Corinthian-Casuals U18s 1-1 AFC Croydon Athletic U18s
Tony Ford Under-18 Division East
Thursday 14 November 2024
Report: Josh Lamey
Images: Andy Nunn
The togetherness from Corinthian-Casuals’ Under-18s side shone through on Thursday night, overcoming early adversity to maintain their six-game unbeaten streak.
Fresh off the back of first-team involvement, goalkeeper David Wloch and centre-half Ogbeifun Ojo-Osagie met back up with their teenage colleagues, looking to defeat an AFC Croydon Athletic side sitting neck-and-neck with Casuals at the summit of the league.
Two sides that have become familiar with each other in recent years locked horns once again in the league, and the narrow 2-1 victory at Mayfield Stadium proved it’s always a close-run affair against the Rams. Both are early title contenders, but would Croydon leapfrog the leaders, or could Casuals cling on to top spot?
The visitors sprang into life from the get-go, but not many around the Armada Group Stadium would’ve predicted what was to come just 30 seconds after the referee’s first whistle. The start of dreams for Athletic saw them carve open the back line, and their No7 fired through the legs of Wloch. Palpable delight in the away dugout.
Casuals sought a rapid response to get back into the contest, and they got just that. No defence is safe with captain Tom Rolls standing over a corner, and his pinpoint delivery eased past the gloves of the keeper for Nathan Downer to force it home off his thigh. They all count, and it was set-piece superiority which drew the hosts level.
They ended the half in stark contrast to how they started, however. Some picturesque football from the young Casuals gave them the chance to forge ahead, but a wild swing at the end of a fine move meant it was all square at the break.
A second half which was injected with fighting spirit under the cover of Tolworth darkness followed, as both sides pushed for a vital three points. Casuals were a needle’s width away from finding a winner, as a lack of communication between goalkeeper and defender left the ball eager to cross the line, before being smashed well away from goal by the Croydon defender.
As we headed deep into the end of the 90 minutes, Casuals had one final chance to extend their lead at the peak. Downer had the ball in the net once more, but the linesman deemed him to have made the run too early. A late let-off for the visitors.
“Even though we are still unbeaten in the league, we have missed out on two additional points.” said Under-18s boss Paul Hill afterwards. “I feel we did enough to win the game, but it got overshadowed by emotions out there.
“It’s a new experience for the players along with the pressure of being top of the league, but we will chat through it as a team and focus on next week’s game versus Balham.”
It’s already been a successful season so far for the youth section. First-team experiences and an unbeaten run show the potential this group of players possesses, and it’s exciting to see what the future holds for them.
Corinthian-Casuals: Wloch, Raven, Ojo-Osagie, Wilkens, Frimpong, Warby, Rolls, Downer, Bland, Blakeway, Glyrow
Tony Ford Under-18 Division East
Thursday 14 November 2024
Report: Josh Lamey
Images: Andy Nunn
The togetherness from Corinthian-Casuals’ Under-18s side shone through on Thursday night, overcoming early adversity to maintain their six-game unbeaten streak.
Fresh off the back of first-team involvement, goalkeeper David Wloch and centre-half Ogbeifun Ojo-Osagie met back up with their teenage colleagues, looking to defeat an AFC Croydon Athletic side sitting neck-and-neck with Casuals at the summit of the league.
Two sides that have become familiar with each other in recent years locked horns once again in the league, and the narrow 2-1 victory at Mayfield Stadium proved it’s always a close-run affair against the Rams. Both are early title contenders, but would Croydon leapfrog the leaders, or could Casuals cling on to top spot?
The visitors sprang into life from the get-go, but not many around the Armada Group Stadium would’ve predicted what was to come just 30 seconds after the referee’s first whistle. The start of dreams for Athletic saw them carve open the back line, and their No7 fired through the legs of Wloch. Palpable delight in the away dugout.
Casuals sought a rapid response to get back into the contest, and they got just that. No defence is safe with captain Tom Rolls standing over a corner, and his pinpoint delivery eased past the gloves of the keeper for Nathan Downer to force it home off his thigh. They all count, and it was set-piece superiority which drew the hosts level.
They ended the half in stark contrast to how they started, however. Some picturesque football from the young Casuals gave them the chance to forge ahead, but a wild swing at the end of a fine move meant it was all square at the break.
A second half which was injected with fighting spirit under the cover of Tolworth darkness followed, as both sides pushed for a vital three points. Casuals were a needle’s width away from finding a winner, as a lack of communication between goalkeeper and defender left the ball eager to cross the line, before being smashed well away from goal by the Croydon defender.
As we headed deep into the end of the 90 minutes, Casuals had one final chance to extend their lead at the peak. Downer had the ball in the net once more, but the linesman deemed him to have made the run too early. A late let-off for the visitors.
“Even though we are still unbeaten in the league, we have missed out on two additional points.” said Under-18s boss Paul Hill afterwards. “I feel we did enough to win the game, but it got overshadowed by emotions out there.
“It’s a new experience for the players along with the pressure of being top of the league, but we will chat through it as a team and focus on next week’s game versus Balham.”
It’s already been a successful season so far for the youth section. First-team experiences and an unbeaten run show the potential this group of players possesses, and it’s exciting to see what the future holds for them.
Corinthian-Casuals: Wloch, Raven, Ojo-Osagie, Wilkens, Frimpong, Warby, Rolls, Downer, Bland, Blakeway, Glyrow
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