Corinthians Feminino are coming to London for the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup, and the competition organisers are offering Corinthian-Casuals fans a 20% discount on tickets for the semi-finals.
 
It’s a landmark competition for women’s football, pitting the winners of six continental club competitions against one another to decide the club world champions, with the final stages taking place in London between 28th January and 1st February.
 
Corinthians Women have already conquered South America by winning the Copa Libertadores and they will take on North American champions, Gotham FC, in the first of two semi-finals taking place at the Brentford Community Stadium on Wednesday 28th January. The match kicks off at 12.30pm, with FIFA and Brentford Football Club kindly offering our community of fans and members discounted tickets by using the following link:
 
https://www.eticketing.co.uk/brentfordfc/EDP/Event/Index/931?spell=0c62a7a2-9564-4b37-b636-80b03ca5d652
 
The second semi-final, between Arsenal and Moroccan side, ASFAR, takes place at the same stadium on the same day, at 6pm, and you can also get 20% off the ticket price for that game here.
 
The winners will meet in the final at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday 1st February. Visit fifa.com/tickets for more information.

Our all-action Ukrainian dynamo has stepped up from defence into midfield in recent weeks and found his scoring boots too. We caught up with him to find out more…
 
Arsenii, you have been in a good run of form recently. How much are you enjoying playing in midfield?
 
I’m enjoying it a lot. Midfield is a position where you’re constantly involved, both in building attacks and helping defensively so you feel connected to every part of the game. I like having the responsibility of linking the play and trying to control the tempo. The more I play there, the more confident and comfortable I feel.
 
It must have felt special to get a couple of goals too.
 
Absolutely. Scoring goals is always one of the best feelings you can have as a player, especially when it helps the team get a result. For me, it’s also a sign that I’m improving and contributing in different ways. I hope I can keep that going.
 
How much do you enjoy playing for Casuals?
 
I love it. There’s a real sense of belonging here. It’s a proper football club with a big heart, and from the first day I felt welcomed. It’s a place where you want to work hard, where you want to give everything.
 
Have you learned much about the club’s history and identity?
 
Yes, and it’s honestly inspiring. Not many clubs at this level – or any level – can say they have such a unique history and a philosophy based on sportsmanship, community and tradition. The story of Corinthian and Casuals, the tours, the amateur spirit… it all gives you a sense that you’re part of something bigger. It makes you proud to wear the shirt.
 
And we are lucky to have such passionate fans, especially at this level. How much do you enjoy playing for them?
 
The fans are amazing. They bring energy even on the coldest nights, and you can hear them pushing you on in every game. It makes a huge difference. When you see people who care so deeply about the club, you want to give even more for them.
 
How did you come to join Corinthian-Casuals?
 
I spoke with Paul [Hill], who coaches the Under-23s team, and he gave me the head coach’s number. After talking with the head coach, I came to a training session, and after that we agreed that I would join Corinthian-Casuals.
 
Have your team-mates and coaches helped you to adapt and settle in?
 
Definitely. Everyone has been very supportive from the first day. My team-mates helped me feel comfortable quickly, and the coaches have guided me a lot. It made the transition much easier.
 
Can you tell us about your career before you moved to England?
 
Before coming to England, I played for several Ukrainian teams. That included the Under-19 and Under-21 Premier League level, as well as clubs from the Ukrainian First and Second League, which is the second and third tier. I also played in Slovakia and Poland. I even had the opportunity to join a club in Austria, but it didn’t work out at the time because of the coronavirus.
 
What have been your most memorable and significant football experiences?
 
Some of the most memorable moments were important matches where I had to step up, and also experiences where I grew as a player by overcoming difficulties. Those moments stay with you and shape you.
 
What are your hopes and ambitions for this season and your time at Corinthian-Casuals?
 
I want to keep improving, help the team as much as I can, and contribute to positive results. My goal is to grow as a player and give my best for the club for as long as I’m here.

We caught up with Corinthian-Casuals Under-23s manager, Paul Hill, to find out how the first season for our newly reformed development squad has gone…
 
How would you summarise the season so far?
I am really pleased with how the first half of the season has gone, for a number of reasons. Our main objective is to provide a pathway for the club, supporting Under-18s development and the first team where needed. With nine of our players having signed for Mu Maan’s side, and five making debuts, it is a great draw for other young players to our club, which supports the club’s strategy this season.

