Casuals Win Thriller In Kent

An exhilarating Saturday afternoon at the seaside, the fast and furious Corinthian Casuals edged unfortunate Ramsgate 4-3 with Josh Uzun bringing the match-ball home following a terrific hat-trick.

Both sides possessing desire and grit, the tempo was set high early on. So when a penalty was given in the seventh minute, it was not a surprise for the neutral. It was however a surprise for Casuals as protestors swarmed the man in black. Swiftly converted to the bottom left corner, Aaron Millbank notched his sixth of the season with a powerful penalty.

It only took two minutes for Casuals to reply as Josh Uzun was in the right place at the right time to glance the ball into the empty net after a corner was kept out by Watkins. Low-key celebrations, Uzun grabbed the ball and ran to the other side of the pitch; raring to edge ahead. In the 17th minute, Casuals did find the net via the lively Josh Gallagher as Uzun played a neat through ball to Gallagher before the midfielder finished. Brief celebrations were halted as Casuals gazed towards the flag of the linesman, which was in the air to signal offside.

A few moments later, the visitors were finally in the driving seat for the first time as Ramsgate’s Watkins had a nightmare. Routine, the keeper swallowed a dead ball and was ready to distribute. He aimed the throw at a red shirt out wide and launched it towards his team-mate, unaware of the predator Uzun in-front of him. Uzun was also unaware of the keeper as he turned his back to him. Accidentally belting the ball at Uzun’s back, the ball cushioned perfectly for the attacker to slot into the empty net comically. Hilarious to the Casuals, deflating to the Rams.

However, both sides contained grit and the hosts showcased that in the 34th minute. Oliver Gray, one of many red shirts in the crowd surrounding the six yard box, latched onto a free-kick and stabbed the ball into the empty net as the oncoming Bracken missed the ball. The Rams’ previous passage of play resulted in a remarkable save from Bracken but the strong presence in the Casuals net was broken by Gray as he equalised to make it 2-2. With the tempo depleting, Clarke’s effort, which comfortably found Watkins’ gloves, was the only highlight before half-time.

Darkness descended onto Southwood in the second half as Jordan Clarke nearly scored straight from a corner kick; Watkins tipping the ball over. Eventually, Casuals took the lead. A first-half brace, Uzun was full of confidence as he swaggered into the penalty area to join yet another Casuals invasion. With Okojie being denied by the keeper, the ball bounced towards the open Uzun in the area as the midfielder secured a classy hat-trick with a beautifully-executed shot, which flew into the top corner, prompting crazy celebrations from the travelling Casuals fans. It was 3-2.

Morale was high in the Casuals camp but their celebratory instincts shouldn’t have got the better of them as the see-saw match progressed into the final twenty minutes. Joseph Kane, who had controlled the Rams midfield, wrote his name on the scoresheet dispatching past Bracken as Casuals were pegged back for the second time. Back and forth, the game had a highly entertaining script but there was one more twist in the tale… In the 74th minute, the red shirts of Ramsgate looked on in fear as Josh Gallagher squared the ball for Mahrez Bettache. This time, Watkins was able to keep the ball out of the net and avert a goal from Bettache. Poaching at its finest, Okojie jabbed the rebound into the goal as Corinthians took the lead- again! Three agonising stoppage time minutes for Casuals ended- the game had concluded with a very happy ending for the visitors.

Manager James Bracken spoke to Cameron Smith after the game:

“It always feels good to come away with three points and it’s great to get four league wins on the spin at a difficult place on a cold, windy day. It was very sweet especially because of the nature of the game, going back and forth. It’s always great to come out on top in those games.”

“I think we started quite well. The penalty was soft especially after five minutes, which was a bit harsh but it was given, we moved on. We’ve responded well like we’ve done in the past few games: conceded then replied straight away, which is nice.”

“I said to the lads in the second-half that we have the advantage as Ramsgate would be coming into the wind, which is good in a management point of view. They got a goal against the run of play and I think we were worthy by winning it more than one but three points is three points. The second-half was mad but the lads did exactly what I instructed them to do. We were professional and kept them out in the last five minutes, which was brilliant. Overall, I’m pleased.”

#CorinthianCasuals #Ramsgate