Spot-kick squandered as Dons prevail

Corinthian-Casuals 1-2 AFC Wimbledon
London Senior Cup
Tuesday 20th December 2016
Match report: Cameron Smith - Photos; Andy Nunn (Full set HERE)

A late surge of opportunities (including an agonisingly audacious penalty miss) saw
Corinthian Casuals exit the London FA Senior Cup in favour of the clinical AFC
Wimbledon as a blend of youth and experience advanced the League One side into
the next round via a 2-1 victory.

Spirits were higher than ever before at King George’s on Saturday as a superb
performance ensured a 2-0 win over promotion-rivals Greenwich Borough. Grabbing third
place in style, the confident yet assertive James Bracken said: “At the minute, with the way
we're playing, we can get top spot.” Before another tough league fixture against Walton
Casuals on Boxing Day, Corinth locked horns with AFC Wimbledon on a wintry Tuesday
evening for the London Senior Cup.

AFC Wimbledon, who were promoted into League One thanks to a heroic display in the
play-off final at Wembley last season, visited King George’s in numbers, hoping to
emphasise the four-division-difference between the two clubs. Despite withdrawing from
the competition last season, the Dons were clearly in it to win it; two first-team players
were named on the team-sheet. Amongst experimental youngsters, defender Darius
Charles and midfield ace Andy Barcham gaining game time for the first time after injuries
and absences.

Casuals’ starting XI saw an attack of Oldham, Cheklit and Okojie compliment the midfield
of Bettache, Gallagher and Serbony. Warren Morgan was restored to the side after Juevan
Spencer shifted into right-back for Saturday’s vital game.

The classic chocolate and pink of Corinth clashed with the striking green stripes of
Wimbledon’s away kit; the referee had kick-started the South-London rivalry. As predicted,
AFC were dominant in possession until their senior player took responsibility and netted in
the 11th minute. Fed the ball by no.9 Olusanya, Andy Barcham commandingly strode into
the box and chipped the ball towards the back post only for it to deflect off Morgan and find
its way into the net. Opposing the venomous Wimbledon attack well, Casuals’ defence
kept green shirts out of the box with former-Casuals youngster Neset Bellikili’s drive from
twenty-five yards narrowly missing.

In the 37th minute, Casuals’ produced real creativity. Referee Sam Perkins assuringly
waved away protests for a penalty following Shaun Okojie’s tumble just inside the area
before the hosts found justice seconds later. Rising to his feet, Okojie maintained his
position in-front of the AFC back-four so Ben Cheklit could release a terrific lobbed pass
for the striker. Okojie stabbed the ball past oncoming trialist Michael Sibley (who did make
slight contact with the striker before giving in) and composed himself before rifling a
delicious effort into the roof of the net whilst unbalanced. A brilliant finish, Casuals had
equalised thanks to Okojie’s nineteenth of the campaign.

However, it only took a matter of minutes for the visitors to snatch their second and retain
the driving seat. Bellikili jinxed past Cheklit on the left and delivered a perfect cross for the
target man Olusanya, who expertly guided a diving header off the post and into the net.
Concluding the first-half with the score 2-1 to Wimbledon, the sides re-grouped and braced
themselves for a fascinating second 45.

Resuming the match, the opening fifteen minutes were bland as the Corinth and the Dons
cancelled each-other out. Grasping any slither of a chance, the Casuals contingent
supplied their team with encouragement as a Ben Cheklit corner fell perfectly for Jack
Strange to slot the ball onto the bar. Extracting both the influential Barcham and defining
Charles, the Wombles looked to hold on for the last twenty minutes. Max Oldham’s wellworked
effort from outside the area was swallowed by the keeper whilst Morgan’s audacious shot
whistled over the terrace. The introduction of Mu Maan, who has re-joined
Casuals after a spell at Met Police, brought another layer of flair to the hosts’ game.
Only eleven minutes to go, Casuals had the best chance of the entire match. Edging
closer to the goal, Cheklit’s direct run was discontinued by Paul Kalambayi’s hand as the
referee pointed to the spot. Twelve yards out, Maz Bettache took a deep breath before
shocking everyone in the ground. Confidently chipping the ball down the middle and
fooling the keeper, Bettache’s penalty contained too much power as the ball skimmed the
top of the crossbar and flew over the bar. The ‘Panenka’ Chip is genius when executed
correctly but unforgiving when incorrect. Bettache’s resilient demeanour resulted in the
midfielder briefly putting his head in his hands before continuing his strong midfield
presence once more as his name echoed throughout King George’s.

A late flurry of set-pieces, James Bracken instructed his brother, goalkeeper Danny
Bracken, to cause havoc and uncertainty amongst the Dons’ defence in the dying minutes
by rushing forward in attempt to connect with a corner. Corinth’s no.1 was unable to make
a difference as the referee signalled for full-time.

We wish AFC Wimbledon the best of luck in the next round, where they travel to
Redbridge.

Casuals have a vital league game against Walton Casuals on Boxing Day
before flying to Guernsey on December 30th. Can James Bracken’s pink and brown army
recover from the disappointing loss to conquer the league?