Six Under-18s players have also signed to support the development team, with five making debuts, which shows again that the pathway is already there and has allowed us to grow our Under-18s proposition, which can only benefit when looking to attract players.

Sitting at the top of the Suburban Central Division shows how the team has come together and the standards we are aiming to create.

We have also received great support from Brian, our chairman, from committee members and the media team. I cannot express how important this has been, as unlike other clubs at our level, we can get the message out about our pathway success, which can only help.
 
You must be delighted to have seen so many players step up to Mu’s first-team squad.

It’s been great, not just for Mike [Fox, assistant manager] and I, but for the lads who came to us for a chance of a first-team experience. When starting the season, we always sold the pathway by telling players, “If you perform individually and as a team, when the question is asked you will be pushed in to the first-team environment”.

It’s one thing to promote, but more importantly it’s not just words but a reality within our pathway. Credit also goes to Mu and his management team for giving the lads the opportunity to impress and become an option for the first team.
 
You’re sitting pretty in the league table. Are you targeting promotion?
We are always looking to move forward, and to gain promotion from the Central Division to the Premier can only enhance the pathway proposition. It would be a nice finish to the season for the management team and the lads in the squad but the other steps we have made this season is where the focus should be.
 
How does the Suburban League setup work? Is there a pyramid for the U23s like senior football?
The Suburban League has a tiered approach with the North and Central Divisions sitting under the Premier Division. The North and Central Leagues include Under-23s or Reserve teams from the Combined Counties which match our first team. The Premier Division is more mixed with clubs from Combined Counties, Isthmian League and even National League South.

Our captain and centre-half discusses his first half-season in Tolworth, what it takes to get out of Step 5 and the perils of being a school teacher when you’re post-match interviews take off on TikTok!

Quincy, let’s start by talking about your move here and how you came to join Casuals this season.

I’ve known Mu for a while and when he took over, because he was a friend, you watch out for the results and whatnot. Then I saw him on a team night out after last season and we said, “Let’s speak in the summer.”

I fancied a change, to be honest. I’d been at Westfield for two years, we’d done really well the first season, finishing third and being unfortunate to lose in the play-off finals. Then I just thought I’d like a new challenge. I liked what Mu was building and based on the players that he was getting down, I thought this is definitely a good project that I’d like to be a part of. So yeah, man, me and Mu just made it happen.

How have you found it since you came in?

I’ve found it really good. Being an older player, it’s about what you can bring as well as being a good player, first and foremost. It’s a question of what else can you bring, what else can you add to the change room and the young players? And I’m really liking that we’ve got a lot of young players that haven’t played at this level before, alongside players that have dropped down.

So, it’s finding a balance to try and motivate people, to get them up and get them to believe in this. At times it’s been difficult, but we are moulding together and we are coming good.

I think you see that in the inconsistent performance. Like, we’ll put in amazing performances and then, at times, it’s lacklustre, and it’s just trying to get that balance and trying to let everyone know what it takes to get out of this league, because I’ve done it before. But I’m really liking it, man – the changing room’s growing, it’s getting better. It’s been really good, really positive and there’s some really good boys in there.

It must be a nice playing alongside a centre-back of Clayton’s quality and experience. The guy’s played professionally and it shows.

Honestly, I’ve never met a centre-back like him, where anytime the ball’s in the air, he’s just gonna head it back to the keeper with no issues. I’ve never seen someone do it so well – he’s really calm. And the best thing is we’re really close off the pitch too – we talk to each other and he’s a really nice guy, so that just makes it 10 times easier to play alongside him. We communicate really well on and off the pitch, and hopefully you can see that… especially against Redhill last week. It’s really good to have Clayton – love him.

That 0-0 at Redhill recently was a game where you had to deal with their strikers early and win your headers, and both of you did that.

Yeah, I’ve played against those strikers before and they’ve been doing quite well, scoring some goals. So, it was one of them where me and Clayton spoke before the game and just said, “We know what we’ve got to do. If we can set the level and dominate our opposite numbers, then everybody else will take heed and we can kick on from there.”

It was a case of… we win our first tackle, we make our first pass, we win our first headers, and then hopefully that filters through the team, which I think it did because we were on it that day, all of us.

