Few Corinthian-Casuals supporters can boast a connection to the club as deep as David Bowell, who began coming to games when we played our home fixtures at the Oval and is a near ever-present at King George’s to this day…
 
Tell us how you became a Corinthian-Casuals supporter.
 
The story begins at the Oval in the 1956. My dad, Lawrence, who worked at Battersea Town Hall, took me along to watch Corinthian-Casuals. That was the year we got to the FA Amateur Cup final, and the thrill of being at Wembley among more than 80,000 people was really exciting.

My first real memory is the semi-final against Dulwich, at Stamford Bridge, and in those days the kids got pushed down to the front so they could see – I was about seven years old and I remember that well. I also remember my dad had to work Saturday mornings, so we were late for the final!

But I have a lot of happy memories of the Oval. I got to know the players because they had to walk around the outside of the field as they weren’t allowed to walk across the sacred turf. After the game, you could chat to the players and get their autographs, and I just remember the smell of the embrocation and the sight of these big footballers going by.

One of them, Jack Laybourne, took a shine to me because I was in hospital a lot as a kid. I was in St Thomas’ Hospital for three-and-a-half months, and after I got out he invited me to a tour of the cricket museum at Surrey. He gave me a diary every year for three or four years, with J.S.L., for Jack Sylvester Laybourne, on it. That was a treasured possession. He was and Olympian, and he was in the team when we had Micky Stewart playing, with Doug Insole – an Essex and England cricketer – on the wing.
 
How did you support develop over time?
 
My dad and I followed the team through the days playing at Dulwich, then Tooting. I have strong memories of the Watford game in the FA Cup in 1965, when we lost 5-1 in the first round.

There was one season, 1966/67, when I left school and had a year before college, and I went to every single game. I was working up in London that year and I could just hop on a train or tube and go to Clapton for a lovely Tuesday evening at the Spotted Dog Ground. If you were lucky, you’d get a stale cheese roll and a pint of beer!

I’ve got lots of happy memories. I used to keep all the programmes, and I used to write down the teams and the goalscorers in little notebooks for every season. I loved it.

Then our loyalty wavered a little bit when we played at Molesey. I was at college and doing other things as I got older, and I kind of drifted out of it for a bit, but when I found out we’d got our own ground after all those years, I started coming with my dad again. It wasn’t long before he died, but he had the joy of seeing us play at Tolworth.

He had been secretary to the supporters’ club, and he used to sell scarves, ties and badges that you would stick on the front of your car bumper plate. I’ve still got a scarf and tie from when he ran it! We used to begin the season by reciting the Amateur Cup final team together, from Paul Ahm to Jack Kerruish.
 
What have been your highlights since we moved to Tolworth?
 
I’ve got strong memories of the Manchester United game in 2004. I just felt that, now we had our own ground, as a club, there was a community atmosphere. I met people like Rob Cavallini, who was writing a book about the club, and I leant him all my programmes, and got to know some of the other supporters too.

Then, in the James Bracken years, I just felt so passionate about the club. I remember hugging Roger behind the goal after the game down at Hythe, when we reached the play-offs. And the sheer atmosphere of standing behind the goal for the penalty shoot-out in the play-off final, and the game at Greenwich in the semi-finals.

I knew all the players’ names then, and it was no surprise who was playing, and so those last two years when we were relegated and I couldn’t identify who was playing, it was quite sad. But this season that’s coming back again – I recognise most of them and I just feel more associated again. Brian Adamson asked me if I’d be an ambassador for the club, and now Brian Chantry and I help on matchdays, with the teas and coffees. It’s a friendly little club now.
 
You have made some good friends through Casuals, haven’t you?
 
I used to stand behind the goal, leaping up and down, and all the rest of it. But as the years went by, my eyes weren’t as good and I couldn’t see down the far end. So I started to sit in the stands and that’s when I met Brian Chantry and this lovely old chap called Ted, whose joy was Casuals.
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He was a great character, Ted. Once he wrote out all his ideas on how James Bracken could improve the team’s play, and my advice was not to give it to James! In the end he did, and James was very good with him. Ted spent his 90th birthday in the clubhouse with about 50 or 60 people, and James came along with one or two of the players to support him.

