SAM A ...FRASER...SONNY...FURNO...ANDY B...PETE B ...ROSS(1)...HARPS...MIKE...JIM...JACK...STEW...PETE H...TOM

PENALTIES - TOM(0)...ROSS(1)...STEW(1)...JIM(1)...PETE B(1)

Our league season finished early in April with a poor defeat against Abbey Rangers, but the result was meaningless as we could not be promoted or relegated and had bigger fish to fry so to speak. The particularly big fish we were frying on Wednesday night was the Intermediate Cup final vs University of Surrey .

Going into the cup final we were without question the underdogs. The University are flying high in the league above us in the promotion places and we finished our league campaign in 8 th which put the University 17 places above us in the league structure. None the less going into this one we had pretty much our full squad and there were only a couple of regular players who were unable to play in Pod and Ted. We also have a reasonable record against the University in its various guises with 5 wins and a draw in our 12 meetings over the years.

So far our season has been a story of gradual improvement and after a number of costly losses before Christmas. Our team which has changed significantly over the past 12 months has won 8, drawn 2 and lost 2 since the turn of the year. This is an almost identical record to the Uni who have played one more game than us which was drawn.

Our squad; Sam Ahern in goal. Andy Bayne, Tim Furnival, Sonny Henderson and Fraser Goodrich at the back. Pete Butler, Ross Elliot, Chris Harper and Mike Taylor in midfield and Jack Hillier and James Beckram up front. On the bench; Steve Clarke, James Jarvis, Tom Beaufort-Lloyd, Pete Hallam and Stewart Alexander.

The cup final was played under floodlights and on a very wide pitch that provided an excellent playing surface. The stage was set.

We kicked the game off facing into the sun and from the off it looked that despite the acres of room in which to pass the ball, this was going to be a hard fought battle.

Despite a few nerves prior to the game we settled very well and set about the early task of preventing Surrey from having time and space on the ball and the early stages of the game were played out in front of the 2 back fours. In the centre of our midfield were Harps and Ross and early on both players had to battle extremely hard against their counterparts to win possession and ideally get it out wide to where Pete Butler and Mike who would be lying in wait and looking to attack the Surrey centre backs whenever the chance presented itself.

It was Oatlands that created the first chance of the game and it came via a driving run from the centre of midfield and a drilled shot that looked as though it was just missing the target, but never the less the UniS keeper was forced into making a good save which resulted in a corner and an opportunity for Pete Butler to find his range on the extremely wide pitch.

Apart from our early shot the opening 15 minutes of the game was totally devoid of shots on goal from either side. When the teams weren't scrapping it out in the middle of the pitch and space was available both teams put together some crisp passing moves and it was a high standard of football to watch. It was probably UniS who enjoyed more possession but the work rate in from our midfield meant that we they found us very difficult to break down and when they did they were then faced by our back four.

Our back four which has been a constant throughout the second half of the season was again immense. At left back we had 16yr old Fraser Goodrich who persistently thwarted the Surrey right midfielder and their attackers with string of great challenges and the sort of calm defending that you would expect of someone with 10 years more senior football experience. In the centre of our defence were Sonny and Furno. It was probably the toughest opposition we have played this year but it was still business as usual for the heart of our back four. Furno cut out numerous aerial threats and uprooted the UniS attackers when necessary. Sonny as per usual was to be found all across the back four tidying up when necessary and providing cover for the other 3 members of the OFC back four. Baynezy who joined the team just after Christmas took care of the business of fending off the UniS attacks, but when given the opportunity he looked to break forward and support Mike and the midfield.

Our own attacks and genuine chances in front of goal were rare. James Beckram held the ball up well and unusually won a number of headers as he looked to flick the ball on to Jack and make use of his pace. This looked to be our main threat and was cause for serious concern on the UniS bench as he was able to easily outpace all of the UniS back four.

