Brian Adamson has written an end-of-season message to our supporters as we come to the end of a difficult 2023/24 campaign. Brian was voted in as our chairman in December and the new committee has been working hard to get the club in the best possible position for next season after a tumultuous couple of years at King George’s Arena.

Here he updates on us on the club’s situation and the committee’s plans for the future.

I want to take this opportunity to thank all our magnificent supporters for sticking with us, home and away, through what has been another very frustrating season, on and off the pitch.

We are heading in the right direction off the pitch, securing shirt sponsorship, ground-naming sponsorship, and some pitchside sponsors around the ground. We have also announced a groundshare with Epsom & Ewell FC, which will bring in even more funds next season.

We have an application in process to replace all the handrail and spectator barriers and hope this will be completed in the close season. We also have made an application for planning permission to lay a 3G pitch, although this is a long-term project that will not happen for a few years, due to all the applications and fundraising needed.

We know we have still not got it right on the pitch. Unfortunately, the changes we made did not lead to us avoiding relegation, so we will start next season in the Combined Counties Football League.

Our focus now is on building a team that you can be proud of, and which will ultimately bring us back up. We want to know our players and build a relationship with the best supporters in non-league. You can’t expect to do that when the turnover of players is so high. We will need to be patient and have a plan in place, but with the right people we should see the progress the club is making reflected on the pitch.

I am sure you all want the very best for our club and if we all unite, we can achieve it together and enjoy better times to come. We will be working on the grounds on Saturdays throughout the close season, and if you can spare some time, please pop in to give us a hand. Details will be published on our social media channels over the course of the summer.

Thank you for joining us in the bar after the last home game, when we had the opportunity to thank some good people for all the hard work they have done, on and off the pitch.

Finally, have a great summer and I look forward to seeing you all next season.

Once a Casual, always a Casual…

Brian Adamson

Corinthian-Casuals can confirm that Paul Barnes will depart the club at the end of this season.

We would like to thank Paul and his team for all their efforts since arriving at the turn of the year. They came to us during a very difficult period for the club and the task was always going to be a particularly challenging one. We wish Paul the very best for the next chapter in his coaching journey.

Barnsey will be in the dugout for Saturday’s final game of the season at Westfield and has written the following message to our supporters and community.

With the 2023/24 season coming to an end, it feels like the right time to let the club and supporters know of my intentions for the future.

Corinthian-Casuals FC was a club I had always heard great things about, and with good people, so when the call came to help and try to do the impossible, it was at a time when I had lost faith in the game and unsure whether football had the same magic I once knew. But after speaking to Brian Adamson, he made me feel like Casuals could well be the place to help me rediscover it… and he and the club didn’t disappoint.

People speak of winning in this game, and everyone sees a score, but this game offers far more in terms of wins and can impact far beyond 90 minutes or the painted lines of any pitch. Some will know how this game can really change lives.

Although we did not achieve what we set out to do, we all worked tirelessly to keep the club in the division. Players, volunteers, and everyone at the club gave everything… we connected with our brilliant fans and hopefully showed how much it meant to represent the famous Corinthian-Casuals colours and shake every single fan’s hand after every game.

The club has given me the energy and desire to want to go and test myself again, so I will be leaving at the end of the season and exploring what may be next.

Thank you for the opportunity to experience this brilliant club and people. I believe it has the right people leading it into the next chapter.

Vai Corinthians
Barnsey

​Last Saturday’s final home game of the season was an occasion that one Corinthian-Casuals fan will never forget.

​Ollie, who plays up front for our Under-10s and has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the current Casuals squad, has been through the mill this season, cheering us on through a particularly tough campaign that has ultimately ended in relegation.

His dedication to the cause was put to the test on Saturday morning when he was offered a ticket for the FA Cup semi-final between Chelsea and Manchester City, but after agonising over the choice, he made the decision to stick with his local club, as he explained to us on the day.

“I had the opportunity to go to Chelsea v City at Wembley – very good seats – but I wanted to come and see the Casuals’ last home game of the season,” he said.

“I always choose Casuals over anything. It’s Casuals first, Chelsea second and then no other teams get in after that. If I had the opportunity to go to see England or anyone, I’d probably go Casuals.”

It turned out to be a good decision as Ollie witnessed Corinthian-Casuals run out 4-2 winners over Uxbridge, with Quade Taylor and Aderi Arthur-Dede each bagging a brace.
“It was very good to get a win against a team that are mid-table, and which we didn’t have a very good cup result against at the start of the season,” he said. “So it’s an improvement.”

