Corinthian-Casuals 2 Dulwich Hamlet 1

Ryman Isthmian League Division One South

Saturday 13^th January 2007

Ah, the Corinthians, the Casuals, such evocative names in the pantheon of footballing lore, conjuring up sepia-tinted images of gentleman in its truest sense, pristinely-waxed moustaches bristling with well-concealed anger at the barest hint of foul-play, barbarism and unsporting behaviour. King George's Field, hard by the lung-choking artery of the A3, in the shadow of a railway embankment, pricks those light imaginings, the robust play of those who now don the illustrious Chocolate and Pink shatters the romantic vision as surely as a hammer splinters glass. Upstairs, Downstairs, for if the past of the now conjoined Corinthian-Casuals is drawing room, then its present is scullery.

But then needs be when the devil drives, twice spared relegation in recent season first on goal difference, then by the reorganisation of Non-League Football and the resignation of Banstead Athletic, the Casuals now find themselves cast adrift at the foot of Division One South, without a home win all season and with the league leaders paying a call. Bleak seem the prospects but fortune favoured the hosts, not only were they enthused of a desire that the Hamlet lacked, but they received ample assistance, collusion is too strong a word, from a refereeing display so rank as to deflect the travelling throngs anger from their own heroes paucity of performance.

Uncontrollable circumstances robbed the Hamlet of a key spine of players as Wayne Burnett was forced into a number of changes in the wake of victory at home to Dover the previous Sabbath. Chris Dickson, goalscorer supreme, was a forlorn figure on the sidelines, foot in plaster. Shawn Beveney was in warmer climes, preparing to pull on his international shirt as Guyana mounted their challenge for a place in the final of the Digicel Caribbean Cup. Add to that the absence of Justyn Richards, his dual registration evoked by Fisher Athletic, and finds an excuse but not a reason. Even shorn of so many key players, a struggling side should be easy pickings for a team that harbours genuine ambitious of escaping to the Premier Division.

The Casuals put their stamp on this match from the off, quite literally, from the off. Flying into tackles with the wanton abandon of kamikaze pilots, under the unseeing eyes of Mr O'Brien, they soon were aware that Dulwich had little stomach for a fight. The Chocolate and Pink stormtroopers took midfield, set up camp to provide the ammunition for their marauding hitmen in attack, the pocket battleship Jamie Byatt and the Sherman Tank, André McCollin, whose late strikes at Champion Hill had snatched a draw in balmier August days. Deliberate, crafted football was being swamped by the rudimentary, though not before some silky skills from new boy Leigh Bremner, lithely twisting and turning as drove towards the edge of the penalty area, only for Omari Coleman to inadvertently block his strike. Bremner still managed to reclaim the loose ball but in the act of shooting he was scythed to the floor in the area, the first of trio of illicit, yet unpunished challenges that would prematurely end his afternoon.

Casuals created the better though, but wasteful finishing keep matters even. A low free kick was met by skipper Chris Horwood stretching out a leg to reach the ball before his marker but scooping the ball over the crossbar. Soon after when Jamie Coyle attempted to chest a rightwing back to keeper Simon Overland, he failed to spot the nippy Byatt in sneaked in behind him to latch on the ball, but struggled to control it, allowing Gavin Dayes the opportunity to position himself between Byatt and goal, blocking the shot. With a yellow flourished apparently in the direction of Lewis Tozer, Casuals found a free kick conferred upon them but McCollin wasted the chance lamping the ball high, wide and into the car park.

Omari Coleman, on Dulwich duty once more, was called back by a late flag as he brought down Coyle's pinpoint deep cross, though the finish was wide of the mark. A third ambush from a Chocolate and Pink assassin put paid to the participation of Bremner. Twice he hobbled back to the fray after being crumpled by challenges, but the third proved terminal and Sol Pinnock was called from the bench to replace him. The greater physical presence of the replacement provided an infusion of optimism; Pinnock's purposeful run three minutes after joining the skirmish setting up Coleman, only for an excellent saving tackle from Matt Smith to sweep the ball from his feet on the penalty spot. Smith was there again when Kenny Beaney zipped a low ball across the fringe of the area, looking for Coleman overlapping on the left, the Casuals defender stretching to administer the vital touch to divert the ball from the striker's path.

