Seven days ago, his charges went to and beat Ryman South pacesetters Dorking Wanderers in what the boss described in his programme notes as “undoubtedly our best performance of the season so far.” 

This Saturday afternoon however the bosses comments were a little different as Corinthian Casuals inflicted the Chats sixth home League defeat of the season already as they cruised to a 4-1 victory.  Despite a stunning strike from Josh Jackson (his seventh of the season), a hat-trick from giant striker Shaun Okojie and a fourth from Josh Gallagher left Anslow scratching his head searching for answers.

Speaking to KSN after the game, the Chats boss admitted. “Coming off the back of our last couple of performances, we were flat today!  In the two previous games we had a lot of energy, and today?  It was a weird one – I cant put a finger on it!  They’re a good side, but we weren’t at the races today,” Anslow bemoaned.

Casuals showed their intentions early on and Okojie could have opened the scoring before he actually did as he powered a header past the home sides left post with keeper Alex Hyde motionless.  Owen Price had the home sides best early chance as he fired a shot from outside the box that fizzed just wide.

The game was perhaps at its most open towards the middle of the first half and Jack Strange came agonisingly close to giving Chatham the lead as he sliced Jackson’s low cross over his own bar before Casuals took the lead.  Jordan Clarke and Mahrez Bettache combining for Okojie to bundle the ball home at the far post.  Strange then proved what a strange game football can be when he thumped a free header (from a corner) onto Hyde’s cross bar again with the poor Chats stopper rooted to the spot.

After going close in the first half, Price went close again in early stages of the second half, but was denied by a fine low save by Casuals keeper Danny Bracken before moments later the Casuals keeper was to turn provider as the lead was doubled.  A huge clearance by the keeper was flicked on by Okojie for Clarke who raced away before pulling the ball back for Okojie who drilled home.

You somehow feared it wasn’t going to be the Chats day as Price did brilliantly to cut out a back-pass but was caught in at least two minds and failed to test Bracken as his effort screwed across the face of goal, leaving his manager shaking his head in bewilderment!  There was however joy for Anslow as just moments later when his side were back in the game as substitute Ryan Flack slid a great ball in for Jackson who raced between two defenders before rifling home from the angle.

For an all too brief period there was hope for the Chats as Casuals seem to be rocking – hope though that was sadly all but extinguished just a couple of minutes later when Warren Morgan’s run down the right wasn’t checked and his pull back was gleefully swept home by Okojie to complete his hat-trick.  Gallagher then capped a fine personal performance in midfield by racing onto a one two on the edge of the Chats box to ram home the Casuals fourth late on.

It was a slightly flattering scoreline against the home side although the visitors were full value for their win.  For Anslow though, there was nothing but disappointment and frustration after the game.  “The last three performances have been a massive improvement and that’s why this performance hurts so much.  It’s almost like we’ve taken two steps forward and one step back and we’ve told the players that it just shows you that you don’t crack this game”  he told us.

“You never know what your right choices are and one game a player can be brilliant in midweek and you get a completely different performance from the same player the following weekend.  Really it’s just about installing confidence in players to get seven or eight out of ten every week instead of today four or five.”

CHATHAM TOWN – Hyde, Aboagye, Patterson (Lyoubi), Price, Difford, Hickey, Morley, Brand (Bray), Medley, Jackson, Youngs (Flack)

Subs – Rogers & Okosieme

CORINTHIAN CASUALS – Bracken, Morgan, Hodges, Strange, Wright, Gallagher, Spencer, Bettache, Okojie (Byatt), Cheklit (Johnson), Clarke (Uzun)

Subs – Dudley & Murray