I’ve still got the passion. There have been a lot of rough times, but my enthusiasm didn’t seem to dwindle. That’s loyalty. And it is my club – the last couple of years I could’ve gone to watch Sutton or Carshalton, because I live over that way, but I just couldn’t.
 
 
 

By Stuart Tree

​It’s five past five on Saturday the 9th of November and Jerson Dos Santos had just poked home a 96th minute winner at Guildford City to give Corinthian-Casuals a hard fought tenth win of the season. The feeling was good. Ask any Casuals fan if the season had been a success up to that point and there would be a resounding yes!

Fast forward to April and Casuals had embarked on an 18-game winless streak that had seen Casuals plummet from playoff outsiders to hovering around mid-low table. A win against relegated Spelthorne Sports on the last day of Mu Maan’s inaugural managerial campaign lifted spirits and also Casuals’ position to 13th in the league. Had the season been a success? The answer might not be so resounding.

Maan’s task was set in three parts; Stabilise the club on field, bring back that ‘Casuals’ feeling, especially with the fans and obtain at least a mid-table finish. Arguably, the first two objectives were complete. Following two relegations and a season which saw 99 players wear the Chocolate and Pink, it was imperative to bring a sense of identity back. The appointment of Mu Maan was a popular decision amongst the faithful. A former player who began his career with Corinth and amassed over 100 appearances, Mu scored goals that lived long in the memory (that free kick against Greenwich in the playoff semi-final for instance). Alongside him was former striker Gabriel Odunaike, his brother and Isthmian League South winner Mo Maan as well as Richard Blackwell.

An away pre-season visit to Tilbury to see Casuals take on Grays Athletic was fan's first viewing of this new look side and many were delighted to see old stalwarts Warren Morgan and Reyon Dillon amongst the new look Casuals side. Joining them was Shea Cascoe-Rogers, the shining light of an otherwise dull previous season. Notably, a host of talented Brazilian players joined the cast – all the more poignant considering the club’s South American ties.
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Brian Adamson brings us up to speed with the latest from the club, as we begin work on ground improvements and announce a new development squad…
 
As the 2024/25 season has now ended, we are already planning for the next campaign, which will be Mu’s second as manager, giving us a sense of stability going into the summer. We very much look forward to what 2025/26 will bring for Corinthian-Casuals and we already have a few updates to bring you, both on and off the pitch.

This summer, we are launching a Development Team, completing the pathway for players between the Under-18s and the first team. They will play in the Suburban League, which is made up of other Development, Under-21s and Under-23s sides, depending on the various structures of the clubs involved.

The games will be on Saturdays at 3pm, with a maximum of eight home league matches to be held at King George’s Field on weekends when the first team are away, which supporters are very welcome to attend, while our Under-18s team have agreed a deal to play their home games at Banstead Athletic FC next season.

With the Epsom & Ewell groundshare now over, there will be far fewer games on the main pitch next season, which should benefit the first team as it will hopefully keep the pitch in better condition.

The development team will be managed by Paul Hill, who was previously in charge of our Under-18s, and I think it will help Mu as well, because players from his first-team squad who maybe haven’t got time on the pitch one week could have an opportunity to play in the development team the following weekend, and he has the option to alternate players between the first-team bench and the development team depending on the situation.

We’ve also begun improvement works at the ground ahead of next season. We are well underway with the construction of a new beer cellar and a bigger club shop, which will be housed in a new building next to the clubhouse, where a storage container previously stood.

The club shop will include a storeroom to help us keep it neat and tidy and there will be room to display the shirts and lines of merchandise, as well as to sell programmes on matchdays.

Meanwhile, a new outside bar behind the main stand will soon be complete – the brewery are coming down this week to plumb in lines for the four best sellers on tap, and will provide us with fridges as well, while we will extend the astroturf from the Fan Zone to incorporate the new bar area too.

We’ve also secured a grant from the Premier League Stadium Fund to lay new tarmacked hard standing on the spectator side of the pitch perimeter fencing that was installed last summer. Then we have ordered new front gates to the car park and new perimeter fencing between our car park and the park next door.