He was rewarded for his loyalty when the chairman and the manager invited him to be an honorary member of the squad for the day, joining the coaches and the substitutes in the dugout during the match. Then, at the end of the game, towering centre-forward Melford Simpson put the youngster on his shoulders and carried him over to salute the supporters behind the goal, who chanted ‘Ol-lie!’ as his proud dad, Nick, looked on from the terraces.

“It was good to pretty much be a part of the team and listen to the players, see how the tactics go,” he said of his experience. “I only really watch the games from behind the goal normally, I don’t go behind the scenes or in the dressing room or anything.”

All in all, it was an inspiring day for Ollie, who is having a prolific season in front of goal in his own age group.

“I play for two teams, and in total I’m on 51 goals this season. For Casuals, I’m on 30 or 35, I think, and we’ve done alright. We lost to a couple of top teams, but we had a go against some harder teams as well and got some good wins.”

And what are Ollie’s hopes for Casuals after a couple of difficult years?

“Next season, I think we need to play how we did at the end of this season, to have passion and hope. We should try and keep the same players and get a bit of chemistry, so we can build a team and try and get back up.”

Wise words from the youngest pundit in Tolworth, who may just have a future in this game.
 
Image: Katja Hillebrandt

Under-18 Tony Ford Cup semi-final
Corinthian Casuals 0-3 Kingstonian
​Report by Josh Lamey

Despite a spirited performance against local rivals Kingstonian, Corinthian-Casuals Under-18s bowed out of the Tony Ford Youth Challenge Cup after a captivating cup run that will be remembered fondly by players, staff and fans alike.

After suffering league defeat in Croydon on Monday night, it was a welcomed return to King George’s Field, but we hosted a strong Kingstonian team who progressed to the final.

Yesterday’s semi-final saw a return to the Under-18s for goalkeeper and ‘one of our own’ David Wloch, who made his first-team debut in the last few weeks, and he was called into action early doors, keeping the away side out after a flurry of attacks. Kingstonian’s threat was evident in the early exchanges, however some solid Casuals defending that made Harry Davidson look like Surrey’s own Sergio Ramos frustrated the opposition attackers as we stayed very much in the game.

However, a corner was swung in on the 20th minute mark, and an unfortunate deflection off Owen Law beat Wloch and gave the rivals the lead.

The second half started similarly to the first. Kingstonian’s No11 picked up the ball, drove at the back four, and sent a shot crashing against the bar as the away side looked for more. The visitors then doubled their lead minutes later when their No9 was sent clean through and held his nerve to finish. Although the rain was lashing it down, Casuals held their heads high as they went in search of a comeback, with chances for top scorer Nathan Downer who looked to make it 13 goals for the season.

However, it wasn’t meant to be for the boys. On 80 minutes, the noisy neighbors were all but there when a smart turn and finish from No17 made it 3-0. That was all she wrote for this season’s Tony Ford Cup, but it was a campaign to be proud of the pink-and-brown army after a fantastic run.

Despite the result, gaffer Paul Hill was eager to look on the bright side and focus on the three league games still to come as he said: “I cannot express what a great set of lads we have in our squad. They have bought into our objectives and the way we want to work throughout the season. It will be business as usual at training on Tuesday, and we will set up in the right way to compete against Raynes Park and the remaining games of the season.”

Match Report by Josh Lamey

It was a night to remember for the Casuals Youth, as they managed to keep their cool on a freezing night in Tolworth, and fire 7 past a stunned Redhill to reach the semi-finals of the Tony Ford Youth Challenge Cup. It was the definition of ‘champagne football’ on a night that could’ve proven tricky, after a 1-1 draw in the league showed Redhill are not a side to be beaten easily.

Straight from the first whistle, Casuals came flying out the blocks with high tempo and neat passing, which forced the Redhill keeper into a few early saves. Despite this, composure was kept, and the home side took the lead early doors when a deflected free kick fell into the path of George Thompson who made no mistake from close range.

Tom Rolls bossed the midfield all night and produced a moment of quality to double the lead on the half hour mark – flying past Redhill challenges, putting it through the defenders’ legs, and put it on a plate for chief poacher Nathan Downer to slot home and make it advantage Casuals.

Corinthians were at it again only a matter of seconds after, as they won it back straight off the kickoff, went down the other end, and an Owen Laws effort was kept out by the keeper but Oliver Warbey was on hand to surely book a place in the semi-finals. Meanwhile for Redhill, half time couldn’t come soon enough.

If 3 wasn’t enough, it was soon to get better: a carbon copy of the Casuals second, as Rolls played another pass between the lines and Downer was clinical again with the finish to send the supporters into absolute carnage. Getting Kingstonian in the next round can only be a good thing for the boys as the confidence is at an all-time high.

