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