Finally, if we get planning permission for the nine-a-side 3G pitch and padel courts behind the far end of the stadium, that installation will also begin as soon as possible.

So, there is plenty of work ahead this summer but hopefully we will see a big improvement in the facilities next season, which we can all enjoy.

We will be hosting volunteer work parties on Saturdays throughout the summer to help get the ground in good shape ahead of pre-season, starting this weekend. So, if you can spare some time between 10am and 3pm this Saturday or in weekends to come, please do come down and lend a hand as we cannot do this without our brilliant volunteers.

Thank you all for your fantastic support and I look forward to seeing you all soon.
 
Brian 

Corinthian Football Club have achieved many rare feats in their history, some of which are likely never to be repeated. On 12 March 1894, all 11 players starting for England played for one club, Corinthian, although many were dual registered with other amateur clubs, including Casuals.

They would face neighbours Wales at the Racecourse Ground in Wrexham. The Welsh team that stepped onto the pitch that day was a mix of amateurs and professionals, but they were no match for the Corinthians who, despite conceding the first goal, won 5-1. J.G. Veitch scored a hat-trick and R.C. Gosling also scored, with the other an own goal. No other club has ever been able to claim a full starting XI for England, but Corinthian did it twice.

James Shaw takes a look back at that historic XI.

L.H. Gay
From Brighton in Sussex, Gay was the goalkeeper. He was also an accomplished cricketer representing England in one first-class test against Australia, as well as Somerset and Hampshire. Gay earned three caps for England in goal and would play 32 times for Corinthians. He also earned blues for Cambridge in cricket and football. Later, he signed up as a reserve for Southampton but never played a first-team match.

L.V. Lodge
Lodge played as a full-back, and represented England five times, having previously played for Cambridge University where he gained three blues against Oxford. He would play 47 times for Corinthians, never scoring, and also signed a contract with Small Heath (later renamed Birmingham City), playing one game while maintaining his amateur status. Tragically, he was found drowned in a pond at the age of 43, believed to have taken his own life amid mental health difficulties.

F.R. Pelly
Pelly was an East London boy who ended up playing for both Corinthians and Casuals, but little else is known of him. However, he did represent England three times on top of his 47 appearances for Corinthian and was a prominent player for the Casuals in the 1890s, captaining them at one point.

A.H. Hossack
Hossack played for Cambridge University earning a blue in 1890 before representing Corinthian 31 times. He scored once for Corinth in a 5-2 win over West Bromwich Albion in 1894. He represented England twice in the 1890s and also played for Casuals while registered with Corinthian in 1891. He was an assistant at Corinthians in 1890/91, helping N.L. Jackson run the club.

C. Wreford-Brown
The most famous Corinthian in the line-up, he played 161 times for the club in two decades. He captained the side and went on tour to South Africa (twice), Hungary, Austria, Czechia, Germany, Sweden and Denmark. He started his amateur career at Oxford University representing them in football and cricket before joining Old Carthusians. Both his brother and his son would play for Corinthian, and he is believed to have coined the word ‘soccer’.

A.G. Topham
Another Oxford University alumnus who earned a blue in football in 1890, Topham and his brother played for both Corinthian and Casuals. This match against Wales was his only appearance in an England shirt, but he made 29 appearances for Corinthian, scoring twice and appeared regularly (minimum 58 times) for Casuals even playing in the FA Amateur Cup final in a 2-1 loss to Old Carthusians in 1894.

R. Topham
A.G.’s elder brother, making the Tophams one of seven pairs of brothers to represent the Three Lions in the same game. Robert is also the only player registered at a professional Football League club during this time. He was on the books at Wolverhampton Wanderers despite maintaining his amateur status, winning the 1893 FA Cup final. He would play 45 times for Corinthian and score 23 goals, whilst also representing Casuals regularly (minimum 46 times). He was part of the Corinthian side that shared the 1898 Sheriff of London Charity Shield with English champions Sheffield United.

R.C. Gosling
One of the wealthier gentlemen on this team and heir to the Goslings Bank, he was an Eton and Cambridge alumnus (although he didn’t earn a blue). He was described by fellow Corinthian G.O. Smith as one of the best forwards of the time and scored 14 times in 49 appearances in Corinthian white alongside his two goals in five appearances for England. He scored in this game against Wales.

