Corinthian-Casuals vs Merstham Matchday Programme

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1 Haringey Borough
0 Casuals
Saturday 10th August 2019
Isthmian League Premier Division
CVS Hire Stadium
Report: Cameron Smith
It was a frustrating opening to the 2019/20
BetVictor Isthmian Premier Division for the
creative yet ultimately luckless Corinthian-
Casuals, who were condemned to a 1-0 defeat at
Haringey Borough on a temperamental Saturday
afternoon.
Four points from the two games played against
Haringey last season, Bracken’s army visited Coles
Park Stadium with fond memories of the 2-2
thriller back in March. With Tom Loizou still at the
wheel, Borough look to improve on their best ever
season in which they finished 3rd, but failed to win
the play-offs and promote themselves.
Pink and brown clashed with bright yellow as
the referee’s whistle got the match underway.
Congested and tetchy, the two teams were back
and forth in both possession and opportunities,
but both clearly affected by the high winds,
occasional sun and lashing of rain. Serbony
paced through on goal and released a powerful
effort that whistled just wide of the post after
ten minutes, but Bracken was kept busy too,
especially where a long-ranger forced the no.1
into a diving save. The work rate of Sitch deserves
commendation, even if his energetic performance
could not conjure an opening goal.
It was an extremely equal half, with Casuals
and Haringey showing defensive and attacking
sturdiness. It looked as if the only way a goal
would be scored would be via a single mistake. But
which side would benefit?
After the re-start, Pinney had a shot that was
millimetres from the keeper’s right hand corner
following Sitch’s class build-up, and Uzun’s curling
trademark free-kick was brilliantly palmed behind
by the purple-shirted Valery Pajetet shortly after.
Casuals wowed their supporters behind the
goal with the sheer quality of football they were
playing.
Silky passing and intelligent runs frustrated
Haringey, so they attempted to use the wind as an
advantage… and it worked. Caught in the unideal
conditions, the ball bounced awkwardly in front of
Bracken, who had sprinted from his goal to clear it
and Chibuden Onokwai managed to touch the ball
past a pink shirt and the keeper. He finished the
rest by tapping into the empty net and celebrating
the first goal of the game, and their season. This
was the 50th minute, so Casuals fans, staff and
players knew they had the chance to retrieve
points in the final forty minutes.
The element of luck evaded Corinthians, who
continued playing great attacking football mainly
through Pinney and Sitch’s interplay. Always a
danger for the Borough defence, Sitch did not
strike the ball hard enough when in the area after
Pinney’s hold-up play as Pajetet collected the shot
gratefully. Another weak effort was from Josh
Uzun, who hit a first-time effort into the gloves of
the keeper.
James Bracken’s inspired changes injected even
more energy into the team- Lalor Dell’s pace nearly
provided the equaliser but when clean through
on goal, his shot was saved by Pajetet again.
Dixon and Dillon’s introductions in the final fifteen
minutes could not grab the goal that Casuals
sought after with such commitment and spirit. The
final effort was Jack Strange’s header over the bar
from a set-piece, and Haringey were delighted to
hear the final whistle.
Zero points for the visitors showcased just how
unfair football can sometimes be, whilst the
defensively impressive hosts took all three in a
narrow 1-0 result.
18 - CORINTHIAN-CASUALS MATCHDAY PROGRAMME