North Greenford United 1-1 Corinthian-Casuals
Martin-Thomas 13 Barbosa 75
Emirates FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round
Saturday 3 August 2024
Match Report: Dominic Bliss
Images: Stuart Tree
The FA Cup has a special ability to bring out the cliches, but it would be difficult to label Saturday’s season opener at North Greenford United anything other than a good old-fashioned game of two halves.
Corinthian-Casuals came out for the second half of Mu Maan’s first competitive game as manager looking like a team inspired after a lacklustre opening 45 minutes that saw us trailing 1-0 at the break. In the end, we not only found the goal required to force a replay but travelled home wondering if we might have won it there and then.
North Greenford are a strong Step 5 side. They finished eighth in the Combined Counties Premier Division North last season and reached the quarter-finals of the FA Vase. They are a settled team who have enjoyed a good pre-season, and they began the game looking confident. Casuals were finding their feet in the opening exchanges, although it was clear from the outset that Mu has assembled a technically gifted group who will look to play attractive, fast-paced passing football as often as possible.
The hosts made the better start, though, forcing a good save from Jack Greenaway just under quarter-of-an-hour into the game, before Christopher Martin-Thomas headed them in front from close range when we failed to properly clear the resulting corner.
Casuals had to ride the storm a little after that, as North Greenford pushed forward in search of a second while the going was good. We held firm, with centre-backs Warren Morgan and Marcos dos Santos looking assured in and out of possession, but there were moments when the home side broke through, and in truth they could have been further ahead at the break had they taken their chances.
Casuals could also go in at the break feeling a little unfortunate, having hit the woodwork and had a Frazier Osunkoya goal ruled out by a very tight offside decision on 24 minutes.
The last 10 minutes of the half suggested that the cobwebs had blown away and we were ready to take a foothold, and a triple substitution from Mu at the break made certain that we began the second half with fresh impetus.
It has been clear to see the brand of football Mu and his staff are looking to develop here throughout pre-season, and it all came together in the second half on Saturday. It was a display of slick passing moves, clever runs off the ball and lively, adventurous forwards who are clearly unafraid to run at defenders or attempt a killer pass.
Shea Cascoe-Rogers, Ben Cheklit and Reyon Dillon were the three familiar faces who came off the bench for the second 45, and they were soon joined by a couple of new arrivals who looked equally sharp, in winger Riyo Brown and striker Raf Barbosa.
The latter was one of five Brazilians in the matchday squad, and there is a genuine sense of excitement about this South American influx at a club with such strong links to the world’s most famous footballing nation.
Casuals’ changed forward line, backed up by a dominant midfield display from another debutant, Michael Onovwigun, took control of the game after the restart, creating chance after chance as we hunted for an equaliser. Returning fans’ favourite Cheklit fired wide, Barbosa was denied a one-on-one opportunity by a questionable offside flag, Brown hit the stanchion with a fine effort, and Cascoe-Rogers consistently asked questions of the home defenders with his jinking runs. Dillon was hungry too, dovetailing well with Barbosa.
It was the Brazilian whose brilliantly taken goal on 75 minutes made the headlines – quite literally, in fact, as the official social media accounts of the Emirates FA Cup pounced on the ‘fairytale’ narrative.
At the end of a slick passing move that took us from our own half to the edge of the opposition penalty area, Onuvwigun played a fine through ball with the outside of his right boot which Barbosa controlled expertly before coolly firing a daisycutter past the goalkeeper and sending the impressive travelling support into raptures.
A Brazilian scoring for Corinthian-Casuals in the FA Cup… it really is the stuff dreams are made of, but nobody involved is any doubt as to the reality of the situation. Tuesday’s replay will define how fondly we look back on this intense opening to the new season.