G.O. Smith
A legend of his time and considered one of the greatest players of his generation, Smith made 20 international appearances and scored 10 times. He was simply known as G.O. Yet another who won his blues playing for Oxford and represented Old Carthusians. His reputation as one of the best on the pitch was matched by that of his reputation off it as a true gentleman. So prolific was Smith that he scored a whopping 132 times in 137 matches for Corinth.

J.G. Veitch
The hero of the day with a hat-trick against Wales, Veitch only ever made this one appearance for England. Veitch was born in Kingston Hill and would play 69 times for Corinthian, scoring 49 times. He also represented Cambridge in four Varsity matches. Veitch’s first appearance for Corinthian came against the great ‘Invincible’ Preston North End side of 1888/89, in a 1-0 defeat.

R.R. Sandilands
Working as a clerk for the Bank of England, Sandilands is one of the few on this team not to have gone to Cambridge or Oxford University. Another prolific goalscorer, he played 46 times and scored 32 goals for Corinthian and kept it up on international duty, with three goals in six England caps. He played for Casuals in 1892 and also played cricket for Upper Tooting, whose ground is a former home of the Casuals, and hockey for Wimbledon.

"As the season comes to an end, I’d like to send a message to our brilliant supporters. As you know, this club holds a special place in my heart and I’m grateful to be given the opportunity to be the manager.

We are most probably one of the youngest management teams from Step 5 to Step 3 and above, but I feel we have changed a lot of things on and off the pitch, while there is still plenty of work to do.

Starting a team from scratch is never easy but I was always confident in myself and my management team. There have been a lot of ups and downs and that’s the beauty of the game. We have had a tough period over the last few months and so many different factors play a part in that. So I wanted to say a massive thank you to, the amazing Corinthian-Casuals fans, for your continuous support. You turn up in numbers – week in, week out – and have been our 12th man. Without you, this club wouldn’t be what it is.

Our aim was to always get this club out of this league and that remains the same. Once again, I want to say a massive thank you to everyone involved at the club, for sticking by me my players and my management team.

Lastly, thank you to my management team and my players.

I hope everyone has a good summer and we will see you all soon.

Vai Corinthians!"
Mu Maan

The stated aim of Corinthian Football Club’s landmark tour to Germany and Austria in April 1925 was “the reconciliation of nations through sport.”

Just a few years after the conclusion of the First World War, in which millions of soldiers on both sides had lost their lives in bloody conflict with one another, our club spoke of unity and the need to find common ground on which to build a better future.

Corinthians have always been renowned for our belief in the power of sport to unite people and the local press referred admiringly to the club’s “world-wide outlook” hailing the famous English amateurs as “carriers of a mission of peace” as they welcomed them to two nations with which the British had been at war a matter of years before.

“That the Corinthians were privileged to visit Germany and Austria, our late enemies, with the definite intention of cementing the peace, was indeed a great honour,” wrote F.N.S. Creek – one of the travelling squad – in his History of the Corinthian Football Club.

Their first stop on the tour was Cologne, where they visited the Rhine bridges still guarded by the British Army of Occupation during an afternoon’s sightseeing.

Yet there was a second, footballing reason why a visit from the Corinthians was significant in 1925, as the argument over whether professionalism should be adopted by the sport was raging in Germany that year. Some in the local sports press used the tour as part of their culture war, hailing the great amateur side as “the most authentic representatives of English sport.”

The following evening, they defeated Cologne 4-2 in front of a crowd of 10,000 with two goals each for A.H. Chadder and E.R.T. Holmes, the latter of whom would become better known as a Surrey and England cricketer.

After travelling through the Ruhr valley to Hamburg, the next game was played on a stiflingly hot Easter Sunday afternoon, with Creek scoring a hat-trick and Chadder on target again in a 4-1 victory over Hamburger SV, the club at which Kevin Keegan would later win the Ballon d’Or.

