GEOFF...MIKE...JARV...ROB H(1)...POD...JIM B...DOM...2-GUN(1)....FURNO...STU(1)...JACK(1)...PEEWEE(1)... ...POD...ROSS

There are times when I spend an entire Sunday writing match reports and those Sundays very often involve me sitting down writing a few words, going away and thinking how can I put a positive spin on things, not involving individuals or offending anyone and then there are times when we play a game on a Saturday and I simply can't wait to sit down and tell anyone who's interested in reading, what a great club this is and what a great performance we turned in on a Saturday afternoon.

Thankfully this is a week when quite frankly I don't know how to limit the amount of positive things I want to say about today's performance into a reasonable length match report.

Preparation for this weeks match started well. Being injured and after having written some pretty harsh things about our performances recently I thought it was important to get down to training in order to address anyone's views on match reports and also to help wherever possible. Attendance and the atmosphere at training were excellent, Phil prepared a few team building type drills that went down brilliantly and despite the poor results of late the vibe was great and it was a good foundation on which to prepare for a Saturday.

I love away days, we meet at the pub, we inevitably go down the A3 in a convoy and then everyone gets lost and split up, subsequently resulting in mobile phone network failure as everyone calls Beater to find out where we need to be.

Eventually everyone got to Merrow's ground and it was disappointing to find that we weren't playing on the pitch with the dugouts, but it was a nice day, there's a nice view over the rolling hills of Surrey, the supporters had there tea and Watson wrote down in his notepad that this, like Hambledon, would be a lovely place to come in the summer.

We were able to field a strong team this week and it was as follows; Geoff, 2-Gun, Ross, Furno, Jarv, Djimi, PeeWee, Mike, Jack, Rob and Stu. Dom and Pod on the bench.

This week's opposition, Merrow ‘A', formerly of Premier Division status and a team we have always had a bit of a run in with. This would be a good opportunity to prove a point for us. We were horrified when we saw their choice of linesman – a chap who Phil has fallen out with before and a man who's integrity as a linesman we have called into question in the past.

From the moment we arrived Merrow didn't look like the outfit we had previously played, even in the warm up there was hardly a player we recognized and they simply didn't seem like the aggressive unit that had beaten us so comprehensively a few years ago.

We would start the game kicking down the hill and with the wind which hopefully would prove advantageous. Unbelievably we were 1-0 up within 30 seconds of the start, a very direct attack through the centre released PeeWee who had just the keeper to beat. He made no mistake and we were off to the perfect start.

With Mike and PeeWee in the centre of the Oatlands midfield, there would never be any question that we would have the energy and determination to be competitive for 90 minutes and it was almost certain that they would win a lot of first and second balls between them, perhaps the only question might be whether they had the guile, cunning and composure of a more experienced player such as Chris Harper. But Mike and PeeWee, probably playing together in midfield for the first time were equal to the task, sharing equally the responsibilities of defence and attack.

In central defence this week, there was a debut for Ross and it would be down to Tim Furnival to be the role model and show him the ropes. As you would expect, Tim Furnival had bagged his first victim within about 2 minutes, Ross got the general idea and within 5 minutes the two of them looked like they had been playing together for years.

Up front, Gravy was under added pressure to get a goal this week; his family had made the long journey from up north to see their son in action. As with any game that he plays in, you can always guarantee a great performance, but could he get that all important goal that would be the icing on the cake? Strike partner Rob Hunter was also coming under increased pressure as he is yet to open his account this season, but as usual he could rely on the supporters on the side to will him on throughout the match.

Our midfield and defence were dominant throughout the first 15 minutes of the game and subsequently we were able to earn ourselves a number of opportunities at goal. Only 2 things stood in our way, their linesman and our finishing. As is very often the case Jack proved more than capable of providing the supply, but it just wasn't happening for us in front of goal as we missed a succession of chances and found ourselves frustrated by a series of saves by their excellent goal keeper. As expected, the linesman also courted controversy with some decisions and you could begin to see the frustration on the side and on the pitch mounting.

We did what we had to do and did the basics well. First and foremost protecting our lead and secondly giving ourselves the platform to build attacks. The main threat from Merrow was from their right hand side, but any time the winger went past Jarv, Tim Furnival or Ross were there to clean up. On the opposite side, 2-Gun always looked comfortable and he had plenty of time to put his foot on the ball and find another white shirt. In goal, Geoff was pretty much reduced to the role of spectator, collecting the occasion ball over the top or Tim Furnival back-header.

Both teams found themselves deeply frustrated by the referee, but unusually it was the opposition who did most of the bitching despite decisions that went against both sides.

With half time drawing nearer we remained the dominant side, but scoring again was critical, but it still wasn't happening and you could sense the tension on the side, especially given the way the last 2 games have panned out.

