Chatham Town 1 - 2 Corinthian-Casuals
Ryman League Division One South
Saturday 24th October 2015
Maidstone Road
Match report and pics: Stuart Tree (full set of images here)
Corinthian-Casuals’ goalscoring ace, Emmanuel Akokhia made his return after injury and bagged a brace in a gritty win over Chatham Town in the Ryman League Division One South.
The striker, who missed the defeat to Whyteleafe in the week was immediately recalled to the starting XI and goals in the 18th and 84th minute were enough for Corinth to take the three points back to Tolworth and move the Amateurs up to third in the league.
Not only was it important for Casuals to have Akokhia return, the inclusion of Dave Hodges after missing the last two matches through injury was just as vital. A late fitness call saw Warren Morgan sidelined and gave Malaki Field his first start for Casuals this season.
Chatham came into the game on the back of a crushing 7-2 win at Tooting and Mitcham. Confidence was clearly high even if their league position didn’t match it.
It was clear from the off that there would be goals in this encounter. Play was open, flowing and Casuals had set up to use their pace on the counter.
The plan worked; on 18 minutes, Emmanuel Akokhia outran his marker to latch onto a through ball and calmly slotted past Ryan Nicholls in the Chats’ goal for his ninth of the season.
The home side were soon on level terms. Andrew Dallhouse’s cross from the right was met by an outstretched Danny Bracken but in the wet conditions, and under pressure, the keeper couldn’t keep a firm grip on the ball and Kieron McCann was quickest to react, hammering home the equaliser.
Undeterred by the setback, Casuals stuck with their game plan and both Stef Joseph and Akokhia looked to use the counter effectively. Joseph came closest to restoring the lead when his shot beat Nicholls but thumped off the post and back into the arms of the grateful Chat’s stopper.
The second half saw plenty of possession for the home side but without causing Bracken any concern between the sticks. The closest they came was a curling shot which just passed over the bar.
The introduction of Cherno Mendy, Sekou Kaba and Kevant Serbony proved to be effective. The tempo, which had slowed was once again cranked up and Chatham began to feel the pressure. They finally cracked on 84 minutes. A Mendy corner was beautifully met by Akokhia from 8 yards out and his header sailed into the net much to the delight of the travelling Corinth faithful.
Rather than defend deep and play out the time, Casuals looked to further increase their lead. Kevant Serbony with the closest effort after his mazy run ended with Nicholls making a fine save. Akokhia also had a penalty shout waved away.
The win puts Casuals up to third in the league, firmly in the playoff spots.
After the match, Manager James Bracken commented on the match and how proud he is of his side.
“That was a hard fought win today. We’ve shown all the qualities you need to show as a good side; resilience, determination and desire to go and do what’s got to be done to bounce back to winning ways.
“And we deserved a win. I said to the boys today that I couldn’t be more proud of what they’re doing. They’re putting in an absolute shift in every single game.
“Our game plan was slightly different to our normal setup. I knew we’d make changes in the second half, when they were needed and what they would be. They had the impact that I hoped they would.
“It was fantastic to have Mani (Emmanuel) back. We missed him. Mani’s a good player but then again, Stef (Joseph) has led the line again today and done really well. They had a nice little thing going on between them out there.
“Yes… Mani is fantastic, but Stef has worn them down over the course of 70 minutes which meant we’ve gone on and won the game. They both get a lot of credit from me as does everyone else behind them who’ve worked their socks off.
Speaking of bouncing back after the two recent defeats, Bracken commented, “We had this a little while ago where we had been on a nice little run and everyone was saying ‘we’re going to win every game’ but you’re not going to win every time. You’re going to get a couple of defeats in there.
“I said to the lads today that I’m the worst loser you’ll ever come across. I’m horrible when I lose. But the feeling I had after the loss to Whyteleafe and Herne Bay was disappointment for the boys because we deserved to win those games. That would’ve put us two points clear at the top of the league. Then I look back at the other games where we’ve dropped points this season and, despite what I said, I think we could’ve won them all.
“So there was a feeling of disappointment when you don’t get a result but my overriding feeling is just pride… proud of what they’re doing. They know that… we’re in it together.”
