Kingstonian vs Corinthian-Casuals
Isthmian League Premier Division
Wednesday 26th February 2020 – 7.45pm
King George’s Arena, Hook Rise South, Tolworth KT6 7NA

Corinthian-Casuals Manager James Bracken will be hoping his brother and club captain, Danny Bracken will be available for the derby game ‘away’ at Kingstonian on Wednesday evening.

The talismanic keeper was absent through illness on Saturday for the 3-1 loss to Potter’s Bar Town. Casuals called on ‘Ibby’ Ugradar – the backup, who’s heroics will forever be remembered against Chelmsford City in the FA Cup this season. But luck was against the Amateurs after the Soccer AM stopper suffered a bad injury just minutes into the match.

Without another keeper on the bench (Jon Williams wasn’t named), striker Ben Cheklit had to don the gloves. Sadly, when an outfield player has to step in, it’s an uphill task. It already happened once at the Pakex Stadiumthis season, when Carshalton Athletic suffered the same fate. The end result was the same – no points for the visitors.

Now, Casuals must focus on the task in hand – the unique fixture that sees Bracken lead his side out at King George’s from the away changing room. Hosts are tenants Kingstonian, who are fast becoming the league’s draw specialists. Seven of the last nine league matches have been tied. In fact, over the last ten matches, Casuals are in better form than their hosts having gained a point more in that time.

But the lack of game-time hasn’t helped momentum and Corinth find themselves bottom of the league after weekend wins for fellow strugglers Wingate & Finchley and Brightlingsea Regent. Casuals have up to four games in hand over those immediately above and with only six points separating the bottom seven sides, they’ll be confident of clawing back lost ground.

But this is no ordinary fixture and derbies are always keenly contested. The two sides met earlier in the season – drawn in the FA Trophy. Hayden Bird’s K’s stormed to a 3-0 lead before Casuals pulled it back with a better second half performance. However, it was Kingstonian who progressed, winning 4-2.

This time, they won’t be able to call on their top scorer, Louie Theophanous who left for Glenn Tamplin’s new Romford project. Without the hairdresser, they’re at the lower end for scoring goals but they’re sharing the workload with Gus Sow, Dan Bennett, Eddie DSane and Dan Hector all netting recently. At the other end is ever-present Rob Tolfrey, the longest serving keeper in the league, now with over 500 appearances for the K’s.

Whatever happens, it’s likely to be a night to remember under the lights at King George’s with a bumper crowd expected. Remember, with the outside field likely to be saturated, parking may be limited (it’ll be controlled by our hosts). Please look to using public transport if possible.

Also, the planned Christmas charity collection will take place at this match. The Kingstonian Supporters Club have organised a bucket collection, Golden Goals and 50/50 raffles on the night with the proceeds split equally between Kingston Churches Action on Homelessness and Kingston Carers Network. Please give generously to these great charities.
​
Entry to King George’s is the same as Casuals matches. £10 adults, £6 concessions, £4 students and Under 18s for free. Casuals season ticket holders can enter for half price thanks to our mutual arrangement with Kingstonian. 

Potters Bar Town vs Corinthian-Casuals
Isthmian League Premier Division
Saturday 22nd February 2020 – 3pm
Pakex Stadium, Potters Bar, Herts EN6 1QB

After the disappointment of two postponements in succession, Corinthian-Casuals will be looking to return from their very own ‘winter break’ with a win at Potters Bar Town on Saturday.

Following the London Senior Cup loss to Wingate and Finchley last Tuesday, James Bracken’s side will be itching to get back to action after ten days without a match - the games against Haringey Borough and Merstham falling foul of the recent bad weather.

Potters Bar are enjoying a decent second season in the Isthmian Premier and currently sit in 13th, well clear of the relegation zone, but unlikely to trouble the playoffs. They also enjoyed a good FA Cup run, taking National League Barnet to a replay in the Fourth Qualifying Round, courtesy of a last-gasp equaliser at Bar’s Pakex Stadium. That fixture also saw the record attendance broken with 2,011 coming through the turnstiles.

Casuals will be looking to pull clear of the drop zone, currently sitting in 20th but with up to four games in hand over sides around them.

Lee O’Leary’s Bar will be looking to bounce back from a 5-1 thumping at Carshalton Athletic on Saturday and turning around a recent slump in form which has seen them win just once in the last five matches. However, that win came against promotion-chasers Hornchurch, which indicates that The Scholars are more than competitive at the moment. That’s something that O’Leary has recently echoed.