Club captain Djimi, relieved the tension on the side with a couple of moments of magic on the pitch. Firstly, a skyed clearance came his way and with no one in the vicinity, the cry from all around was “how's your touch!!!”, pretty good as it turned out, bringing the ball down like a pro. Clearly buoyed by this and full of confidence, the bespectacled club captain wooed the crowd again minutes later as he put the ball between the legs of a Merrow midfielder, shouting “nuts!!” as he went past. I won't mention that he kicked the ball far too far to ever latch back on to, but it certainly geed up those on the side and on the pitch.

Despite dominating the first period we went into half time with the game still in the balance, although it was looking unlikely; a Merrow goal early in the second half could easily have changed the course of the game and possibly made that hill seem steeper and the wind against us stronger in the second half. Basically we had to score first.

Straight from the kick off it was clear that a combination of the wind and the keeper's powerful kick would mean that Geoff and his back four would need to be on their toes.

We got the breakthrough needed and deserved early in the second half. Again it was a very direct type of attack, straight down the middle. The ball bounced into the path of Rob Hunter and thinking that maybe his luck might be better from 20 yards than 2 yards, Rob took the shot on and hit a superb shin-roll type shot that looped high and looked like it might go over. Fortunately the topspin on the ball sent it over the keeper and nestling into the net. 2-0 and the pressure seemed to be off.

The second and crucial goal visibly lifted the entire team. At the back we knocked the ball around with confidence. In midfield we were hungrier, more determined and more often than not, first to every loose ball and we should have had our 3 rd and Rob's second of the game shortly after. Jack easily skinned the Merrow left back and got to the byline and cut it back to Rob who was left with the simple task of rolling it in from the 12 yards out. We were amazed (well, we weren't actually) when the linesman ruled it out for offside.

After looking like he couldn't score in a brothel for much of last season, Jack clinically moved temporarily in to the top scorer's birth. At half time we discussed the fact that anything long would need to be diagonal due to the short pitch and anything dropping behind the defence could be picked up by Jack who would easily outpace their back four. Jarv hit a superb cross field pass from the left back position; Jack was on it like lighting and drilled the ball across the keeper for our third. 3-0.

The referee wasn't the greatest we have ever had and we were amazed when he booked Jack midway through the second half after he tried to get the ball when it was being shepherded out for a goal kick and fouled the left back. Being, the conscientious lad he is, he went to get the ball for Merrow to avoid a second after his shot went 60 yards past the goal when the ref blew up late for a foul in the box.

With the pressure off and a job well done, Rob was given a well deserved rest and made way for Pod. Pod introduced himself superbly to the match and his first touch was a crunching ball winning tackle on their centre-back.

Again we continued to mount the pressure on Merrow, every time one of their players thought he had time to settle on the ball in midfield, Peewee or Mike were in there first to nick the ball or win a header and we were off on another attack.

The referee seriously upset Merrow with 10 minutes left. Stu rounded the keeper superbly only to be bought down, Jack was on the scene instantly but couldn't hit the target from 4 yards. The referee, having allowed us the advantage took pity on our inability to score from close range and bought the ball back for a penalty. Anyone watching the OFC right back position would have seen 2-Gun celebrating Jack's miss like it was a goal because he knew that it was his opportunity to get on the score sheet.

OFC's penalty taker stepped up and delivered from 12 yards with a crisp strike into the bottom corner of the net. 4-0 and nothing less than our efforts deserved.

Stu rounded off a great afternoons work by putting the finishing touches on a great second half performance by latching on to a Jack through ball and finished with a classy strike into the bottom right hand corner of the net. His reward for another tireless afternoons work. 5-0.

Overall it was the perfect response to some of the harsh words that have been said in the last week and Beater and Phil were absolutely delighted with the performance, especially given the frustrations of the first half.

In summary, we could have (or should have) been in a substantial lead in the first half and a Merrow goal may have rocked us back. But we stuck to the task, never stopped talking to each other, never gave up hope and subsequently ran riot in the second half.

Next week we play the University of Surrey at home. We know what to expect, young and physically fit lads who will play good football. Merrow aren't the strongest team in the league, but if we apply the same preparation and principles as on Saturday there is no reason why we can't get a result. There will probably be a few players returning including Goulash, so anyone wanting to start or play a role will need to impress at training on Thursday. As we are at home it would be great to see as many supporters as possible at the game. This season the support has been magnificent, so if you're playing or if you're supporting, get your friends, family etc to come down. There's already tea and gazebo provided by the club, but the more supporters that we can get each week the more we can think about doing extra stuff for those that come to watch.

The Blue Hawaii is now booked and 25 people have paid which is a tremendous effort by everyone at such short notice, so lets get a hatful of points before Christmas and lets ring in OFC's 5 th year with some style.

A massive thanks to all those who came and supported today, it was a long journey to make, but as ever your support is always appreciated.