One of Casuals’ earliest players left a lasting imprint on the people of Canada and Great Britain. In an excerpt from his book, Fallen: Volume One - 1914-1916, Llew Walker tells the story of Gerald Spring-Rice, whose death inspired the patriotic hymn, ‘I Vow to Thee My Country’

Gerald Spring-Rice was born in Limerick, Ireland, in 1864, a year after the English FA was founded. He was the sixth child and fourth son of Hon. Charles William Thomas William Spring-Rice, the one-time Assistant Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. He was the grandson of the Whig politician Lord Monteagle of Brandon, and his mother, Elizabeth Margaret Marshall, was the daughter of an Anglo-Irish MP. Almost every generation of Gerald’s family owned a title or was an ‘honourable’ this or ‘lady’ that. Seemingly, Gerald was also a descendant of William the Conqueror.

Being born into a family with such a pedigree may have been too much for Gerald, as for most of his adult life he lived on the edge of civilisation in the outback of Canada. He was a pioneer, and when he first went to Canada in 1885 it was mostly untouched by the modern world. He hunted with rifles, traded with natives and trappers and survived only at the mercy of the elements.

Gerald was the only son to enter Charterhouse and was a member of a footballing generation that changed the game forever. His team-mates helped give birth to the modern game in England. A.M. Walters, Nevill ‘Nuts’ Cobbold and Andrew Amos would all become Corinthians and play for the English national team at a time when the Scots were superior in every way.

In December 1882, Gerald played for the school against the Pilgrims, losing 2-1. Andrew Watson, the first black international footballer, was on the Pilgrims team that day. Afterwards, it was reported that the pupils had voted Watson the finest full-back they had ever seen and reputedly carried him from the pitch. A remarkable incident, if true, involving a black footballer in the early 1880s.

 When he later played for Casuals against his old school, Gerald played alongside Dr John Smith, perhaps the finest Scottish footballer of his generation. Also in the team was Cecil Henry Holden-White, who played in the first Corinthian game, became club captain and an England international.

Gerald mixed with footballing pioneers and some of the most influential players of the day. The football they played was strictly amateur. Professionalism would not be legitimised until after Gerald left for Canada.

Gerald played for the 1st XI at school, sometimes as a goalkeeper or full-back and occasionally as a forward. He was an all-round sportsman, playing cricket and being a strong swimmer. After Charterhouse, he entered the Royal Horticultural College in Cirencester and played rugby for the college and Gloucestershire.

Gerald’s first game for Casuals came a little over a year after the club was formed and less than two weeks since he had played rugby for the Royal Horticultural College. His debut came in December 1885 against the famous Swifts. He was just 20 years old and played alongside Fred Bickley, one of the founders of Casuals FC. In a match report, one of the goals scored for Swifts was described as ‘irresistible’ and, unusually, ‘a turf destroyer’. These were the early days of sports journalism, and the reporter was likely more comfortable writing about horse racing, golf or cricket.

In his second game, against the equally famous Barnes club, even though Casuals played a man short, Barnes played with only nine men and still managed to beat Casuals 2-1.

Games against Westminster School, Surbiton Wanderers and Charterhouse School followed. Three years later, probably after finishing college, Gerald played his last match, against Royal Military College (Sandhurst). His record for Casuals is one win against Westminster, one draw against Charterhouse, and four losses.

A few months after the Sandhurst game, Gerald left for Canada, and his footballing career ended. He and his brother Bernard headed to the frontier of the Canadian West. They were early settlers in the region and built a wooden shack on the bare prairie. They were pioneers trading with the local indigenous population (the Cree), endured cruel winters and turned the prairie into farmlands. Over the next 25 years, Gerald became a well-known farmer, rancher and Justice of the Peace for Pense and Assiniboia, satellite towns outside the state capital, Regina.

In 1904, Gerald returned home and married Mary Isabella Bush. They returned to Canada, where they had two children, but neither survived childhood.

Another brother, the Right Honourable Cecil Spring-Rice, British Ambassador to the United States, was friendly with US President Theodore Roosevelt. There was speculation that Cecil’s influence convinced Roosevelt to join the war.

Years after the war, in 1920, a local Regina newspaper, the Redcliff Review, published a feature telling a story that one day, toward the end of the last century, a clerk was looking out of the window of his office during a blizzard, and was amazed to see a sailboat drifting along the street. He saw someone fall out into the snow and watched as the captain jibbed and brought the boat up into the wind, and the fallen sailor climbed back on board. They then took the wind and disappeared into the storm. The man who fell off was Gerald, who, with his brother, had created the craft and had successfully taken the ‘snow boat’ on a maiden voyage during a blizzard.

