Did He Mean It?

  
Corinthian-Casuals 2-2 Hornchurch  
Williams 36                                Hayles 72  
Lovatt 90+                                   Brown 84  
  
Pitching in Isthmian Premier League   
Tuesday 14 February 2023  
Attendance 160  
Match Report by James Streatfield 
Image by Scott White 
  
Finlay Lovatt rescued a point in remarkable fashion for Corinthian-Casuals in the dying breaths after an all-action encounter with third-placed Hornchurch.  
  
Four days on from disappointment at home to Hastings United, Casuals boss Justin Fevrier made four changes from the team that started on Saturday.  
  
The opening stages proved to be a cagey affair, with neither side posing a concrete threat to the other. Jared Myers gave Casuals their first opportunity, taking the ball on his chest and running down the line, only to play a ball across the box that couldn’t be met by any of his teammates. A warning sign for the opposition.  
  
The visitors then began to pile on the pressure, showing their threat. A looping free kick found the head of Rickie Hayles, who's equally looping header was making its way towards the top right corner before the left fingertips of Callum Coulter tipped it over the bar. Coulter was once again called into action when Liam Nash steamed through one-on-one with the Casuals keeper, who matched the attacker’s shot with a sterling save down to his left.  
  
Hornchurch’s number 8 and captain, Lewwis Spence, had been dictating the play through this period, starting attacks and moving the ball from side to side effectively. This was until the 26th minute when he was forced off through injury and the tide turned. Casuals gained a hold of the game and dominated the midfield battle. This dominance showed when Mack Reilly​’s slide-rule pass was met by the ever-willing run of Morgan Williams (pictured top), who slotted it through the legs of Joe Wright to make it 1-0 to Casuals. Handed his full debut by Fevrier, Williams – on loan from AFC Wimbledon – put in a stellar performance, pulling the strings and breaking up play, making it difficult for Hornchurch to progress, particularly in the first half. This was until the 26th minute when he was forced off through injury and the tide turned. Casuals gained a hold of the game and dominated the midfield battle.   
  
Casuals came out after half-time with the same vigour and determination that they finished the previous half. Williams continued to probe, while Myers tried and tested his man, having now switched sides to play on the left.  
  
Mark Stimson ordered his Hornchurch players to “level up”, and unfortunately for Casuals, that’s exactly what they did, as a Remi Sutton throw-in fell to Sam Higgins who swivelled and fired a fierce shot from close range. Once again, however, Coulter came out on top, saving low with his feet.   
  
The warning signs became graver as the game progressed into the latter stages, and Hornchurch eventually levelled when Rickie Hayles met a corner at the near post and found the net from close range. There was nothing Coulter in the Casuals net could do about this one.   
  
The situation worsened 10 minutes later when a loose header from Lahan fell into the path of Hornchurch’s Ellis Brown, who calmly slotted the ball away into the bottom-left corner. With five minutes of normal time left to play, Casuals looked all out of luck.   
  
Fevrier looked to his bench, calling upon the services of Nathaniel Pinney, who came into the game to make his 100th Casuals appearance. Our congratulations are extended to him on this achievement and we thank him for his services to the club.   
  
He had still had a part to play in the action too. The visitors seemed to be walking away with the victory as the game entered stoppage time, keeping the ball penned deep into Casuals’ half. Though it’s not over until it’s over, and Pinney picked up the ball on the edge of the box and played a sharp ball out to Finlay Lovatt, who’s cross-come-shot miraculously looped inside the far post and into the back of the Hornchurch net in the last moments of the game to level it up. The players celebrated with the supporters behind the goal before the final whistle blew on a dramatic game.  
  
Casuals can take positives from their performance – a real show of determination. Taking the game to a team at the top end of the table and coming away with a point will instil confidence in the side for the near future.   
  
Corinthian-Casuals: Coulter; Chislett (Stokoe 83), Kudyiwa, Lahan, Halsey (Pinney 90); Thompson (c) (Hyman 58), Williams; Myers, Kamara, Lovatt; Reilly