"I knew we had a squad who can compete in the middle of the table at this level and who knows where that will take us?” said O’Leary. “We're still looking at finishing as high as we can this season. I still think if we put together a good run of results, there's always the chance at sneaking in [the playoffs] at the last minute.”

The last two meetings between the sides have seen the spoils shared. There was the 0-0 stalemate earlier this season at King George’s and at the back-end of last term, Bar fought back from two-down to salvage a 2-2 draw – a game that saw both sides mathematically safe from relegation in their first seasons at Step 3.

Josh Hutchinson is the player to keep an eye on, having notched 19 goals this season, though he’s failed to score on his last seven outings. They’ve recently added new signings Ben Ward-Cochrane and Nana Kyei – a target that O’Leary has had eyes on for a while.

The Pakex Stadium can be found not far off the north side of the M25 in Watkins Rise (off The Walk), Potters Bar, Hertfordshire EN6 1QB. For those driving, don’t park in the adjacent Mayfield Lodge Home car park – you could be clamped. The nearest railway station is Potters Bar, served by services from King’s Cross and is a 15 minute walk to the ground.
​
Admission is £12 for adults, concessions for £8 and under-16s come in for a quid. 

​Merstham vs Corinthian-Casuals
Isthmian League Premier Division
Tuesday 18th February 2020 – 7.45pm
The Whisky Bible Stadium, Weldon Way, Merstham, Surrey RH1 3QB
 
Tuesday night sees Casuals travel the short distance to Merstham in what is a crucial Isthmian League Premier fixture for both sides.
 
Merstham are two points above Casuals but have played three games more. It’s all looking a little tight at the wrong end of the division; just five points separate the bottom six sides. But both managers will take heart in their recent good form.
 
Frank Wilson’s Moatsiders picked up another crucial point on Saturday in an unlikely result at promotion-chasing Hornchurch. They grabbed a last-gasp 2-2 draw thanks to an untimely Mickey Parcell own goal.
 
Merstham have picked up points in each of their last five league matches. Two wins (1-0 over Horsham and Margate) have been complimented with three draws (Leatherhead, Bowers & Pitsea and Hornchurch). It’s stark contrast in fortunes which had seen Wilson’s side concede 61 goals this season – the highest of any side. However, they’ve stopped the rot and only let in a miserly three goals in their recent five game run of form.
 
Perhaps the turn of fortunes is in part to some of the newcomers at the Whiskey Bible Stadium. Recent acquisitions include Southend United loanee O’Shane Stewart (surely that name is the wrong way round) and former Casual Andrew Herring, who has already scored nine times for South Park this season.
 
They’ve also brought in Calvin Ekpiteta from Tilbury. Luke Ige arrived from Colchester United and Emmanuel Fernandez arrived from Gillingham. It appears all-change and it looks to be paying off.
 
Top scorer Omar Folkes, who netted for Merstham in the 1-0 win at Casuals in August has been out of goalscoring form recently and hasn’t found the target this year. Perhaps that’s commentator’s curse now it’s been mentioned.
 
Casuals Boss James Bracken will be looking at his side’s own good form for inspiration. Whilst the Haringey match was postponed at the weekend, Casuals have only lost three of the last ten league matches and have conceded fewer goals this season than the league leaders, Worthing.
 
“We’ve got a lot of tough games coming up,” said Bracken. “I’m realistic – every game is winnable, but we don’t want to be relying on our run-in at the end of the season. We need to pick up as many wins as we can and see where we are. We can’t be looking at other team’s results – we need to take care of our own matches.”
 
The Whisky Bible Stadium can be found along Weldon Way, Merstham, Surrey RH1 3QB. The nearest railway station is Merstham (on the Southern network) and is a ten-minute walk to the ground. Admission to the ground will cost Adults £10. Concessions £6 (Over 60, Registered Disabled, Student Card Holders). Children 16 and under can enter for £3.

Corinthian-Casuals will be hosting a celebration of the life of Vice President Roger Phillips at the club this coming Saturday, 15th February at 7pm  after the match against Haringey Borough.

There will be a buffet available on the evening, and we look forward to welcoming you on this sad but special evening for our club.  Should the match be called off due to inclement weather conditions, the evening plans will still take place regardless.