Gerald became a member of the Canadian Forestry Association, which aimed to protect Canada’s natural resources and manage the forests, and he became the president of the Regina Agricultural Association.

In 1911, Beatrice Webb and her husband, Sydney, visited Gerald in Pense and wrote about the encounter in a personal diary.. By this time, Gerald’s home had become the social centre for the region, and when they arrived they found the annual ‘sports’ picnic underway that included all settlers from the vicinity, their wives, families and workers, all mixing, using first names and, as Webb noted, it ‘was decidedly egalitarian’.

“Gerald Spring Rice, a genial, refined, intelligent Englishman – one of the original settlers… had made himself a home which combined charm and slovenliness in quite an original way,” she wrote. “Inside the Spring Rice’s house all was very confusing and dirty. The verandah was full of old boots, shoes, leggings, of disused implements, of tins and cans of potted food – no bath and very scanty arrangements for washing… Spring Rice himself was always in his shirt with his sleeves rolled up above the elbow – except on Sundays when he put his coat on, however hot it was! He loved his life on the prairie.”

It is tempting to believe that as Regina became more modern and civilised, Gerald missed the wildness of the country when he first settled 25 years earlier. By 1913, he had settled in England, living at Gowbarrow Old Hall, Watermillock, Ullswater. He accepted a position as the Director for Cumberland of Voluntary Aid Detachments and Deputy Lieutenant for Cumberland and became involved with the Penrith and District Boy Scout Association.

When war was declared, Gerald joined the Border Regiment as a transport officer and was commissioned shortly after to lieutenant. How a 51-year-old could sign up to fight is unclear, but his brother Cecil may have used his influence.

There are not many records of Gerald’s service, but one dated 3 March 1916 perhaps emphasises his age, as it records that Lieutenant G. Spring-Rice was admitted to the 3 General Hospital, Le Tréport, with sciatica. He remained there for almost two weeks.

At home, his wife, Mary Isabelle, welcomed refugees into their home in Ullswater and worked as a nurse at the St Andrew’s Hospital, Penrith.

Gerald and the 11th Battalion arrived at Contay Wood on 15 May 1916. By 26 May, the battalion had moved to the Authuille Sector, where the war diary simply stated:

26/5/16 – Batt: relieved the 17th H.L.I. in Authuille Sector. Lt G. Spring-Rice killed.

According to reports, Gerald was killed by a spent bullet. He had been at the front for only 11 days. He was 51 years old.

An obituary from a local paper said, “He was a most kindly, gentle, and unassuming man, who had a quiet and courteous charm of manner and a special knack of getting the best out of those with whom he worked. He was a really fine type of the man who sees his duty and quietly does it, and he has cheerfully and willingly laid down his life in that cause to which he dedicated himself. Knowing the man and his unostentatious way of doing things, one would say that the epitaph he himself would desire most would be the simple one – ‘He did his duty.’”

Gerald was buried in the Authuille cemetery but reinterred at Authuille Military Cemetery in 1920 during the grave concentration programme. He is commemorated on one of two memorials in the Lake District: Aira Force on the western shore of Ullswater and the lower bridge at Watermillock. The upper bridge is a memorial to his brother, Cecil.

After his brother’s death, Cecil received a letter from US President Woodrow Wilson: 

To Sir Cecil Arthur Spring-Rice. The White House – June 9th, 1916

Only the other day did I hear of the distressing loss you have suffered in the death of your brother. May I not convey to you my warmest sympathy? The tragical circumstances of the time are a burden upon all our spirits, and I can imagine what the added burden must be of those who suffer irreparable losses like yours.

Cordially and sincerely yours, Woodrow Wilson.

Cecil replied,

Washington June 10th, 1916.
My dear Mr President,

I am deeply touched by your kind words of sympathy for which my wife and I are deeply grateful. I shall tell my brother’s wife of your kindness, and I know she will feel it very much. My brother and I worked on a farm together in Canada just 30 years ago and I have been with him continually since, so that the loss is a very great one.

With deep gratitude and respect
Believe me, dear Mr President
Yours sincerely
Cecil Spring-Rice

Newspapers in Canada reported that Cecil had also received condolences from King George.

On Gerald’s headstone, the personal inscription says:

FAIS CE QUE TU DOIS ADVIENNE QUE POURRA C’EST COMMANDE AU CAVALIER

A rough translation would be: Do what you must – come what may – it is the knight’s command.