There were a couple of delays in the middle of the first half as a couple of the UniS players were caught late by OFC players and following one tackle from Mike Taylor, the opposition were forced to make a change. Unfortunately the complicated team sheets provided by the league caused complete confusion for the referee and after about 5 minutes of deliberating, the Uni were finally able to make their enforced change

Approaching the 35 th minute of the game, things had continued to be tight and neither team was yet to create a clear cut opportunity, but that was all about to change. Jack Hillier, who had been a menace up front and very much a thorn in the side of the UniS defence picked the ball up midway between the centre circle and the penalty area and ran at the UniS defence. Jack was within the UniS penalty area very quickly and in a desperate attempt to prevent him bearing down on goal he was bought down by a clumsy tackle in the area and it was a clear cut penalty.

Up stepped Ross to take responsibility and with complete composure he sent the keeper wrong way and a huge roar from the OFC part of the 160+ supporters indicated that Oatlands had taken the lead.

Oatlands now needed to first consolidate the lead and then build and from the restart UniS looked a bit rattled allowing us to go straight back into another attack from the kick off. Despite the scare for the opposition the game soon settled down into the pattern that had been set in the previous 35 minutes and again it was difficult to see where the next goal was going to come from.

We soon got our answer. In defence we had been immensely strong, not just restricting the students to a lack of opportunities in front of goal but also making them wait until the 40 th minute of the game before winning their first corner of the game. From the corner we initially defended well clearing the ball to relative safety but a UniS player did latch onto the ball and was allowed a fraction to long on the ball around the edge of our area. Rather than simply drilling the ball at the goal the Uni player took a shot that was well placed and even at full stretch, Sam was unable to prevent the ball going into the top corner of the net. 1-1 and cue the celebrations from the UniS contingent of the crowd.

As the night began to close in and the floodlights began to take their effect the first 45 minutes of a very hard fought but tense affair were up.

It was UniS who got the match restarted under the full power of the floodlights and again it looked like we were in for another tense 45 minutes.

The first 10 minutes of the second half remained fairly even and neither team had much time on the ball, but when time and space was available both teams made an effort to keep the ball on the floor, rather than opting for the long ball approach more commonly seen at our level.

Having seen out a fairly even first 10 minutes of the second half the Uni began to gain control of the game and forcing us very much on the back foot. This would be the time when our mettle would be tested and the increase in the UniS pressure was well matched by the Oatlands commitment and this started to upset the referee.

Despite enduring increasing pressure we had the first genuine chance of the second half as Mike Taylor was given time and space to run at the Uni back line. Breaking from the midfield area time and space seemed to be available and the UniS defence parted before him. Just short of the 18 yard box, Mike unleashed his shot that was low and hard and flashed just past the keeper's glove and unfortunately the post as well.

It looked as though the Uni had made the breakthrough 15 minutes into the second half but to the relief of the team and OFC supporters the linesman's flag was held aloft; indicating offside and ruling out what could have been a decisive goal.

We made our first change 20 minutes into the second half. Chris Harper came off the field of play and was replaced by Gravy. This meant the first in a series of shuffles of the pack. In order to accommodate a wide player for a central midfielder we were forced to push Mike into the centre which would almost certainly increase our already high foul rate.

It didn't take long for Mike to get booked. The referee, who couldn't blow fast enough when we went near a UniS player, but failed to notice most of their late challenges eventually booked Mike for protesting against another decision that didn't go our way.

Midway through the second half we replaced Jack Hillier with Tom which was a straight swap up front.

As the second half progressed we were coming under constant pressure from the opposition and it was beginning to look like a defence v attack training ground scenario. Surrey might have enjoyed all the pressure but with the likes of Fraser, Sonny, Baynezy and Furno at the back, shots on goal were few and far between as our defence threw themselves into numerous vital tackles and anything that did come through was superbly dealt with by Sam.

Gravy's introduction to the game seemed to come at the right time as we needed someone with his energy on the pitch and he gave our defence a break on several occasions by carrying the ball and attacking the UniS backline. As a unit our midfield fought tirelessly, but continued to be frustrated by the fact that the referee insisted on punishing any contact that we made with the opposition and this meant that we were forced to defend a succession of cheap free kicks and Phil was wondering whether he may have picked the wrong week to give up smoking.

As we headed toward the last ten minutes of the game we were now approaching a critical point. With neither side really looking like scoring, a goal either way would almost certainly be the winner.