Roger's twin, Brian Phillips has chosen this date and has also made it extremely clear that he wants this to be a heartfelt celebration of his brothers life, so any happy stories you may like to share about Roger will be gratefully received.

I appreciate that some of our members won't be able to attend, but that you may like to pass on your wishes, memories and thoughts to Brian. You're most welcome to send them over to me and I'll make sure they're included in the 'Book of Memories' I'm compiling for Brian, which will be available to add to on Saturday evening. Please could you send anything over by 9pm this coming Friday, 14th February.

For those unable to attend, but wish to still to pass on your memories and thoughts to Brian, then please send them over to be included in the 'Book of Memories'. The book will be available to add to on Saturday evening. Please could you send anything over by 9pm Friday, 14th February to Hanna at [email protected].

Corinthian-Casuals vs Haringey Borough
Isthmian League Premier Division
Saturday 15th February 2020 - 3pm
King George's Arena, Tolworth KT6 7NA
 
Providing the impending ‘Storm Dennis’ doesn’t interfere with proceedings, Saturday we’ll welcome Haringey Borough to King George’s Arena for the first meeting between the sides since the 1-0 Borough win on the opening day of the season at White Hart Lane.

A solitary Chiduben Onokwai goal at the start of the second half condemned Casuals to defeat in similarly blustery conditions. Manager James Bracken was aggrieved that his side had come away with nothing following a particularly strong second half performance that saw four gilt-edged chances go by the wayside. The way Casuals had played was encouraging and many took the belief that the second season in the Isthmian Premier would surpass the first (it still might).

This is also Borough’s second season in the Premier having secured promotion via the playoffs in the same weekend that Casuals did. In fact, without Haringey’s win, Corinth wouldn’t have been promoted on the convoluted Points Per Game basis awarded to the best losing finalist. It’s complicated, so I won’t bore you.

Tom Loizou’s side had an excellent first campaign at Step 3, finishing 3rd, level on points with Carshalton Athletic, who’d also just been promoted as Champions of the South Division. They missed out on a double promotion in the playoff semi-finals.

This time around, it’s been a little more of a consolidation season. They lost several players in the summer and had to rebuild. But they’re still considered one of the more capable sides in the division, knowing they can hold their own with any team in this league.

They had another great run in the FA Cup, losing out to Yeovil Town in the 4th Qualifying Round. Sadly, the tie was marred in controversy. The original match was abandoned following racial abuse directed at Haringey players and the decision was made to leave the field.

With those unsavoury scenes now behind them, Borough are once again focused on the league. Whilst Loizou has been looking to compete for a playoff place, it’s now unlikely to occur, barring a fantastic run of form. A Tuesday night 3-2 loss to Bowers & Pitsea saw Haringey drop below their opponents in the league – down to 15th.

Whilst they have up to three games in hand, Borough are 19 points adrift from the playoff places. Form isn’t stellar either, having failed to win in their last five outings. They’ve also not kept a clean sheet since the 26th October (a 3-0 win over Horsham in the FA Trophy). More hope for Bracken lay in their performances away from Coles Park; Haringey have the second lowest points tally on the road – just 8 points.

That’s why Bracken has highlighted that this game is certainly winnable. “We’ve got a lot of tough games coming up but the next four are winnable,” said the Casuals supremo.

“I’m realistic – every game is winnable, but we don’t want to be relying on our run-in at the end of the season. We need to pick up as many wins as we can and see where we are.”

And Bracken will take heart in his side’s form despite exiting the London Senior Cup on Tuesday night following a 1-0 loss at Wingate. “Our results since the turn of the year puts us sixth in total points won, so we’re much improved. We’ve let in the same amount of goals as Worthing. If you’d had said to me, we’d have conceded the same number of goals as the league leaders, I’d have presumed we were third or fourth in the table.”

A replication of Casuals 3-1 win at King George’s over Haringey last season would indeed be very welcome. You can join us for a 3pm kickoff - Prices are £10 adults, £6 seniors, £4 students and Under-18s come free with an accompanying adult.
​
There’s also a tribute night to our dearly departed Vice President and friend, Roger Phillips. There will be a buffet available and the celebrations begin at 7pm. Should the match be called off due to inclement weather conditions, the evening plans will still take place regardless.