Each match on the tour was followed by a lavish banquet and the players were staying at the best hotels in the country, a regular bone of contention with those who bristled at the idea that these Corinthians who proudly spoke of the amateur ideal were treated to luxuries the professionals of the day could only dream of affording with their footballers’ wages. The “beautiful silver cups” presented to each player after the opening game in Cologne were a prime example.

From Hamburg, they took the train to Berlin, where they faced Tennis Borussia and drew 1-1 on “a hard ground, several miles from the hotel.” Creek noted that the Germans “were extremely fast yet very well-built fellows” and seemed satisfied with the draw.

The German press were delighted.

“After two difficult games, the Corinthians were not fully prepared when they met a hard-trained, well-equipped opponent in Berlin, who outdid themselves on the day. With their verve, sharp shots and sprint, Tennis-Borussia played the best game of their lives this time and would have simply strangled any other eleven with their speed.”

On this occasion, the post-match gifts to each player were “gold pencils” and they capped off the night with a bit of dancing.

The final leg of the tour took them, via the Elbe valley, to Austria, where the team were surprised to find a cheering crowd awaiting them at the station, leading to a “triumphal progress from train to hotel.” Such was the strength of the club’s reputation even as late as 1925.

Austrian football was arguably the most advanced in Europe at the time, and the team faced the sternest test of the tour when they took on a Vienna XI in front of 50,000 people on what Creek described as a “hard sandy rectangle entirely devoid of grass.”

The officials for the game didn’t speak English and there was a debate over the size of the ball, which was smaller than those used in Britain. Towering Corinthian centre-half John Morrison decided to end the argument by taking the ball and booting it over the stand, but the locals had the last laugh when it was replaced by an even smaller one.

The referees penalised all forms of charging, leaving the rough English defenders feeling wronged every time they were punished for a heavy challenge with a free kick against. Intriguingly, the Germans had been impressed by that aspect of the Corinthian game, urging their players to learn from it. “It is not a stupid attempt to run over the opponent, but an art,” wrote one German reporter.

Whatever the reason for the difference, the Austrian referee stuck firmly to local interpretations of the laws of the game, just as any English official would have done had the roles been reversed. Creek, nonetheless, seemed unimpressed, concluding: “It can, in fact, be fairly stated that the Corinthians were beaten in Vienna through not knowing the rules of the game as played there.”

Perhaps these were just excuses for the 2-0 defeat Corinthians suffered at the end of an otherwise successful tour, but it also showed the burgeoning power of Austrian football that would become a feature of international football during the interwar period.

That evening and the following day, the Viennese pulled out all the stops to entertain their guests, regardless of any disagreements over the way the game should be played the previous day. There were bronze medals for all involved, then “motor drives” and trips to the theatre, as well as dances and banquets. They really didn’t waste a moment on those tours.

Then, the following day, they set off on the long journey home to London feeling they had, as Creek put it, “really helped to cement the peace.”

The Corinthian squad in Austria and Germany, Easter 1925:
G. Ashton, B. Howard Baker, L.B. Blaxland, A.G. Bower, A.H. Chadder, F.N.S. Creek, A.T. Davies, F.H. Ewer, A.C.J. German, E.R.T. Holmes, C.B.G. Hunter, J.S.F Morrison, G.B. Partridge, J.G. Stevenson, A.E. Taylor

We are planning to develop a 3G 9-a-side football pitch and four padel courts at King George’s Field, and we’d love your input! There will be a public meeting to discuss the project at the clubhouse next Monday. Full details are below:

Date: Monday 7 April
Time: 5pm-7pm
Location: Clubhouse, Corinthian-Casuals Football Club, Queen Mary’s Close, Tolworth

Drawings and plans will be available for viewing, and we welcome your thoughts and feedback. So, please come down and take a look.
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BRIAN ADAMSON
CHAIRMAN

Tolworth born and bred, Roger Stringer is the heart and soul of the Corinthian-Casuals support, having started coming to games as soon as we moved to King George’s Field in 1988. This is his Casuals story…

When did you first come down to Corinthian-Casuals?

I can’t remember which game it was, but it was the first season we were here. I used to play on this land as a kid and I had an older brother who ran for Epsom & Ewell Harriers when there was a running track here, and me and my other brother used to play football on the grass in the middle.