Ryman League Division One South
Saturday 24th October 2015
Maidstone Road
Match report and pics: Stuart Tree (full set of images here)
Corinthian-Casuals’ goalscoring ace, Emmanuel Akokhia made his return after injury and bagged a brace in a gritty win over Chatham Town in the Ryman League Division One South.
The striker, who missed the defeat to Whyteleafe in the week was immediately recalled to the starting XI and goals in the 18th and 84th minute were enough for Corinth to take the three points back to Tolworth and move the Amateurs up to third in the league.
Not only was it important for Casuals to have Akokhia return, the inclusion of Dave Hodges after missing the last two matches through injury was just as vital. A late fitness call saw Warren Morgan sidelined and gave Malaki Field his first start for Casuals this season.
Chatham came into the game on the back of a crushing 7-2 win at Tooting and Mitcham. Confidence was clearly high even if their league position didn’t match it.
It was clear from the off that there would be goals in this encounter. Play was open, flowing and Casuals had set up to use their pace on the counter.
The plan worked; on 18 minutes, Emmanuel Akokhia outran his marker to latch onto a through ball and calmly slotted past Ryan Nicholls in the Chats’ goal for his ninth of the season.
The home side were soon on level terms. Andrew Dallhouse’s cross from the right was met by an outstretched Danny Bracken but in the wet conditions, and under pressure, the keeper couldn’t keep a firm grip on the ball and Kieron McCann was quickest to react, hammering home the equaliser.
Undeterred by the setback, Casuals stuck with their game plan and both Stef Joseph and Akokhia looked to use the counter effectively. Joseph came closest to restoring the lead when his shot beat Nicholls but thumped off the post and back into the arms of the grateful Chat’s stopper.
The second half saw plenty of possession for the home side but without causing Bracken any concern between the sticks. The closest they came was a curling shot which just passed over the bar.
The introduction of Cherno Mendy, Sekou Kaba and Kevant Serbony proved to be effective. The tempo, which had slowed was once again cranked up and Chatham began to feel the pressure. They finally cracked on 84 minutes. A Mendy corner was beautifully met by Akokhia from 8 yards out and his header sailed into the net much to the delight of the travelling Corinth faithful.
Rather than defend deep and play out the time, Casuals looked to further increase their lead. Kevant Serbony with the closest effort after his mazy run ended with Nicholls making a fine save. Akokhia also had a penalty shout waved away.
The win puts Casuals up to third in the league, firmly in the playoff spots.
After the match, Manager James Bracken commented on the match and how proud he is of his side.
“That was a hard fought win today. We’ve shown all the qualities you need to show as a good side; resilience, determination and desire to go and do what’s got to be done to bounce back to winning ways.
“And we deserved a win. I said to the boys today that I couldn’t be more proud of what they’re doing. They’re putting in an absolute shift in every single game.
“Our game plan was slightly different to our normal setup. I knew we’d make changes in the second half, when they were needed and what they would be. They had the impact that I hoped they would.
“It was fantastic to have Mani (Emmanuel) back. We missed him. Mani’s a good player but then again, Stef (Joseph) has led the line again today and done really well. They had a nice little thing going on between them out there.
“Yes… Mani is fantastic, but Stef has worn them down over the course of 70 minutes which meant we’ve gone on and won the game. They both get a lot of credit from me as does everyone else behind them who’ve worked their socks off.
Speaking of bouncing back after the two recent defeats, Bracken commented, “We had this a little while ago where we had been on a nice little run and everyone was saying ‘we’re going to win every game’ but you’re not going to win every time. You’re going to get a couple of defeats in there.
“I said to the lads today that I’m the worst loser you’ll ever come across. I’m horrible when I lose. But the feeling I had after the loss to Whyteleafe and Herne Bay was disappointment for the boys because we deserved to win those games. That would’ve put us two points clear at the top of the league. Then I look back at the other games where we’ve dropped points this season and, despite what I said, I think we could’ve won them all.
“So there was a feeling of disappointment when you don’t get a result but my overriding feeling is just pride… proud of what they’re doing. They know that… we’re in it together.”
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