Pre-season training got underway at King George’s Field last week, as Mu Maan and his coaching staff put the group through their paces and cast an eye over a number of trialists who joined his developing squad in the hope of making an impression.
More than 40 players turned out for the first session, and the coaches have been pleased with the overall standard, as Mu explained to us while the players took a quick water break on Thursday.
“It’s going well,” he said. “It’s been hard work, but the numbers we’ve got are good and I’m happy with the response from the players. I’m very excited for everything – training, the season ahead, the whole project excites me.”
The coaches were kitted out in new bright orange training shirts, printed with their initials and the club crest, making it easy to pick out the men in charge as the group spread across two pitches behind the main stadium. Some returning faces from Mu’s time here as a player have added a familiar feel to proceedings, among them Reyon Dillon, who was looking sharp as he led the line in a practice game.
“The feeling and the buzz around the club is amazing right now,” he said. “Everyone’s excited for the new season, everyone can’t wait. Obviously, our gaffer was a main player in the squad here before and he knows what it feels like to be a player for this club.
“Our goals? You’ve gotta be in it to win it, 100 per cent. It’s a special club and it needs to be back where it deserves to be, so everyone will be working hard to achieve that. Winning is the goal.
“I’ll be trying hard to score as many goals as I can for the club and fans – I’ve loved this place for a long, long time, it was one of my first clubs, and I can only give back and show my appreciation.”
Gabriel Odunaike was one of Dillon’s strike partners in our promotion season from Step 4 in 2017/18, and now he is one of those in orange, putting the players through their paces, having returned to the club in a player-coach capacity this summer.
“It feels good to be back,” he told us. “I’m part of the management team this time, so it’s a new experience, but it’s good to be back. The first two sessions have been great so far – we had a good first session on Tuesday, with like 40 players, and we are going to try our best to narrow that down because we want to get the squad looking nice and trim, so we can focus on the play. With the style of play we’re going to have this season, we want to keep the ball, we want to pass the ball and get our identity back again.
“We’ve got some familiar old faces, and some new faces, and we’re going to see if we can get them working together and create something with them.”
Gabs made sure his connection to the club was on full display, wearing a Fiel Londres cap he picked up from our London Brazilian supporters during his previous spell with Casuals.
“Yes, definitely – showing the love!” he said. “I need to see them again and see if I can add some more to the collection, maybe a hoodie or a t-shirt, or something!”
“It feels good to be back,” he told us. “I’m part of the management team this time, so it’s a new experience, but it’s good to be back. The first two sessions have been great so far – we had a good first session on Tuesday, with like 40 players, and we are going to try our best to narrow that down because we want to get the squad looking nice and trim, so we can focus on the play. With the style of play we’re going to have this season, we want to keep the ball, we want to pass the ball and get our identity back again.
“We’ve got some familiar old faces, and some new faces, and we’re going to see if we can get them working together and create something with them.”
Gabs made sure his connection to the club was on full display, wearing a Fiel Londres cap he picked up from our London Brazilian supporters during his previous spell with Casuals.
“Yes, definitely – showing the love!” he said. “I need to see them again and see if I can add some more to the collection, maybe a hoodie or a t-shirt, or something!”
It was an upbeat way for us to sign off on a sunny summer session in Tolworth, and as we headed past the stadium on our way home, we spotted the new perimeter fencing going up around the pitch, as the development of the club’s facilities continues.
The first pre-season friendly is away at Grays Athletic on Saturday 13 July, before we return to King George’s on Saturday 20 July for a home game against Westfield. The full list of pre-season fixtures is below, but until then, the hard work continues on the training field in Tolworth.
CORINTHIAN-CASUALS PRE-SEASON 2024/25
Sat 13 July Grays Athletic (A)
Sat 20 July Westfield (H)
Tue 23 July Epsom & Ewell (H)
Sat 27 July Egham Town (A)
Tue 30 July Leatherhead (H)
It was an upbeat way for us to sign off on a sunny summer session in Tolworth, and as we headed past the stadium on our way home, we spotted the new perimeter fencing going up around the pitch, as the development of the club’s facilities continues.
The first pre-season friendly is away at Grays Athletic on Saturday 13 July, before we return to King George’s on Saturday 20 July for a home game against Westfield. The full list of pre-season fixtures is below, but until then, the hard work continues on the training field in Tolworth.
CORINTHIAN-CASUALS PRE-SEASON 2024/25
Sat 13 July Grays Athletic (A)
Sat 20 July Westfield (H)
Tue 23 July Epsom & Ewell (H)
Sat 27 July Egham Town (A)
Tue 30 July Leatherhead (H)