Casuals in town as Blues look to go nine unbeaten

Blues will welcome one of the most famous names in non-league football to the ProKit UK Stadium on Saturday when Corinthian-Casual arrive for a Bostik League Premier Division fixture, kick-off 3pm.

The game  will be the ninth since Steve Smith and Jamie Cureton took charge of the team, and Blues remain unbeaten under their management.

Last weekend’s 1-0 win against AFC Hornchurch lifted the Casuals  up to 18th place with 11 points from nine games, with one of their three league wins coming with a 2-1 success at Blues’ neighbours Harlow Town.
They progressed to the second qualifying round of the FA Cup the hard way, winning 6-0 against Croydon before losing 2-1 against Whyteleafe before being reinstated as the visitors had played an inelligible player. The reprieve earned them a trip to St Albans City, but after drawing 1-1 at Clarence Park they were beaten 3-0 in the replay.
Casuals have certainly been in good goalscoring form in the League Cup, hitting eight goals in their wins against Westfield and Carshalton Athletic.
This is Blues first season back in the Isthmian League for 14 years, but it’s been over three times as long since they played arguably the most famous amateur club in the world.
The last meeting saw Blues romp to a 6-0 win at Rhodes Avenue in December 1973, a result that completed a double for the Blues as they’d beaten them 2-0 at Tooting & Mitcham’s Sandy Lane ground.
That was their last season in the top flight of the Isthmian as, after four straight bottom placed finishes, they were relegated to the newly formed second division. Since then they’ve spent over a decade outside the Isthmian League, but securing their own ground in Tolworth saw them rejuvenated and after sneaking into the play-offs, wins at Greenwich Borough and at home against Walton Casuals in the play-offs saw them win promotion. Crowds were also up, to 195.