Men's football news
Monday had some good news and some not so good news for the Rooks. The disappointment of the postponement against Horsham was offset slightly with four of the chasing pack sharing the points although Carshalton Athletic’s late late winner against South Park wasn’t a pleasant Easter present. Saturday sees another round of games at the top of the Bostik League South with the pick of the lot The Rooks heading to South-West London to face Corinthian Casuals.
Monday’s postponement meant that some of Darren’s squad who had tweaks and strains have had a full week to recover whilst Leon Redwood has recovered from his sickness bug that kept him out of Saturday’s defeat at Hythe Town. Lloyd Cotton, Jamie Brotherton and Charlie Coppola should all be back in contention for the squad after their injuries.
The big news from Corinthian-Casuals is the injury sustained on Monday to keeper and captain, Danny Bracken. The goalie has been a rock at the heart of the Casuals defence and we wish a speedy recovery. However, with the transfer deadline passed it is unclear whether Casuals will be forced to play outfield player Harry Ottaway, who kept a clean sheet at Walton Casuals on Monday, between the sticks. Also missing will be second-top scorer Gabriel Odunaike who was sent-off against Cray Wanderers two weeks ago.
Casuals home form has seen them win thirteen, draw two and lose five so far this season. Prior to their last home game (the defeat to Cray Wanderers) they had won eight league games on the spin which catapulted them into second place until last week.
When did we last meet Corinthian Casuals?
Casuals inflicted our first home defeat earlier in the season when Gabriel Odunaike completed a ‘smash and grab’ on the Rooks with an 88th minute winner. That was also the first Bostik League match where the Rooks had failed to score in.
It was a case of what could have been last season against Casuals. One of our best team performances of the season saw us come away from King George’s Fields with a 2-0 in January thanks to goals from Charlie Coppola and Stephen Okoh but in the reverse fixture at The Pan in April, Casuals ran out 3-2 winners in a thrilling game. Ronnie Conlon brought us back into the game after the visitors had taken a 2-0 lead, then a blatant handball on the line by Casuals Jack Strange was missed by the officials. Hot-shot Shaun Okojie then went up the other end of the pitch in injury time to make it 3-1 only for Jonte Smith headed a late, late goal to make it 3-2.
About King George’s Field
Corinthian Casuals ground is a basic affair but certainly homely. There is a small main stand with a few rows of seating and a covered terrace along one side and a covered terrace behind one goal. Apart from that it is hard standing around the pitch. The club house and food van can be found behind the main stand. Trains regularly pass over the top of the main stand which can be a bit off-putting for away players and fans alike.
How to get to King George’s Field
The ground is situated just off the A3 not far from the Tolworth roundabout. If you are travelling from the M25 you can join the A3 London-bound at junction 10. Stay on the A3 until you reach the 50mph speed limit, continue under the Hook roundabout and move into the left-hand lane for about 174 yards. Bear left onto Hook Rise North for 0.2 mile (Tolworth Junction). At roundabout, take the FOURTH exit (as if you were going to rejoin the A3 going back towards the way you came signposted M25, Portsmouth) then almost immediately take slip road on left onto Hook Rise South for 0.5 mile.
If you are travelling from London on the A3 take the Tolworth Junction exit. At roundabout, take the second exit (as if you were going to rejoin the A3 going towards M25, Portsmouth) then almost immediately take slip road on left onto Hook Rise South for 0.5 mile.
Turn left into Queen Mary Close. Ground and car park under railway bridge on right hand side. The 55-mile journey should take just over an hour from Lewes.
The ground is situated around a ten-minute walk from Tolworth station which is in Zone 5. Turn left out of the station and walk up to the roundabout where you should turn left again, past where the Toby Jug pub used to be. Walk alongside the slip road into Hook Rise South. Continue down the road until you reach Queen Mary’s Close, where you will see a small sign for the club. Walk under the bridge and the ground is on the right. Journey time from Lewes, with a change at Clapham Junction is 1 hour 50 minutes and an Off-Peak Day Return is currently £24.90.
Admission at King George’s Field
Admission this season will be £10 for adults, £5 for concessions (senior citizens, students and Under18s), and accompanied under 16s are admitted for £1.
Fancy a beer?
This is a tough one – there are literally no pubs within a 10/15-minute walk of the ground so unusually I am going to recommend having a beer or two at Clapham Junction at pubs such as The Falcon (which has England’s longest bar) or The Slug and Lettuce, both within a 2 minute walk of the station.