Stalemate to wash down the half-time Bovril but no. The clock had just ticked over into stoppage time when at last a goal arrived. A foul went on Beaney unpunished, or did Mr O'Brien play an advantage, the difference was immaterial for a precision pass found Coyle haring into space on the right and an searing strike thundered into the net past ‘keeper Colin Harris at the foot of his near post.

Shell-shocked the Casuals must have been but their recovered their senses and the deficit with mere minutes of the restart. Aided and abetted by the howling gale, which had gathered strength as the afternoon wore on, a long, long free kick was touched on by Jamie Goodwin, the ball dropping into space and with Simon Overland caught in No Man's Land, Jamie Byatt nipped to top off the move with a deft header over the stranded ‘keeper.

Wide right, Pinnock cut in only for a home defender to charge down his shot. Nicolas Plumain cut in from the wings to drive in an effort from the edge of the area but straight into the body of Colin Harris.

Still leading scorer for the hosts despite missing more than half the season through injury, the resolute McCollin produced a surging run from the left wing that ended with a fierce drive but wide of Overland's near post. The rare beauty of such move was soon put into stark contrast as Dayes was clattered into by Goodwin, a clash of heads leaving the Dulwich man with a cut head and Goodwin sprawled out on the sward. Unable to continue Dayes was replaced by Cedric Meeko with Coyle moving back into the centre-half role, whilst the perpetrator merely had to change shirts before resuming, remarkably covering nearly 50 yards in a less than a second to meet the resultant free kick bizarrely awarded to the hosts. The reshuffle left Dulwich in disarray, Casuals almost capitalising as Byatt came within inches of polishing off a rightwing cross whipped across the face of goal.

Officiating decisions continued to leave Dulwich in quandary. Chasing a long ball forward, Pinnock was held back by an arm across the chest from the last defender as the two tussled for the ball, but when the flag waved it was to penalise Pinnock not the offender! Making space for shot from the edge of the box, Beaney found only Harris' midriff, then moments later found himself the recipient of a hastily flourished yellow card. That caution was soon mirrored by one for McCollin, though it took him three offences before he could persuade Mr O'Brien to produce the book. McCollin though would have the last laugh when three minutes from time he made no mistake on find the net and clinch the points. Stumbling on the ball, Coyle lost possession to Goodwin and his neat pass put in McCollin on goal. This time the chance was not to be scattered to the winds as he hammered the ball past the advancing Overland to send his team-mates into ecstasy. Amidst this celebration a sour taste was left by the behaviour of a pair of home substitutes who danced along the touchline, yelling obscenities at the travelling fans, but perhaps points carry greater weight than principles in the modern era.

Dulwich went hell for leather for an equaliser and they might have been thrown a late lifeline when Beaney was fouled; ostensibly just inside the penalty area but Mr O'Brien spotted the ball a foot further back. Harris lost Beaney's delivery under pressure but the chance of last gasp equaliser went begging as Jamie Coyle ballooned the loose ball over the crossbar.

Below stairs, the relegation dogfight can begin anew for the jubilant hosts. At the top table, the Hamlet must look to find that hunger before they fight themselves dismissed to eat with the servants.

Teams:

CCFC: Colin Harris; Matt Smith; Dale Hennessy; Harry Holloway; Chris Horwood (Capt); Craig Dunne; Aaron Colt-Bolt; James Goodwin; André McCollin; Luke Gay; Jamie Byatt

Substitutes not used: Daniel Green; Jamie Carr; Alex Okisor; Ambrose Karmara; Kane Sergeant

DHFC: Simon Overland; Jason Turley; Nicolas Plumain; Gavin Dayes (Cedric Meeko 68); Jamie Coyle(Capt); Lewis Tozer; David Moore; Kenny Beaney; Leigh Bremner (Sol Pinnock 37); Omari Coleman; Phil Williams (Daniel Jones 75)

Substitutes not used: Matt Dean, Theo Fairweather-Johnson

Attendance: 162

Officials:

"Referee": Mr J O'Brien

"Assistant" Referees: Mr M Hopton & Mr A Roberts

Goalscoring:

0-1 DHFC Jamie Coyle 45^th minute

1-1 CCFC Jamie Byatt 47^th minute

2-1 CCFC André McCollin 86^th minute