Despite the 7 goals, take nothing away from a mega defensive shift from Casuals, who had the Redhill attack in their pockets all game. Centre back Harry Davidson managed to get on the end of a world class Payne free kick, and there was only going to be one place it ended up. 5-0. Before half time.

Roll on the second 45, and it’s fair to say it was slightly quieter than the first, where game management and squad rotation were the key. Both sides offered little on the attacking front apart from Ted Coumbe having a go from range – with the whole of Tolworth shouting ‘hit it!’, yet it sailed wide.

On the 75-minute mark, yet another cross was floated in, and Davidson was on hand to head it in for his second and a Corinthians sixth as they were in absolute dreamland. However, Redhill got their first of the evening seconds later, as a burst of pace from their winger caught the defense off guard and found the near post to grab a consolation.

There was time for a final Casuals goal, as substitute Sekou Kaba whipped it in and Tom Rolls finished off a quality performance by finding the far post, in a result that will see the boys host Kingstonian for a place in the final against either Raynes Park or AFC Croydon Athletic.

Bernard Arthur Coe, who died at his home in Haslemere on 28 February 2024, aged 91, was a tall centre-half who played for the Corinthian Casuals in the early to mid ’50s.

He was described as a ‘constructive pivot seldom mastered in the air’. The centre-half position in the first XI was usually filled at this time by Ralph Cowan, the club captain, so Coe’s opportunities were limited to mainly reserve-team football and he only made eight first team appearances between 1955 and 1957.

Born in Essex and educated at the Royal Liberty School, Romford, he did his National Service with the Royal Artillery in Hong Kong, and then went up to Selwyn College, Cambridge to study Geography. While at Cambridge, he won a soccer Blue in December 1955 (Cambridge won 4-2) and in December 1956 (Cambridge lost 1-4), both matches being played at Wembley. Of the 1956 match, Colin Weir wrote “…the Cambridge half-back line was impressive with Coe making the position of centre-half his own with good distribution as well as being a sound ‘stopper’”. At university, he also played occasionally for Pegasus.
​
His business career began when he joined an oil company which involved him working around the world, eventually becoming chairman of Shell Petroleum in Thailand. In a letter to the Newsletter in December 1971 from Nairobi, he remarked that his last game of soccer was in Jamaica in 1964 with, among others, Gerry Alexander (a member of the Corinthian-Casuals Amateur Cup Final team in 1956 and the future West Indian Test cricket captain). A long-standing knee injury put an end to “rough games”. He became a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society in 2000.

Hugh Pratt (pictured above in the centre of the front row, representing the Schools XI in January 1990) was a tireless midfield footballer, playing for the Corinthian-Casuals in three seasons from 1963/64 to 1965/66 making 71 appearances and scoring 15 goals. In a side of talented footballers, his career was highlighted by two Sheriff of London Shield appearances against Arsenal (October 1964 at the National Recreation Centre, Crystal Palace and in September 1965 at Highbury), and an appearance in the 1st round Proper of the FA Cup. This was the first occasion that the Club was to reach this stage, and has been achieved only once since. The game against Watford was played on Dulwich Hamlet’s Champion Hill ground and attracted a crowd of 7,000. The result was a 1-5 defeat. Peter Phillips scored the our goal.

Born in Newcastle on 11 October 1943, Hugh came to London early in his life to live in Sutton where he went to the local grammar school. He played in the Surrey Grammar School’s side before, in 1962, he went to Nottingham University to read Geography. Whilst there he captained Nottinghamshire and the University, and played for the UAU, British Universities and England Universities. After graduating, he went into teaching before going to Christ’s College, Cambridge for a year’s post-grad course. He joined Corinthian-Casuals from Tooting and Mitchum in the 1963 close season. At Cambridge he won his soccer Blue in December 1965 at Wembley, Cambridge winning the match 3-2. The programme pen picture described Hugh as “a human dynamo, whose experience and abilities have proved invaluable”.

After taking a teaching position at Wellingborough, he left the Corinthian-Casuals during the 1966 close season, then joined Stevenage Town. Moving on to Hitchin Town for the 1968/69 season, he was part of the side who finished runner-up in the Isthmian League and, next season, won the London Senior Cup. He made 301 appearances for Hitchin, scoring 12 goals. Later (in 1978) he played for Letchworth Garden City and had a spell with San Diego Toros in the North American Soccer League. Hugh Pratt died at the beginning of March 2024, aged 80, after suffering from dementia.