Cecil died in Ottawa, Canada, in 1918 while waiting for a ship to bring him home to England. In 1914, he had written a poem full of patriotic fervour, echoing the sentiments of Newbolt’s Vitai Lampada, intended to inspire men to do their duty and, if necessary, die for their country. But after Gerald’s death, he revised it as a homage to his brother and peace. Cecil had sent the poem to a friend, and it eventually ended up with the composer Gustav Holtz, who put it to music. Cecil’s poem to Gerald’s memory has since become one of the country’s most loved hymns and was sung at the Coronation of Charles III, Winston Churchill’s funeral, and Diana, Princess of Wales’s wedding.

I vow to thee, my country, all earthly things above,
Entire and whole and perfect, the service of my love;
The love that asks no questions, the love that stands the test,
That lays upon the altar the dearest and the best;
The love that never falters, the love that pays the price,
The love that makes undaunted the final sacrifice.
 
And there’s another country, I’ve heard of long ago,
Most dear to them that love her, most great to them that know;
We may not count her armies, we may not see her King;
Her fortress is a faithful heart, her pride is suffering;
And soul by soul and silently her shining bounds increase,
And her ways are ways of gentleness, and all her paths are peace.
 
Fallen, Volume One, by Llew Walker, is now available to buy from the club shop and contains the biographies of 69 players lost from 1914 to 1916. Fallen: Volume Two will contain the biographies of 55 club players who fell from 1917 to 1918 and after.

Our commanding Brazilian centre-back has been a popular addition to the squad this season after enjoying a long professional career in the Far East. To top it all off, he is also a lifelong Corinthians fan!
 
How have your first few months at Corinthian-Casuals been and how helpful is it to have so many Brazilians alongside you?
 
It’s been really nice, staff and players have welcomed me very well and we have a really nice group here. It’s also nice to have other Brazilians as team-mates. I’ve been really lucky here in the UK – Casuals is my third team since I moved to this country and in all of them I have played with some Brazilians.
 
What did you know about this club before you joined?
 
I started to follow Casuals after I saw their game in Brazil against Corinthians in 2015. Before that, I didn’t know about Corinthian-Casuals, but I know it is a very respected club and a historical team, and I’m so lucky to represent a team like this.
 
Are you a Corinthians supporter?
 
I’m 100% a Corinthians fan and to play for Casuals is really an honour for me, just to represent an historical team like this is special.
 
What is your football background?
 
I started playing really young in Brazil, representing a lot of teams, and then I saw an opportunity to play in Japan, which I took. I stayed almost two years there, then I moved to Hong Kong, where I ended up playing for around 11 years.
 
Tell us a bit more about your time in Japan.
 
I played for two teams in Japan in my first year. The first team was called Shizuoka FC. I don't remember which division it was, but I think it was the fourth or fifth level. At first, it was very difficult for me because the game in Asia is much faster than what I was used to in Brazil, but I managed to adapt quickly.
 
In my second year, I went to a team called Unsommet Iwate Hachimantai, which was at the same level as the other one, but things were much more complicated for me because it was very cold there, and it snowed a lot. We had temperatures of -30 degrees there, but I was lucky enough to play well for them and that’s when a Hong Kong agent invited me to go there. We sat down, talked, and arranged everything for the transfer to play in Hong Kong.
 
What was football like in Hong Kong?
 
Arriving in Hong Kong, the football was fast-paced, like in Japan, but as expected there were more foreigners playing in the league. There was much more quality and competition to get in the teams. For my first two years in Hong Kong, I played in Taipo, winning a national cup, and I was highlighted in the league, which led to interest from one of the big teams in Hong Kong, Eastern FC, to sign me. I kept my contract there for nine years, winning all possible titles in Hong Kong, and having the opportunity to play in the Asian Cup and the Asian Champions League as well.
 
You ended up representing Hong Kong’s national team in a World Cup qualifier. What was that like?
 
Representing Hong Kong was a dream for me. At that moment, things were really difficult because it was when the Covid situation was really bad, but I loved every single moment of the experience – to represent a nation is really something special.
 
What brought you to England and how have you found football here?
 
I moved to the UK to start a new life because the Covid situation was bad in Hong Kong. I’ve noticed British football is a physical game – there is a lot of quality but it’s also very physical, which is different from Asia, where there is very fast-paced game.

