Corinthian-Casuals vs Chessington & Hook

However our inactivity was evident from the off, with our hosts showing far more energy, endeavour and quality than us.

Whilst we huffed and puffed around the pitch we always seemed a yard short of pace, and as a result, Casuals enjoyed the majority of possession. The excellent surface promoting a passing game for them that they were able to display virtually untroubled and unchallenged throughout.

Our plus points were the opening twenty minutes or so from Alistair John and the return of Zak Graham, although his night ended in more frustration when he picked up a calf injury following his long lay off with a hamstring problem.

On twenty minutes we fell behind. We could count ourselves a little unfortunate that the goalscorer benefited from receiving a poorly directed attempt from his teammate, but were rightly punished for our slack marking.

With little offered ourselves as an attacking force it seemed only a matter of time before we would concede again, and although we were again a little unfortunate to have a corner awarded against us when everyone but the referee knew it was a goal kick, our defensive work left a lot to be desired as we fell further behind.

With that goal right on the half, the game hinged on who would score next.

And perhaps with that in mind our start to the second half was quite encouraging with the first ten minutes or so played almost entirely in our attacking third. Despite this not enough questions were asked of the Casuals goalkeeper, and it was noticeable that the energy of our side dropped as a result of our inability to create any meaningful chances. Midway through the half our fate was sealed when a confident finish saw us fall three behind.

With the game gone the introduction of fresh legs was the only hope of getting some reward, but even the substitutes seemed lacklustre and unfit as the game stumbled to its close.

All in all an uninspiring performance, and a timely reminder that even when there is a lack of games being played, the fitness and togetherness of the group remains important.