Corinthian-Casuals: Greenaway, Gjoshe, Pilonetto, Onovwigun, Morgan, Dos Santos, Hudson (Brown 60), Ewerthon (Barbosa 68), Osunkoya (Dillon h/t), Da Silva (Cheklit h/t), Murad (Cascoe-Rogers h/t)
Martin-Thomas 13 Barbosa 75
Emirates FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round
Saturday 3 August 2024
Match Report: Dominic Bliss
Images: Stuart Tree
The FA Cup has a special ability to bring out the cliches, but it would be difficult to label Saturday’s season opener at North Greenford United anything other than a good old-fashioned game of two halves.
Corinthian-Casuals came out for the second half of Mu Maan’s first competitive game as manager looking like a team inspired after a lacklustre opening 45 minutes that saw us trailing 1-0 at the break. In the end, we not only found the goal required to force a replay but travelled home wondering if we might have won it there and then.
North Greenford are a strong Step 5 side. They finished eighth in the Combined Counties Premier Division North last season and reached the quarter-finals of the FA Vase. They are a settled team who have enjoyed a good pre-season, and they began the game looking confident. Casuals were finding their feet in the opening exchanges, although it was clear from the outset that Mu has assembled a technically gifted group who will look to play attractive, fast-paced passing football as often as possible.
The hosts made the better start, though, forcing a good save from Jack Greenaway just under quarter-of-an-hour into the game, before Christopher Martin-Thomas headed them in front from close range when we failed to properly clear the resulting corner.
Casuals had to ride the storm a little after that, as North Greenford pushed forward in search of a second while the going was good. We held firm, with centre-backs Warren Morgan and Marcos dos Santos looking assured in and out of possession, but there were moments when the home side broke through, and in truth they could have been further ahead at the break had they taken their chances.
Casuals could also go in at the break feeling a little unfortunate, having hit the woodwork and had a Frazier Osunkoya goal ruled out by a very tight offside decision on 24 minutes.
The last 10 minutes of the half suggested that the cobwebs had blown away and we were ready to take a foothold, and a triple substitution from Mu at the break made certain that we began the second half with fresh impetus.
It has been clear to see the brand of football Mu and his staff are looking to develop here throughout pre-season, and it all came together in the second half on Saturday. It was a display of slick passing moves, clever runs off the ball and lively, adventurous forwards who are clearly unafraid to run at defenders or attempt a killer pass.
Shea Cascoe-Rogers, Ben Cheklit and Reyon Dillon were the three familiar faces who came off the bench for the second 45, and they were soon joined by a couple of new arrivals who looked equally sharp, in winger Riyo Brown and striker Raf Barbosa.
The latter was one of five Brazilians in the matchday squad, and there is a genuine sense of excitement about this South American influx at a club with such strong links to the world’s most famous footballing nation.
Casuals’ changed forward line, backed up by a dominant midfield display from another debutant, Michael Onovwigun, took control of the game after the restart, creating chance after chance as we hunted for an equaliser. Returning fans’ favourite Cheklit fired wide, Barbosa was denied a one-on-one opportunity by a questionable offside flag, Brown hit the stanchion with a fine effort, and Cascoe-Rogers consistently asked questions of the home defenders with his jinking runs. Dillon was hungry too, dovetailing well with Barbosa.
It was the Brazilian whose brilliantly taken goal on 75 minutes made the headlines – quite literally, in fact, as the official social media accounts of the Emirates FA Cup pounced on the ‘fairytale’ narrative.
At the end of a slick passing move that took us from our own half to the edge of the opposition penalty area, Onuvwigun played a fine through ball with the outside of his right boot which Barbosa controlled expertly before coolly firing a daisycutter past the goalkeeper and sending the impressive travelling support into raptures.
A Brazilian scoring for Corinthian-Casuals in the FA Cup… it really is the stuff dreams are made of, but nobody involved is any doubt as to the reality of the situation. Tuesday’s replay will define how fondly we look back on this intense opening to the new season.
Corinthian-Casuals: Greenaway, Gjoshe, Pilonetto, Onovwigun, Morgan, Dos Santos, Hudson (Brown 60), Ewerthon (Barbosa 68), Osunkoya (Dillon h/t), Da Silva (Cheklit h/t), Murad (Cascoe-Rogers h/t)
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