The 27-year-old Crystal Palace youth product has hit the ground running since joining Casuals this summer. We sat down with the versatile forward to find out more about him…

How are you settling in at Corinthian-Casuals?
 
I’ve just come in with an open mind, and everyone’s just been warm and welcoming. Trey’s like my best friend from outside of football, Gabriel as well – the assistant coach – they’re pretty much family, plus I know Hakeem and a few others.

I spoke to them before coming to the club and I trusted them. Then coming and meeting the gaffer and everyone else, it was just such a family vibe. It’s just such a cool place where obviously everyone wants to do well, but there’s not the pressure of it being like a first day at a new school where you’ve got to make new friends! It’s been very smooth.

The fans – I didn’t know the attendances that we’d get, but even after the game, people are just introducing themselves and they already know me! I’m starting to pick up faces and it’s just been natural – it’s only been a few home games, and I feel like I know a good bunch of people here. So it’s a very warm and welcoming place, a very family-orientated vibe.

Tell us a bit about your background in football…
 
How long have you got?! I’ll give you a quick version.

I came up through Crystal Palace academy, from when I was about 13 until I got released when I was about 20 or 21. But just before I got released, I went on loan to Maidstone, who were in the National League. I had a good time, so I just signed there after I was released and spent a year there. It didn’t quite work out, we nearly got relegated, so I ended up at Dartford, and then I found my feet at Cray Wanderers, where I had a very good time. I think between December and January I was on about 12 goals and a good amount of assists, so I got back to the National League, with Bromley. But I had played one game, got one goal, when Covid hit and when the next season came around, I was sent on my way again. I did very well again at Enfield, but it was a bit too far for me – I’m a South London guy – so after my second season there, I was looking for somewhere a bit closer to home.

I was at Cray Valley last season, spent the whole season there and started well, but towards the end of things… formation changes and just preferences went the other way. I just said to myself, “You know what, this season I just want to have a full year of football, with no interruptions, just focusing on winning and improving.” That’s how we ended up here.

You’re part of a strong forward line here. How do you feel you’re connecting with all of them?
 
Very well. The footballing IQ of a lot of our players is high. I haven’t played with them for long, but we all understand what we want to do or what we’re trying to do. There’s obviously still bits that need to improve and tighten up, but there’s a lot of cohesion already. Bondy plays left back behind me, we’ve only played like three games together and I feel like we’ve got a very good connection. I’ve played millions of games with Trey, so we know each other like the back of our hands. Then we’ve got Diogo and Rafa up there and it’s the same thing – we’re picking up little interplays and changes, figuring out what we like. I’m optimistic. I reckon as time goes on, it’s only going to get better and better.

Are you starting to sense this a unique club?
 
Yeah, definitely. Even just the culture and everything. I’m thinking why not learn a bit of Brazilian Portuguese, man!
​
It’s just the stature of the club. I think it’s bigger than the league that it’s in, so our expectations on what we want to achieve are high. But we need to consistently just keep doing it. You have to get the results. You have to win. You have to keep proving it. It’s not going to be given to us, but it just feels like there’s way more to come than where we’re at. That’s the best way I can put it.

NILS MIDDELBOE ON “CASUALS”
‘They are fully equal to our best club teams’
 
When we learned that the famous London amateur team “Casuals” was coming to Copenhagen at Easter as guests of K.B. and B1903, and knowing that Nils Middelboe — perhaps the best football player the Nordic countries have produced, certainly one of the very best — had played for this club, we obtained Middelboe’s address in Italy and sent him a telegram asking him to tell our newspaper's readers something about the Englishmen.

We received a lengthy reply, from which we quote the following, which we believe will interest the entire Copenhagen football audience:
 
I’m very tired after having been on the move all day in this wonderful city and its surroundings, so you’ll have to bear with me as I jot down a few loose thoughts on the Casuals — what little I know.

It’s true that I joined the club in the autumn of 1922 (when I felt professional football was too much for me), but due to illness I had to stop after playing two or three matches and only began playing for them again in November–December last year.

Since then, I’ve played for them regularly, up until I left for this short trip 14 days ago.

Casuals — or more correctly The Casuals — is one of London’s oldest amateur clubs and is recruited mainly from Oxford and Cambridge, even before the students have completed their university education.

Thus, a young student named German (unfortunate name for an Englishman), who this year played centre-half for Oxford against Cambridge, has played several times for us.