I was born and bred in Tolworth, on the Sunray Estate, in 1968. So, by the time Casuals had taken over from Tolworth United on that pitch, I was 20 years of age. I’d been to a few games here before that, when it was just a pitch with the white perimeter bars, and then it was in the paper that Corinthian-Casuals were moving here. I’d heard of them, in all the football history books I’d read as a kid, so I was all over it!

For the first 20-odd years or so, I’d go to at least half-a-dozen games a season there, because I’d go and see other clubs as well and I was a Chelsea fan for many a year. By 2011, after we won the Surrey Senior Cup, that was it for me. I binned everything else off and I’ve come to Casuals, home and away, ever since.

How many people were going in those days?

There were about 30 or 40 people dotted around, people with their dogs – hardly anyone at all. No one my age went when I was in my early 20s, it was all old people.

How did the fan base start growing?

Over the years, I asked friends to start going with me, which they did. A lot of them came, and a lot of them left – they came to a couple of games and couldn’t be bothered to come again. But the ones who did stay started to get their friends to come, and their friends then got more people to come. And that’s how the support built up over the years.

Did the atmosphere build as you went?

Around 2005 or 2006 I started cheering for them and singing as well. I was at the Man United game in 2004 and went to Wembley for the game against AFC Wimbledon there in 2008, and I’d just make up songs and shout them.

​That’s when the players started to notice. In those days, it was a jolly-up for them after the game, but once I started shouting and screaming, and singing for them, the players suddenly realised someone cared, and they upped their game. That’s the way I saw it, that’s why we are where we are today.

Your kids love the club too, don’t they?

Oh, they’ve been going since they were babies – Billy, Harry and Rosie. All three of my kids would come along in their pushchairs, and I used to wrap them up at night games, so they’d be fast asleep and I’d be watching the game.

A towering presence in the centre of our team this season, Marcos dos Santos plays with his heart and soul every time he goes onto the pitch. The Sao Paulo native is a boyhood Corinthians supporter and says representing Casuals is a source of great joy for him and his family. Dominic Bliss caught up with him to ask how he is enjoying his first season in Tolworth and embracing the fan culture…

How has this season has gone for you so far?

I feel great joy in being with this group this season. I understand that despite having some players from previous seasons in the squad, we are a group that is starting a project from scratch and this requires a lot of work and dedication from us. Whether we like it or not, it takes time to build everything we want, but it is clear to see that we have great and good fruits to reap soon. I am happy and motivated with the group and also happy with my performance so far.

Can you tell us about your football journey to this point?

When I was 14 years old, I went to my first club to play in the Paulista Under-15 youth league, playing for São Bernardo. I stayed there for a year, when I went to the centre of São Paulo, and after that I played for several other clubs. Then, in August 2018 I went to do pre-season at Penapolense to play in the São Paulo Junior Football Cup.

From there, I went to Grêmio Barueri, and I stayed there for about a year and a half, in the Under-20s, during which time I went up to the professional team and played in the Paulista Cup, as we reached the quarter-finals. After the first team were knocked out, I went back to the Under-20s, where we were champions in the Paulista Cup.

Soon after that, there was the outbreak of coronavirus, and I ended up without a club for a while, but I had a short stint at Colorado Caieiras, who were playing in the second division of the Paulista Championship.

I ended up tearing the ligaments in my ankle and was unable to play in the championship due to the long recovery. I got treatment at the club and then came to London, in search of realising my dream of playing in Europe.

I already had family here and the first club I played for had a lot of Brazilians, so I was able to get used to it quickly. Here in London, I had a stint at NW London, where I was champion in Step 7, and won two cups, then I played for St. Panteleimon in Step 5 last season, before having the great honour of defending this great shirt with Corinthian-Casuals.

How did you come to join Casuals?

Emerson Pilonetto and I already had an old friendship, even off the field. We had already played together on some teams, and he was talking to someone from Corinthian-Casuals and he was going to do a trial. He asked me if I was interested as well, because he knew I was a Corinthians fan. Of course I wanted to, so he sent a video of me performing, the coaches liked it and after that we started coming to training. Thank God everything went well.

How much do you know about the historical connection between Corinthian-Casuals and Brazil?