Wingate & Finchley vs Corinthian-Casuals
London Senior Cup Quarter Final
Tuesday 12th February 2020 - 7.45pm
Maurice Rebak Stadium, Finchley N12 OPD

Tuesday night offers up more cup action for Casuals as they venture North of the river to face Wingate & Finchley in the London Senior Cup Quarter Final.

It’s Casuals last chance at silverware this season following the exit of the Velocity Trophy this past week.

James Bracken’s side received a bye in the first round before defeating Woodford Town 2-1 at the Harlow Arena back in December. Wingate have also only played one match in this competition having knocked out Dulwich Hamlet by three goals to two at Champion Hill.

The two sides have met already this season, in a 3-3 thriller at King George’s just before Christmas. A last-gasp Mark Jamison goal for Casuals ensured a share of the spoils having gone behind late on. Both Corinth and Wingate are at the wrong end of the Isthmian League Premier table with Finchley sitting second bottom. It hasbeen a campaign that looked increasingly grim for the Blues. However, they boosted their chances of survival with a 1-0 win over struggling Bishop’s Stortford and more impressively, a 2-1 victory on Saturday against East Thurrock.

Casuals last visit to the Maurice Rebak Stadium was just over a year ago and ended in a 2-0 victory for the home side, but the Amateurs got their revenge with a 3-1 reverse later that season.

On paper, there may not be many goals scored, with both sides having netted just 28 times in the league – the second lowest tally. The difference might come down to defence; Casuals are far more miserly having let in 15 fewer goals. Wingate have only won twice at home in the league but in cups, have been stronger. They’ve won three, drawn one but most recently lost twice - Margate in the Velocity Trophy and Brentford in the Middlesex Senior Cup. The last two matches were played in front of 44 and 47 people respectively (Bees were clearly the obvious draw of the two).

Whatever happens, and how many it happens in front of, the tie will be concluded on the night. A penalty shoot-out could determine the winner if the scores are level at full time. It’s likely we’ll encounter one ex-Casual on the night – Bradley Woods Garness, who was at King George’s last season has recently signed for the Blues.

The winner will go on to face either Hendon or 2018 winners Balham in the semi-final. A preferable outcome for Casuals supporters would be to play the latter seeing as they groundshare with Colliers Wood, just a couple of miles down the A3. That is of course, should Casuals progress.

Also left in the competition at this stage is Erith, who booked their place in the semi-final with a 2-1 win over Tooting & Mitcham. Facing them will be either AFC Wimbledon or Brentford B who will battle it out in arguably the tie of the round.

Wingate last won this competition nine years ago. You need to look a little further back for Casuals, who shared their only ‘win’ with Old Westminsters in 1887. Amazingly, Corinthian-Casuals in the current guise have never lifted the trophy. The closest they came was reaching the final in 1957, losing out to Briggs Sports (3-0). Perhaps this signals James Bracken’s best chance to rectify that in his time at the club.

Sadly, just 27 clubs entered into this once prestigious competition as some now view county cups as solely an opportunity to stretch the legs of their squads. There are over 90 teams eligible for the tournament so it’s disappointing to witness a particularly low participation. Come what May, that won’t matter in the slightest to the Captain that lifts the trophy for their team. Let’s hope he’s in Chocolate and Pink.

The Maurice Rebak Stadium is in Summers Lane, Finchley N12 OPD. The nearest Underground station is West Finchley Station (Northern Line - High Barnet branch). The station is a 10-15 minute walk away from the Ground. Alternatively go to East Finchley Station and get a 263 bus heading North towards Barnet. Get off at the bus stop just after Summers Lane traffic lights.
​
Admission is £12 adults, £6 concessions, £3 for Under 16s and Under 12s go free. 

Margate vs Corinthian-Casuals
Isthmian League Premier Division
Saturday 8th February 2020 - 3pm​
Hartsdown Park, Hartsdown Road, Margate CT9 5QZ

​For any Corinthian-Casuals fan who was party to the first 45 minutes of Isthmian Premier football last year, the trip to Margate wasn’t such a jolly boys outing.

James Bracken’s newly-promoted Casuals had a shock welcome to Step 3 football, finding themselves 5-0 down at the half time interval. Keeper Mo Maan struggled with a back injury early doors, himself deputising for the crocked Danny Bracken. Five shots… five goals.

But by quarter to five, there was more to be optimistic about the season ahead; Casuals had won the second half 2-0, missing a penalty and a goal-line scramble in the process. A good away contingent playfully cheered with their newly-bought inflatables, but it was a wake-up call to several players as to what was required from the very first minute at this level.

