Casuals Bounce Back At Molesey

Shaun Okojie’s deft dispatch in the 46th minute left Corinthian Casuals firmly positioned in a play-off spot after a scrappy 1-0 win over Molesey on a miserable Tuesday evening at the Walton Road Stadium.

From the off, both sides seemed to struggle with the conditions as the weather deteriorated and the pitch became slippery. The varying techniques of the midfields cancelled each-other out during the first 45, with the clever, tactical play of Eskim and Bettache contrasting with the hasty, physical midfield pairing of Molesey. Although chances were difficult to find, Corinth could have easily opened the scoring after an infrequent amount of opportunities. Bettache, who was very much involved in the game, fired a delightful effort towards goal. His effort was saved by Moles’ no.1 Liam Allen. Located on the wings, Clarke, Spencer, Hodges and Bettache often found a way to round the Molesey full-backs but fell short at the execution. The overall summary of the first-half came moments before the half-time whistle, when Clarke rifled a shot so high that it landed on the roof of a house overlooking the ground and resulted in a few tiles falling off!

Criticism of the referee and the linesmen was expressed by both sides following the dismissal of a Molesey penalty appeal and numerous offside and set-piece denials for Casuals. So far, it had been a stalemate at 0-0.

As the teams emerged for the anticipated second-half, most spectators were only just returning from the warmth of the bar. It was no surprise that many supporters were devastated to learn that they had missed the opening goal. Moments after the referee re-started the match, Casuals were in a promising position via Shaun Okojie’s slick movement on the edge of the area. Despite being swarmed by white shirts, sharp shooter Okojie found space to hit the ball from around 25 yards, which spectacularly sailed into the bottom left corner of Allen’s net. A lapse of concentration had dearly cost the crestfallen Molesey whilst the relieved and jubilant Casuals players bombarded the man of the moment. The visitors had stolen the lead- it was 1-0 Corinth.

The response that Molesey’s boss and their opponent expected was non-existent as the hosts failed to conjure any attacking opportunities throughout the latter period. The rest of the second-half was often spent in the Molesey half as Casuals attempted to seal the deal with a vital second goal. An agonising set piece saw the open Jack Strange collide with fellow centre-back Danny Dudley as a golden opportunity went begging- the header flew past the post. With fifteen minutes left, Josh Gallagher’s curling shot from outside the box was somehow parried by the alert Allen as onlookers groaned in disbelief. The electric atmosphere in the away end sparked new chants about Jamie Byatt, who made another substitute appearance following his recent return from injury. Byatt couldn’t provide a goal for Casuals as the visitors battled to defend Molesey’s route one set pieces. The hefty five minutes of stoppage time were completed; Casuals had conquered.

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