Casuals Crash Out Of FA Cup In Middlesex
- Cameron Smith
- Sep 4, 2017
- 2 min read
Two first-half goals in quick succession saw the gritty Ashford Town prevail versus the frustrated 10-man Corinthian-Casuals as the Emirates FA Cup First Qualifying Round journey to Middlesex turned sour in a feisty second-half, in which Reyon Dillon was inexplicably sent off.
From the off, the hosts always seemed to be one step ahead of their visitors in both defence and attack, so in the 25th minute it wasn’t a huge surprise when Ashford took the lead. Despite a foul against Corinth occurring against Corinth during the build-up that the referee ignored, the Tangerines went 1-0 up thanks to Mark Bitmead, who masterfully fired the ball into the top corner from outside the area.
Before Casuals were able to take a breath, Ashford struck again within five minutes of the opener. Hammering the ball into the roof of the net, Dan Fleming netted the second goal for Ashford after an orange shirt squared the ball perfectly for the no.9 to dispatch. The overall quality of the game deteriorated after the 25th minute second goal; Corinthians seemed to lack the cutting edge despite most of the possession. Half-time soon dawned on the Robert Parker Stadium and Ashford had the two-goal advantage.
Jamie Byatt, who was cautioned inside six minutes, was replaced by Dave Hodges at half-time. The second-half was very frustrating for James Bracken’s army as chances that popped up throughout the second-half could not be converted. Ashford had the golden opportunity with around ten minutes to go as Gabby Odunaike was guilty of tripping Bitmead in the area- the referee gave a penalty. Bitmead was looking to score his second of the game and finally kill off Casuals’ possible comeback, but the midfielder wasn’t able to do so as Danny Bracken managed to save the spot-kick with his legs! Casuals were given a lifeline.
Five minutes after the penalty miss, a long punt upfield saw sub Dillon and no.6 Scott Weight challenge for the loose ball. Dillon won the challenge fair and square, but Weight buckled and fell to the floor in attempt to fool the referee and win a free-kick. Mr Lee Grimsey not only gave the foul to Ashford, but reached for a yellow card, which would mean Dillon (who had already been cautioned) was off. A mix of bewilderment, incredulousness and anger amongst the Casuals contingent, players and staff saw Corinth go down to ten men for the final moments. Incredibly harsh, this decision from the referee ended any chance of Casuals scoring late on as the final whistle blew it was 2-0 to Ashford.
Photo credit: Stuart Tree