Skip ahead to February when the two teams met again and both sides were around the same position in the league table. In fact, Ex Maidstone boss Jay Saunders had just taken over at Hartsdown Park and that ‘new manager bounce’ paid off, with Gate winning 3-0 at King George’s. It wasn’t a great return – in fact, Margate secured the best ‘aggregate’ win over Casuals of any opponents last season.

Now, Casuals once again embark on a journey down to the Kent coast in search of their first league win over Margate. Earlier this campaign, a first minute Elliott Reeves goal was added to by Hafeez Sanusi before Brad Wilson gave Casuals hope ten minutes from time. Alas, it was too little, too late and Margate took the points once again.

However, Bracken’s side (of those who remain from two years prior) will remember how to win on the 3G at Hartsdown Park. The Casuals won on penalties in the Velocity Trophy back in October 2017 following a dramatic 2-2 draw (pic). That run saw the Amateurs make it all the way to the semi-finals, scaring Tamplin’s Billericay in the process.

Margate come into this game on the back of two league defeats. A 3-0 loss to Enfield Town was surprisingly followed up with a 1-0 loss to Merstham (we could’ve done without that). Casuals will also take heart in the fact that Margate have only won three times at home in the league this season. Only Bowers & Pitsea, Lewes and Wingate have worse records. However, Casuals aren’t too hot on the road but have won on artificial surfaces twice this season (the aforementioned Bowers and Woodford Town).

Look out for some talented players in Jay Saunders’ squad. Daniel Kaddell is their current top scorer with 12 goals. Noel Leighton and Elliott Reeves are each just one behind. Also look out for Chris Sessegnon – he’s the older brother to twins Ryan (Tottenham Hotspur) and Steve (Fulham).

To find your way to Hartsdown Park, it’s on Hartsdown Road in Margate CT9 5QZ. Margate railway station is approximately 10 minute walk to the ground.

Kick-off is at 3pm. Prices for admission are £11 for adults, £8 concessions*, young persons (aged 11-17) can enter for a fiver and Children under the age of 11 come free with an accompanying adult.

* A concession is defined by the club as Males over 65, Females over 60 and Disabled Fans.

Corinthian-Casuals vs Burgess Hill Town
Velocity Trophy Knockout Stage
Tuesday 4th February 2020 - 7.45pm
King George's Arena, Tolworth KT6 7NA

Tuesday night sees the return of Burgess Hill Town to King George’s Arena for this first Velocity Trophy cup tie for the Casuals this season.
​
Changes to the format has meant all Isthmian Premier sides were given a ‘bye’ to this knockout stage. Opponents Burgess Hill had to negotiate their way through a Champions League style group phase to reach this point.

The Hillians topped their table with maximum points with wins over Haywards Heath Town, East Grinstead Town, Three Bridges, Hastings United and finally Chichester City.

It’s an impressive showing from Jay Lovett’s side in what has been a difficult season back at Step Four following their relegation from the Premier division last term. Burgess Hill currently sit in 16th place (out of 20) with 24 points from 22 games. Max Miller sits as the top scorer for the Hillians but closely followed by two ex-Casuals. Warren Mfula left King George’s in the Summer to ply his trade at the Green Elephants Stadium, and despite making an immediate impact, ventured onto pastures new shortly after.
​

Less known as a Casual is Aaron Smith-Joseph (pic left), who’s notched six goals this season. The young forward made one solitary substitute appearance for Corinth under Matt Howard back in 2015 – a 2-1 loss to East Grinstead Town. Smith-Joseph was with Woking and likely brought in by Howard as with several other players at the time (such as current defender Andy Mills and Charlie Carter – now a pro at Stevenage).

Despite a 2-1 loss to Whitstable Town at the weekend, Burgess Hill will come here looking to continue their unbeaten run in this competition. For Casuals Manager James Bracken, it’s another chance to add some silverware to the trophy cabinet whilst also taking a breather from league pressures, which resume with a trip to Margate on Saturday. He’ll look to replicate the 3-0 win over Burgess Hill at home last season (main picture), to ensure progress to the last eight.

If the scores are level on the night, the tie will be decided with a penalty shoot-out.

Prices are £10 adults, £6 seniors, £4 students and Under-18s come free with an accompanying adult.

Safe journey to everyone who makes the trip to King George’s, wherever you may be. ​