Casuals Superior To Shoreham In 2-0 Win

Max Oldham’s team-goal tap-in and Jordan Clarke’s elegant long-ranger saw Corinthian-Casuals grab another three points at the King George’s Arena, this time versus last-place Shoreham FC as James Bracken’s pink & brown army stormed into second place in the Bostik League South.

Vocal from the off, Shoreham’s style of play was established in the opening twenty minutes as the rough and hands-on defence amalgamated with the promising attacking aspect However, the visitors’ opening display was expected by Bracken & Co. and was combatted with the quick-thinking midfield of Casuals and a pacey frontline of Cunningham, Reyon Dillon and Jordan Clarke. So in the 20th minute, it was no surprise that Cunningham, fresh from a classy hat-trick on Tuesday was involved in the first strike of the match. A left-footed drive from the no.9 from just inside the area was parried away well by the Shoreham goalkeeper. Dave Hodges was incisive when he collected the ball on the left flank and fed Cunningham again, who delightfully squared the ball for the two chocolate and pink shirts in the area. Dummying the ball in the six yard box, Reyon Dillon skilfully let the ball run to the back post, where Max Oldham tidily finished. A terrific team-goal had put Casuals 1-0 up.

Casuals were drowning in set-pieces for the remainder of the half as Jordan Clarke’s countless efforts to produce a goal failed, excluding a cross that was going to end up curling straight into the net if it wasn’t for the gloves of James Broadbent, the Shoreham no.1. Other than chances, it was a rather feisty match, with midfield rock Kevant Serbony receiving a yellow card after squaring up to an equally-involved Shoreham no.10, who was also booked. As half-time was signalled, Casuals would be pleased with their performance, but would also be hungry for the vital second goal.

The 160 in attendance were not forced to wait long for that second goal… only seven minutes to be precise. No changes to either side at the break saw no changes in quality or distribution of possession- it was all Casuals. Collecting the ball with a sense of composure twenty-five yards from goal, Jordan Clarke unleashed a superbly placed finish that made the effort look oh so easy as the ball was hit low and hard into the keeper’s left hand corner. Clipping off the post, Clarke’s strike was unbelievably accurate, and it was a worthy first goal of the season from the no.11. “Super Jordan Clarke, running down the wing, hear the Casuals sing, super Jordan Clarke!” was chanted repeatedly by the Corinth faithful as the goal-scorer was mobbed by his teammates.

Despite a layer of comfort that was provided alongside the second goal, Casuals seemed to increase their work-rate and creativity, but faltered in the essential clinical aspect of finishing. Gabriel Odunaike was substituted onto the pitch in the 70th minute nearly made an instant impact with a perfect opportunity to slot home skimming the post. However, Odunaike’s shot was nothing compared to the chance that Hodges made for himself late on. Perhaps the definition of agonising, Hodges was fed the ball on the halfway line and decided to take advantage of a long stretch of free space infront of him. Bamboozling three blue shirts with his sheer acceleration, Hodges paced through the Shoreham ranks in a masterful run, but the left-back fell short at the finish when he wasn’t able to get enough power on his shot from just inside the area. The ball dribbled towards Broadbent whilst the Hodges and the Casuals contingent had their heads in their hands. Agonising, but also extremely unlucky.

The game ended with the score-line at 2-0. For the most part, the result would please the Bracken Brothers as Casuals edged into 2nd place in the league. However, they would also be disappointed that the goal difference (which is the best in the whole division) was not increased, as Corinth had multiple chances to score more. Next on the agenda is a trip to Greenwich Borough, who were the hosts during the nail-biting play-off semi-final that cements itself in Casuals’ bespoke history as the night in which the 10-man underdogs came back to beat the semi-pro side 4-3, is on Tuesday night.

Photo credit: Stuart Tree

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