Oatlands resumed their fixture pattern of one week off, one week on this week with a match against Dunsfold on Saturday. Going into this game we desperately needed to pick up where we left off against Mytchett. Far too often we have come off the back of a good win, assumed we would only have to turn up and the points would be ours and the are left crying into our pints after the game.

This weeks squad; Sam, Prycey, Moo, Sonny, Baynezy, Joe, Butler, Pod, Jordy, Jiz and Jamie. On the bench; Ryan, Dom, Simon, Tom BL.

We got the game off to the perfect start and scored from our first attack. It was from a break down the left, Pod jinked past a player with the ball, cut in and then squared ball to Jiz who was just outside the penalty area. Jiz took a touch, composed himself and unleashed a low and pretty much unstoppable shot into the corner of the net. 1-0 and the perfect start.

We dominated the early stages of the game. We passed it well, had good shape and Dunsold struggled to get the ball off us. Down the right was where we looked most dangerous with our captain Baynezy bombing forward from the right back spot and interchanging passes and positions with Jordy. We were also dominant down the centre and down the left, meaning that most of the game was played in the Dunsfold half.

With our dominance in possession and the fact that the game was played mainly in Dunsfolds half, the chances started to come, and sadly go by. Numerous crosses, through balls and chances fell to our attack, and although there were a few glorious opportunities, a lot of the chances seemed to be fall into the wrong place or were genuinely difficult. The Dunsfold keeper was also forced to make numerous trips to the car park as the mortars we were launching from distance were also failing to hit the target.

The numerous chances that went begging could be forgiven though as it looked like a second was almost certainly in the post, Dunsfold were offering nothing in attack and we were playing some pleasing football round the rest of the pitch. At the back there was little for Sonny and Moo to do, except for the fact that they needed to keep concentrating and deal with anything over the top from the keepers long wind assisted punts down field.

It did take a while, but eventually the second goal came. Baynezy had been on one of his customary surges up the field when he was bought down on the right hand side and about midway into the Dunsfold half of the pitch. Baynezy picked himself up to take the free kick and whipped in the perfect ball. As the ball whipped in, it just evaded Jiz, but Jamie B was at the back post to roof the ball from 3 yards out and on the half volley. 2-0 OFC.

As half time approached we were still cruising in terms of possession and what the egg chasing folk would describe as “territory”, but there seemed to be an air of frustration at our inability to have Dunsfold dead and buried before half time.

At half time there wasn’t an awful lot for Jim to say in Phil’s absence. With all due respect to Dunsfold, I don’t think they were too likely to cause us that many problems, so Jim focused mainly on things that we could do to put the game to bed. We seemed a bit down on ourselves.

The second half started well and we set the tone right from the start with Jamie chasing after the ball like a mad man from the kick off and forcing Dunsfold on to the back foot straight away.

As the second half got underway, the weather conditions began to deteriorate from being grim to just plain shit and our football seemed to go the same way as a few silly errors began to creep in. Players started misjudging the bounce of the ball, holding on to it for too long and passing to players in green rather than white. Jordy was now beginning to suffer the effects of the previous evenings festivities was also beginning to do some strange things whenever the ball came his way, almost as if he was crying out for Jim’s attention on the bench.

It was a 3 rd goal from Jamie that lifted the gloom slightly. Pete Butler supplied the corner from our right hand side and Jamie rose up highest at the near post to direct the ball into the goal with a nice headed finish. 3-0 OFC.

With the game seemingly beyond the reach of Dunsfold, we went for wholesale change. Jordy, Jamie and Pod came off. Dom, Tom BL and Simon came on.

After the changes were made we lost our way a little. Too often the ball dropped between a number of OFC players and we would all look at each other as if to say “after you, no after you, no, I insist, after you.” We also lost our way a little in terms of shape and general composure.

Despite looking a little uncertain of ourselves, little changed in the pattern of the match as the game was still mainly being played in the Dunsfold half, but with a bit more time and space available, the opposition were beginning to probe our half a bit more regularly.

It was Prycey who made it 4-0 to Oatlands and it was probably the highlight of the game. It was from a nice passage of play down the right that the opportunity materialized. Tom Pryce, now playing in central midfield, had clearly read the situation as it developed and maneuvered himself into the perfect deep lying central midfielders position just outside the box. He clearly knew that if anything broke loose he would have the talent and ability to capitalize with a shot or the perfect through ball to one of our strikers. With Tom in position, we couldn’t resist passing it to him. As the ball came to him 25 yards out and in a position that was just slight left of the centre of the box, he surveyed his options but decided now was the time to show anyone watching just what a gifted individual he is. He struck it first time with a curling shot that took into account the wind, the keepers position and the need to get it right into the top right corner with style. It was the picture perfect long range curling shot and goal. 4-0 Oatlands

Moments after scoring, Tom went down with his usual injury forcing us to drag his useless carcass off the pitch and play the last 15 minutes with 10 men.

The final 15 minutes of the game were pretty awful watching. We seemed to have lost our enthusiasm and the rest of the game was played with the sort of pace, urgency and enthusiasm of a herd of manatees and it was a pretty ugly end to the game. Dunsfold also hit the post late on to give us a bit of a scare.

Overall it was a reasonable performance and we got 3 more valuable points and kept a second consecutive clean sheet. Had we upped our game a bit more, or taken some of the numerous opportunities we created, particularly in the first half, the score may have looked a little more one sided. Today’s man of the match went to Baynezy who was asked to captain the side. From the start to the finish he was outstanding and totally committed to the cause. If we could all apply that sort of attitude week in week out we should have a good season.

Next up for OFC is a game against Mytchett at their place. This is a fixture that we always play badly in and usually go on to lose. We need to make sure that we approach what will almost certainly be a very tough fixture with a cup final type attitude and hopefully we can extend our winning streak to 4 in a row and continue our climb upwards in the table.

Please note that training now moves for the winter period to Walton Oak School, this is a floodlit AstroTurf facility based in Ambleside Avenue in Walton. Please bring appropriate footwear. A big thanks to Moo for sorting this.