we got the ball, we put moves together and played some fantastic football. Some of the moves throughout the thirds would’ve graced any level. Credit to the lads for that. We’re starting to get in the habit of picking up good points and believe we can beat anybody.
“We’ve never been also-rans. We know we’ll give anyone a good game. This season, it’s been hard to see wins coming at times. But now, I look at it and we’ve got goals in us, a number of avenues from which we can create chances and we still have the grit and determination to make it hard for sides to score against us.”
Looking ahead to the match at Merstham on Tuesday night, Bracken was under no illusion at how important this fixture is.
“Merstham have earned a decent draw against Bognor, after leading 2-0, so we have to give their forwards and them in possession a bit of respect. We’ll need to ensure our defensive side matches the levels against Hornchurch, etc. If we do that, and we play like we have this past couple of weeks, they’ll have to play very well to get any points.
“We’ll be prepared, and we’ll concentrate on ourselves – I rate these players and I fancy us to go out there, create chances, score and play good football. Why shouldn’t I after what I’ve seen the last few games from us? We’ll just keep it going.”
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