a damp squib on and off the pitch with a loss away to Corinthian Casuals

We returned to league action on Saturday afternoon for the first time in three weeks, though the conditions could hardly have been less inviting. A relentless stream of rain fell from kick-off onwards, turning the afternoon into more of a battle than the kind of flowing football we’ve been aiming to produce this season.

With several sides around us having picked up points during our break, we arrived in Tolworth sitting eighth in the table, but still holding valuable games in hand on the teams above us. The early stages reflected the conditions: messy, disjointed and without tempo. Neither side managed to gain control as the ball skidded and held unpredictably on the wet surface. The game’s major early moment came just before the half-hour mark, when Corinthian Casuals’ Diogo Da Silva was shown a straight red card for a challenge in midfield. With the hosts reduced to ten men, our supporters understandably sensed an opportunity to take hold of the match.

But instead of retreating, the sending off appeared to energise Casuals. They suddenly played with greater purpose, and we struggled to settle after the incident. On thirty-three minutes, they took advantage. Scott Day collected the ball on the left side of the box and curled a superb strike into the far top corner to give the home side the lead and lift the crowd.

After scoring, Casuals reorganised intelligently. They dropped deep, packed the midfield and closed down every avenue we attempted to play through. As the pitch continued to worsen, space became increasingly difficult to find and the first half fizzled out with little goalmouth action, the score still 1–0.

The rain somehow intensified after the break. To the credit of the ground staff, the pitch was far more resilient than it had been last season, but it still made building momentum difficult. The half developed into a series of short, scrappy spells where neither team could create many clear openings.

Our closest moment came on eighty-two minutes when Arsenii Protsyshyn cut inside and hit a deflected effort that flashed into the side netting. For a moment, supporters at the far end thought it had gone in, but the ripple was deceptive. Still, it offered a rare glimpse of hope.

As time ran out, we pushed harder and harder for an equaliser, committing bodies forward and forcing Corinthian Casuals deeper into their own half. It was a brave effort, but as often happens when chasing the game, it left space to exploit. In the seventh minute of added time, a forward pass of ours was intercepted by Clayton Afonso. He strode forward and released Hockey, who carried the ball into the final third before squaring for Protsyshyn to slot home their second.

Moments later, the whistle blew on a frustrating 2–0 defeat — made harder to swallow by the early red card and the sense that we never quite made our advantage count.

Despite the disappointment, we still have games in hand and plenty of football to play. The focus now is on regrouping, responding with character and putting this performance behind us quickly as we push to climb the table once again.

Starting XI:

1 Sam Gray

2 Tom Drinkwater

5 Joe Dyett

6 Liam Avery

8 Sean Swift

14 Eoin Fraser

12 Brad Manning

17 Lewis Pearch

16 Alex Keating

19 Ollie Burke

20 TJ Taylor

Subs:

4 Lewis Hillary (on for Avery)

7 Sam Bartlett (on for Keating)

11 George Sellick (on for Burke)

18 Jake Rumble (on for Taylor)

Not used 3 Andy Matthews