Knaphill produced a disciplined performance to win 2-0 at home to Corinthian-Casuals in the Combined Counties Premier Division South.

The Knappers picked up three valuable points at Redding Way thanks to goals from Thomas Harland-Goddard and Ross Cheek.

The hosts started brightly, showing composure in possession and intensity without the ball. Their pressing in the final third kept Corinthian-Casuals pinned back and set the tone for much of the half.

The visitors’ frustration grew when Gabriel Odunaike was sent to the sin bin on 33 minutes, while Louis Collins was cautioned in the same passage of play after a foul on Casuals keeper Sanghyun Baek.

The breakthrough came on the stroke of half-time from some excellent team pressing. Collins found space on the left and whipped in a cross towards Olly Woolgar, who held off his marker and laid the ball off to Harland-Goddard, who struck his first-time effort from the edge of the box into the bottom left-hand corner of the net to give Knaphill a deserved lead at the interval.

Corinthian-Casuals came out stronger in the second half, but Knaphill’s backline stayed compact and disciplined. The visitors went closest to equalising when a long-range effort clipped the top of the bar.

At the other end, Knaphill nearly extended their advantage when Collins’ inswinging corner forced Baek into a full-stretch save to tip it over the bar.

The second goal arrived on 67 minutes. From another Knaphill corner, Corinthian-Casuals managed only a partial clearance to the edge of the box, where Max Lohmeier got the faintest of touches to set up Cheek. The midfielder ran onto it and struck a superb fierce half-volley into the bottom left-hand corner to make it 2-0.

Ross Murdoch, Jack Phillips and Ben Mitchell were introduced late on as Knaphill saw the game out professionally.

By James Carpenter