I’ve done a lot to get him on the team for the Copenhagen trip (he’s a brilliant player), but he had already promised to travel with the Corinthians on their tour to Austria, so I probably won’t succeed.

And the same seems to have happened with a few other players who in England alternate between playing for the Corinthians and the Casuals.

Casuals play in a London amateur league, The Isthmian League, where we currently hold fourth or fifth place out of 14 or 16 clubs. A respectable position, considering that London’s top clubs belong to this league.
There is a close cooperation between the Corinthians and the Casuals, as these two clubs a few years ago almost jointly acquired the famous Crystal Palace ground; besides the ground, they also share finances and, to some extent, players.
 
Who are the Casuals, and what are they like?
 
Our goalkeeper is named Trapp. He’s small, but definitely a first-class amateur goalkeeper.
 
Right-back Payne is also good — a strong, stocky guy who goes through thick and thin. He is also the team captain.
 
I don’t know who will play left-back — that’s my position when I’m in the team.
 
Right-half Glenister is not unlike Ivar Lykke [a solid Danish half-back from KB] and has about the same level of playing ability.
 
Centre-half is also unknown, while the left-half is Dubuis. He originally played centre-forward, has also played well at back, is a hard worker and unpleasant to play against, but lacks style.
 
Right wing Sleightholme is quite a young man “of good promise”, fast and with a good understanding of the game.
 
Right inside-forward M. Howell is one of the team’s oldest players, and he is “Captain of The Casuals F. Club” (an honour, I think). He’s an excellent dribbler — though a bit inclined to overdo it — and scores quite a few goals by being in the right place at the right time. He is also a county cricket player.
 
Centre-forward Mayer is very unorthodox, but precisely for that reason often dangerous — extremely fast.
 
V. L. Lockton is the team’s veteran. No longer as quick as he used to be, but he has an excellent understanding of the game and a very good shot. He is also a county cricket player and the captain of the Casuals’ summer cricket team.
 
V. W. Pinfield has excellent ball control and plays not unlike Rambusch [Henry Rambusch was a left-winger from B.93 in Copenhagen in early 1900s] in his prime. He’s distinctly left-footed and has played brilliantly this season — surprisingly fast and agile considering his weight. Also a county cricket player, and the one with the best sense of humour on the team.
 
From a sporting point of view, they are a wonderful group of people, and I’ve greatly enjoyed playing with them.
I don’t know how two of the positions will be filled, and it’s possible there will be changes to the above-mentioned lineup. I can only give you the team as it was selected 14 days ago. If they manage to bring a truly good centre-half, I believe they are good enough to beat the best Copenhagen teams.
By the way, I hear today that another Copenhagen newspaper has written that I’m coming with the Casuals to Copenhagen. You can confidently deny that in Social-Demokraten.
 
Regards to your readers — and to you.
Nils Middelboe

Our Vice-President, David Harrison, pays tribute to his brother Gerry, who represented Corinthian-Casuals between 1959 and 1962, before going on to become a renowned sports journalist and broadcaster…

My brother Gerry Harrison died on 23 August, aged 89. He was a keen footballer and member of Corinthian- Casuals in the 1950s and ‘60s. His first match was on 2 September 1959, against Ilford, when the club had no ground of its own and rented the vast stadium at Crystal Palace.

Three days later, he played his second game, against Tooting & Mitcham United, where a much-treasured goalmouth photo was taken, showing Gerry on the right goalpost with me on the left and our good friend Brian Wakefield going out to punch the ball. Another important figure in Corinthian-Casuals’ story, Tony Slade, was one of the Tooting players coming the other way.

After only 21 games, including the first three matches of the 1962/63 season, Gerry moved to Manchester to work for the Daily Express. He started playing for Altrincham, a leading non-league club., where the programme notes read: “New to Cheshire League football this season, at present on the staff of the Daily Express but finding time to be one of the fittest members of the team. Gaining experience with every game.”

Gerry and I had long shared a passion for football. As schoolboys we practised for hours with our neighbour, heading a tennis ball past him as he kept goal against the garage door. We were keen West Ham fans, taking the District Line from Upminster to Upton Park, then paying 1 shilling and 6 pence to stand in what was known as “The Chicken Run”.

We always arrived early with our sandwiches to be on the halfway line opposite the players’ tunnel. When the teams came out, we competed to be the first to shout “’Ere they come!” Bobby Moore, Geof Hurst and Martin Peters – England’s World Cup stars in 1966 – were soon our heroes. “If only you could pass the ball like Bobby Moore!”

