Having climbed to the summit of the league table, OFC were given a tricky first round draw to be played away against current Intermediate Cup holders Cobham United.

Going into the game, it looked like we may have just had a bare 11 players as there were a number of players away and Tom Pryce got carted off to the nuthouse after spending 55 minutes of training commentating on himself and then rushing home early because he had to watch Gavin and Stacey. At the last minute we did get a welcome boost as Pete Butler became available to the team after a 3 week absence. Moo was also available after a 2 week absence and it was good to see a semi fit Sean on the bench as back up.

This week’s team Will, Baynezy, Moo, Sonny, Ryan, Tom L, Butters, Rosco, Spoon, Jiz and Jamie. On the bench; Simon and Sean

Upon arrival it looked like it would be the sort of ground on which we would struggle as the surface was very boggy and the pitch was extremely small and narrow.

When the game got underway it was clear that this would be a tricky task. Cobham were very aggressive in their challenges (but not in a dirty way) meaning that we would probably have little time on the ball and it was immediately clear that the man in charge would be reaching for his whistle any time that there was physical contact or 50/50 challenge meaning it would probably be a stop start affair and lots of opportunities for our team to bleat at the ref.

The start was very even and both sides struggled to adapt to the conditions as the ball got bogged down in the centre of the pitch or took a bounce that hit players on the arm rather than the chest. As the first 10 minutes went by we probably gained the upper hand.as much to Cobham’s frustration we were beginning to nick the ball off them more and more often, particularly in midfield and Pete Butler was proving to be a particularly annoying thorn in their side, drawing several fouls early on.

Chances in the first 15 minutes were few and far between, but it was on about 15 minutes when we took the lead. We got the ball in midfield, Jamie B made a great run and was spotted by Pete who put him clean through. It was a 50/50 between Jamie and the keeper but the superior pace of our striker meant that he could poke it past the keeper and either score or get taken down. Sadly for Cobham, Jamie was bought down and Ross stepped up to dispatch the penalty. 1-0 Oatlands.

After going 1-0 down, Cobham upped their game in attack and created one or two chances of their own, but we rode our luck to some extent as they failed to make the most of their chances and blazed either high or wide and failed to test Will.

As the half progressed, we really stepped up our game. Our defence who have been outstanding all season long gave the Cobham attack no chance. Every time their keeper pumped a long ball up the field Sonny or Moo stepped up to head the ball out, every time it went into the wide areas, Baynezy or Ryan emerged with the ball and every time the opposition did get past, another OFC defender was there to sweep up. There was also superb composure as we moved the ball around and away from Cobham.

In midfield, the shortest player on the pitch seemed to also be the tallest as Pete Butler won header after header against much taller opposition and every time he picked up the ball he terrorized the opposition with his ability to beat players and pick out good passes. Rosco, who had moved back into midfield after providing defensive cover for the past few weeks also looked to have recaptured his 2007/8 form as he was always available to receive a pass and flirted between protecting our back four and supporting our attack. Out wide Spoon whipped in some superb balls and Tom BL worked like a dog to create an outlet and width on the left.

Jamie B scored our second. It was a goal that was typical of his season so far as he made a difficult chance look easy with an outstanding finish. He capitalized on a defensive error and found himself on the left hand corner of the 18 yard box. Still with a lot to do and a bouncing ball to contend with, he calmly lobbed the ball towards the top corner and left the keeper with no chance. 2-0

We cruised towards half time very much on top. We might have created more opportunities, particularly from deadball situations as we drew some fouls in promising positions. But it was a rare off day for our free kick takers who didn’t really test the keeper. Down the other end there was little for Will to deal with as he was well protected by the players in front of him

We went into halftime very much on a high and having put in a superb first half performance. There was little to say from Jim apart from to keep the ball out wide and away from the mud, Ross also chipped in to reinforce that it was all looking good and we went out needing to carry on what where we left off in the first half.

Naturally the second half kicked off with Cobham looking to get back into the game as soon as possible and reduce the deficit, but again our defence stood firm, meaning that the Cobham attacks petered out on the edge of our box and finished with an Oatlands player bringing the ball out and moving it into midfield where Pete, Ross, Joe and Tom would all try to work an opportunity for our strikers

Jiz made it 3-0 Oatlands 10 minutes into the second half. Really it should have been offside, but there seemed to be confusion between the ref and the linesman who was about 12 years old. The upshot was that Jiz got the ball at the back post and did very well to beat off the attention of 3 players before tucking the ball away to the keepers left. Although there was a massive enquiry between the Cobham players and the ref, the goal stood, it was 3-0 to us and we could probably relax a little.

A fourth goal followed shortly after. Jiz takes up the description;

The second was the daddy! I was on the sideline having a drink with Jim and Tim, when I saw Butters pick up the ball outside the OFC box. I dropped the bottle and made a busting run. From the centre Pete did a banging ball over the top. I got round the centre back, took a lovely touch and hit it with the left foot bottom left. 4-0 OFC.

At 4-0 down Cobham refused to give up and despite an almost impossible deficit to overcome they still played some good football themselves, passing it round well in the midfield when they were afforded time and continuing to go forward in numbers. But too often they couldn’t find the decisive ball or an OFC head or boot was there to poke the ball away at a vital moment which allowed us to break out with the ball.

Our 5 th goal was the pick of the game. It was a sweeping and decisive move that started from Ryan at left back bringing the ball out, he moved the ball out to Joe at left mid who took a touch and moved it swiftly on to Jamie who had made a darting diagonal run. Again, Jamie took one or two touches and whipped the ball into the penalty spot where Tom BL slid in and buried the ball in to the top corner with his left boot, a great goal and 5-0.

Not long after our fifth Cobham got the goal their efforts probably deserved. We were guilty of giving them a bit too much time and space on the edge of the box and one their players whipped in a ball to the back post which seemed to skim off an OFC head and beat Will at the far post. It was a bit of a blemish on the performance, but probably deserved for Cobham. 5-1.

Cobham fought hard in the closing stages, but it was probably as a result of over commitment up front that our 6 th goal came. Again it was Jiz in the right place at the right time and he was put clean through with just the keeper to beat. He made no mistake and bagged his 13 th goal in 10 games. 6-1

Overall it was an outstanding Oatlands performance. This week we were up against a significantly stronger team than those we have recently played and yet the result was still the same as everyone upped their game another level. From the side it was awesome to watch as we passed it round superbly at times, fought to win all our individual battles and we awesome in front of goal. Our defence limited Cobham to just a single strike on goal in 90 minutes. In midfield we won our individual battles and used the ball well and up front Jiz and Jay were devastating in front of goal, taking virtually every chance that fell their way and working superbly as a pair to close down defenders and link up in attack. Jamie B picked up the MOM for an afternoon of tireless work but really it could have been any number of players on the pitch.

Next up for us is Tongham Reserves. Tongham are clearly the team to beat in this league. They are a point behind us, have also won 5 on the trot, but unlike us, they have been beating all the top half teams meaning that this one will probably be extremely tough. We need to ensure that we stick together as a team, give it our all and be at our best if we want to get anything out of this one.

A big thanks to all those that made the long trip to Dorking to support