I remember watching the Corinthians game against Corinthian-Casuals in 2015, but since I arrived in London I never fully knew about it. One time, when I looked at the profile of the Fiel Londres, I saw that they were going to games here in London, so I did some research and started connecting one thing to another and remembering the game in Itaquera. But I confess that with each report I see and each bit of the history I learn, I become prouder to be at this club. Knowing that I am where it all began is a source of great joy for me.

How have you enjoyed your time here?

I already joined this club loving it, but I was very well received by the committee. The players are very close and I believe that the affection of the fans is the main thing – they really welcomed me.

I’ve played 32 games this season, and among all these games there are two that really marked me. The first was when we were traveling to Jersey for a game far away, where we took a plane. I know that in all the games the fans are present and they always go and sing and encourage us a lot, but when we arrived in Jersey and were on our way to the stadium, we passed in front of a bar and I had the impression of having seen a pink Casuals shirt. I thought that it was just my imagination, but when the bus passed I saw all those people, and it was a massive party! Everyone was shouting, I couldn’t believe they would travel all that distance, and I felt a huge pressure because I wanted to come back with the victory at all costs, not just for myself but also for the club and for them.
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The second game that made an impression on me was against Abbey Rangers at home. It was a game in which we conceded a goal in the 15th minute and from then on, we were trying to equalise, but the ball wouldn’t go in. I remember very well our fans sang the whole game but when it was around the 80th minute it seemed like the atmosphere had changed, because the fans were singing louder and louder and banging on the stands. It seemed like we were winning, and their singing renewed my strength. I believe it wasn’t just me, because we were already attacking but from then on we started to be more intense and it was no surprise at the 84th minute when Diogo scored a goal, and with one minute left in the game Shea scored the winning goal. At that moment we could see how strong our group is and how powerful our fans are. In that game I felt a very strong connection between us.

We’ve all heard the story of the Corinthian Football Club and how it was brought into being by the need to gather the best English players together in one place to build a national squad capable of beating Scotland. The Corinthians’ white kit grew in fame and inspired Corinthians Paulista and Real Madrid to wear the same. It remains our away kit to this day.

The Casuals, on the other hand, have a more mysterious history regarding the choice of club colours. There are competing stories, in fact.

The team’s distinctive home colours of chocolate and pink have endured for 130 years and were reputedly the racing colours of one of Casuals’ founder members in 1883, Thomas William Blenkiron. However, it is just as possible they are based on the colours of Westminster and Charterhouse schools, whose players made up the bulk of Casuals’ early squads.

The alternative pink-and-chocolate history is a more romantic tale. According to this version, Blenkiron, a former student of the Charterhouse public school decided to dedicate the colours of his team to Mrs Marion “Annie” Haig Brown, wife of the headmaster and active supporter of all the school’s sports clubs. 

Mrs Brown was known for her pink shawl which she wore in support of the school teams. When deciding on the livery of his team, Thomas went back to his training days and without a doubt in his heart, he knew he would honour Mrs Annie. He chose pink for the colour of Mrs B’s shawl and brown as a nod to the name of his first-ever supporter.

After the merger of the two clubs, it was agreed and constituted that the team would wear the pink-and-chocolate team kit for official matches, while for friendly matches or special tournaments it would wear white in honour of the “Corinthian” history. After several years this fell by the wayside and Corinthian-Casuals went back to wearing a white shirt and blue shorts. 

The return to pink and brown took place in 1997, when manager, Trevor Waller, spoke to the board of directors about the financial difficulty the club sadly found itself in. The members were aware that the club needed new kits, because theirs were worn out, but they could not afford the costs of all the new home and away shirts. 

Trevor suggested, as a way to save money, that we go back to the “Casuals” model. The idea was simple: with that unusual combination, there would hardly ever be a colour clash with any other team, and this way they wouldn’t need to buy two sets of new shirts, just one would be enough! 
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The committee approved the proposal and today the “Corinthian” colours are used as an away kit. A practical but winning choice, the Corinthian-Casuals kit is arguably the most interesting and original kit in the entire English football scene and beyond. You can choose which version of the pink-and-chocolate history you want to believe!

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