Gerald Philip Harrison was born on 1 August 1936 at Upminster, Essex, where our mother taught in the local primary school. Our father was a journalist in Fleet Street with the Press Association and Reuters, later a literary agent and long-time chairman of the Press Club.

Gerry and I both went to Brentwood School, Gerry ending with a year on an English-Speaking Union Exchange Scholarship to Pomfret, Connecticut in the United States, crossing the Atlantic on the famous liner, Queen Mary.

We both did National Service in the Paras and were both commissioned 2nd Lieuts. I went first, serving in the Airborne Gunners, with 13 months in the Suez Canal Zone. Gerry was in 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regt, serving in Cyprus and on a peace keeping mission in Jordan.

In 1959, Gerry went to Brasenose College, Oxford, to read Modern History. In his second year, after recovering from a serious knee injury, he won a blue for football, playing left back for Oxford in a 2-2 draw against Cambridge at Wembley. He played in the university match again the following year, 1961/62, when Oxford lost 2-0. He was also the OUAFC match secretary.

A Wembley programme described him as “a tall powerful player, very good in the air, who can play in almost any position”.

I had also been at Brasenose, reading French, and played for Oxford for three years from 1953-56, the last as captain.

At university Gerry also did some reporting – on hockey – for the Times at the 1960 Rome Olympics. The newspaper then invited him to write a 400-word report on an upcoming match between Oxford University and Tottenham Hotspur. “Bit difficult,” he said. “I’m playing in that game.” “Never mind,” they said. “Go ahead.” And he did.

On 22 November 1967, Gerry helped launch the new Radio Merseyside. Reporting for their opening show, he was one of the first voices heard on the new local station – or should have been. Broadcasting from what became known as Radio City Tower he could hardly be heard at all. When they finally got through to him there was such shrill feedback that he was virtually inaudible!

An opportunity to move up soon presented itself. In January 1969 the Radio Times issued a challenge: “So you think you could be a commentator?” The BBC was looking for an additional broadcaster to join the team for the 1970 World Cup in Mexico.

The Beeb received almost 10,000 applications; auditions were arranged across the country. A final 30 were invited to commentate on a recording of a recent international between England and Wales. Sir Alf Ramsey was chairman of judges.

Gerry made the final six and Anglia were sufficiently impressed to offer him a position as commentator. So began a career that would last for 24 years, mainly reporting on his local league teams, Norwich City and Ipswich Town, not least Ipswich’s famous victories in the FA Cup in 1978 and the UEFA Cup in 1981, under Sir Bobby Robson.

He also fronted other sports coverage, including snooker and darts and was formally promoted as Anglia’s Head of Sport in 1985. By this time, he was a familiar face on the region’s nightly news show.

A tribute on Voices of Football said: “Over the course of more than two decades Harrison became the voice and face of sport in East Anglia”.

Another tribute said: “Gerry Harrison was one of the instantly recognisable voices of televised football in the seventies and eighties”.

In the mid-90s Gerry and his wife Kate set up a London base with a flat in Chiswick, close to the Thames, commuting regularly from their Norwich home. Gerry became a leading figure in the company Trans World International, now IMG Media, helping to launch a new football magazine, Futbol Mundial, telling human stories from every corner of the sport. He also played a key role in IMG’s coverage of Premier League football, overseeing production and international distribution.

He was proud to recall that he reported on six World Cups for commercial television. He went to Mexico in 1970, and again in 1986, covering Italy against Argentina in the tournament which featured Diego Maradona’s “goal of the century” against England.

He liked to remember his first World Cup in Mexico with ITV. He kept receiving calls in his hotel room. Word had spread that one “G. Harrison” was staying. Callers apparently thought he was George Harrison of the Beatles!

In all these endeavours he had the warm support of his wife Kate. She was a dancer, soon to be an air stewardess. They met in 1966 in a pub in Cheshire. Kate was 23; they married two years later. Gerry and Kate were together for 59 years. Their home was at Cringleford, a Norwich suburb.

Gerry and Kate had three daughters: Joanna, a journalist; Nicola, a photographer; and Georgina, a dancer and campsite manager. Five grandchildren and two step grandchildren survive him.

Gerald Phillip Harrison born 1 August 1936, died 23 August 2025, aged 89