In the dying minutes of normal time we eventually won a free kick near the touchline and level with the edge of the box. Ross told Pete Butler to put it on the back post where a gaggle of OFC players would be waiting. Having listened to the instructions, Pete delivered the perfect free kick which evaded all the defenders and presented us with a superb opportunity to score. Sadly, it wasn't to be and the ball just cleared the bar and we were faced with the prospect of 30 minutes extra time.

Not long into the first period of extra time it was clear that the size of the pitch and the level of application from the OFC boys was taking its toll on the team. All over the pitch players from both sides started going down with cramp and we were soon forced to make another substitution, this time bringing on Pete Hallam for Sonny. Again this required another defensive reshuffle with Pete going to left back and Fraser going into the middle with Furno.

Extra time was extremely similar in nature to the second half of normal time. It was mainly UniS on the ball, us defending heroically, the referee giving them a succession of free kicks and us having the genuine opportunities in front of goal. The second half of extra time was desperate stuff for us and despite some fine goalkeeping throughout the match Sam was eventually beaten by a miss-hit cross that seemed to bounce along the top of the bar before going out for a goal kick.

The referee concluded the game and it was now down to the lottery of a penalty shoot out and in the hands of those that had bravely volunteered to take responsibility. Our volunteers were Tom, Ross, Gravy, Jim and Pete Butler.

Prior to the penalty shoot out the referee asked if they could use one of our balls as the cheap training balls provided by the league for the game had all been kicked into the woods. Our match balls which we were told that we wouldn't need were in Beaters car so it was up to the Uni to do the honours

We were up first and it was Tom who volunteered. Tom's penalty was hit low and well to the keepers right, but like earlier in the game their keeper made a superb save

to give them the advantage which they made count by scoring their first pen.

Up next was Ross, scorer of a penalty earlier in the game. He kept up his perfect record this season and levelled things up.

After UniS scored their second the responsibility fell to Gravy. With nerves of steel, Grimsby 's greatest export swept the ball into the net with an unstoppable spot kick and we were again level.

UniS next penalty was a poor one, Sam got a foot to it but because he was already going the other way he couldn't get enough behind it to prevent the goal.

Up next for us Jim Beckram, a man notorious for regularly missing the target from much closer ranges in training. Jim took his run up and opted for power. Jim has obviously been studying the Ronaldo free-kick technique as he swept the ball down the middle with power and dip. 3-3

After the Uni scored their fourth the pressure was severely on one of our youngest players to keep us in the game. Pete Butler's penalty was the best of the lot and again unstoppable going high and to the keepers left.

If the Uni scored their fifth and final penalty the cup would be theirs. Their player stood up and drilled it low and to Sam's right and the dream was over with the Uni winning 5-4 on penalties.

Overall it was a superb effort by Oatlands. On paper we probably didn't stand a chance, but we took a team that's flying high in the league above us right to the wire and it took the lottery of a penalty shoot out to beat us. All over the pitch we had players who gave their all and did not only themselves, but also the Club proud and despite not winning, it was the greatest day in our Clubs history.

Lets hope that this day out has given us a taste for success and that next year we come back stronger and even hungrier for success.

It was a shame that some of the organisational elements of the final were poor such as the fact that the programme was littered with mistakes, there weren't enough trophies for the players and that the game was played with shoddy match balls but this shouldn't detract from what was a great night for the players and the 100+ OFC supporters who came along.

A massive thanks to all those that have contributed to the club this year both in terms of on-pitch contribution and support. The next OFC match is the Legends game in which the old guard take on the current crop on the 10 th May. This game will be followed by the end of season do, in which we can celebrate what has been a pretty successful year.

Note from the Chairman

I echo Tim's words in that this was a superb game and all the players performed brilliantly, it was clearly the best game in OFC's history. The success this year (as in previous years) was down to dedication, teamwork and superb management from Phil Barr. Without Phil we would not have reached the final and we thank him for all his efforts this Season.

Thanks to all the supporters who came from far and wide to cheer us on, I was humbled by the sheer size of the turnout.

Thanks to Tim for all the Match Reports this Season too, it's not an easy thing to do and I know he gives up a lot of spare time to write them.

Finally, I really look forward to seeing you all at the End of Season party on May 10th and hope you all have a really good rest over the summer.