JARV...SONNY...ROSS (1)...FRASER...ANDREW...JIM B...POD...PETE B...STEW...JACK(1)...SAM (1)...ROB H ...DOM...STEVE C

This week OFC faced off against local rivals Abbey Rangers and with the exception of some dreadful shooting on Thursday, preparation for the game could not have been much better. This week we had around 20 players available for the game and as such there were one or two changes to the squad.

This weeks team; In goal; Jarv. At the back; Sonny, Frazer, Ross and Andy. In midfield Djimi, Pod, Pete B and Gravy. Up front Jack and Sam. A strong bench consisted of Elliot, Dom, Steve C and Rob.

From the side, our warm up looked lethargic and more like a warm down, and after the mandatory “couple of times across the pitch and a stretch” we reverted to standing in groups of 5 or 6 standing still and passing to each other rather than getting a couple of chaps in the middle to chase the ball and get our heart rates up.

Our start to the game was no surprise and a free kick was given on the edge of our area, which after a couple of changes of heart the referee decided to give to Abbey. Unfortunately the ensuing crossed ball in floated to the back post and straight in. Subsequently, we were 1-0 down in the 2nd minute of the game.

Following the restart we were again slow out of the blocks; we were second to virtually everything and struggled to string together 3 or 4 passes. Our cause wasn't helped when club captain Jim Beckram was forced to leave the pitch with a thigh injury. As a result of our own problems we invited a lot of pressure onto ourselves and our 18 yard box and 1-0 was quickly to become 2-0.

The referee again enraged the OFC team and supporters with another controversial decision, this time a melee in the OFC penalty area resulted in the ball striking an OFC arm after the ball bounced up in a tackle. The referee appeared to let things go for a couple of seconds before changing his mind and deciding to give a penalty to Abbey. A penalty to Jarv's right doubled the score line.

Basics were the main problems for OFC. Abbey had a very strong player in midfield that was excellent on the ball and more than capable taking on and beating 2 or 3 players. Unfortunately, rather than jockeying the lad and forcing him sideways or out wide, we were diving in to tackles in midfield and persistently leaving 4v4 at the back. It wasn't long before 2-0 became 4-0 midway through the first half and the game looked to be lost.

The fact that we were 4-0 down in such a short period of time was not down to the fact that Abbey were significantly better than us, but more down to our own shortcomings. On numerous occasions we put 4-5 passes together only to completely throw possession away with a woeful pass to the opposition leaving us over committed going forward and understaffed at the back.

Despite the bleakness of the first half there were a couple of shining lights. 16 year old Pete Butler hassled and got stuck into the opposition in centre midfield and was about the only player who won more tackles than he lost and looked like one of the only players who hadn't given up hope. Up front Jack was also very busy closing down the opposing defenders well and protecting us from the front. His pace looked like if given the opportunity it would almost certainly create a scoring opportunity.

Oatlands were also dealt another blow after 30 minutes when the injury curse struck again, this time Andy, who looked to be suffering a knock from an earlier hard challenge had to concede to injury and again we were forced to make a change bringing on Dom at right back.

The fifth goal we conceded was without any doubt the lowest point of the game. After collecting the ball inside the centre circle, an Abbey player waltzed completely unchallenged through our midfield and defence and finished well, tucking the ball low and to Jarv's right 5-0.

At 5-0 down we finally began to show a bit of fight and decided to make a game of the last 55 minutes of the match. We discovered that making short and simple passes was actually quite a good way to play football and in the last 10 minutes of the half we probably enjoyed more possession than the opposition. Unfortunately we were still lacking any serious end product and passes were still going astray, but there were definitely signs of promise. In addition to Pete's hard work in centre mid, Pod finally began to come into the game, getting hold of the ball and distributing it well.

Shortly before half time it was the referee who again chose to court controversy. We broke with pace down the right hand side and Gravy tried to slide Jack in down the left channel. The ball clearly caught a deflection but found its way to Jack. The lino put up the flag but the referee decided that he was in a better position to make the decision and allowed play to continue. Jack raced down the right and slid the ball across to Sam who was well placed to finish it off for his second goal in as many games. 5-1

Pete Butler was desperately unlucky not to add a second moments before half time. A superbly struck shot from distance had the keeper well beaten and cannoned off the underside of the bar. Sam following up on the shot, will consider himself even more unlucky as he was again in the right place at the right time and his follow up was well saved by the Abbey keeper.

At half time there really wasn't too much to say. Everyone knew where the problems were, we needed to get a grip and sort them out.

The start to the second half was a significant improvement on the start to the first half. We were much more competitive all over the pitch and the teams looked evenly matched. If anything we looked as though we had a slight edge in terms of both possession and territory on the pitch.

Across the back we looked much more at ease. Ross marshalled the troops well and It was a great to see 16 yr old Fraser Goodrich playing with the sort of confidence that allowed him to travel in to the midfield area with the ball at his feet before distributing it wisely to other players.

In the full back areas Dom and Sonny were often called upon to make numerous important tackles to thwart the threat from wide areas, which was very much a feature of the Abbey attack in the first half.

Steve Clarke, playing his first game was able to get much more into the game in the second half. The first half was probably a bit of a baptism of fire as Abbey were almost relentless down the Oatlands wide left, but in the second half his confidence and self belief had clearly grown and he was able to contribute a lot more to the game from an attacking perspective. On the other side of the OFC midfield we got a typically gritty performance out of Gravy who also found himself with more opportunities to contribute to OFC attacks as the second half progressed.

The first 20 minutes of the second half were pretty much a midfield stalemate with neither team really getting hold of the game and threatening the others goal. We had a few opportunities from the wide left channel but none really resulted in a guilt edged chance for us. Abbey looked threatening when going forward but diligent defending by the back four, often assisted by Pete stifled any real opportunities for the home team.

It was another impressive display by Sam Campbell up front in which he scored another goal and was in the right place at the right time more often than not. Unfortunately he was mainly reduced to the energy sapping role of defending from the front and the excessive work load seemed to get the better of him. We made our final change of the game and Rob Hunter came on for the final 25 minutes.

With four places to fight for and only two places available in the starting 11, the onus was on Rob Hunter to put in strong showing and soon after the start he created a good chance for himself after breaking free down the left and scooping it just over the bar.

Rob's contribution came with just under 20 minutes left. Steve C released Rob Hunter down the left channel and OFC finally found themselves in a 2v1 situation. Rob squared the ball superbly to Jack and unlike last week when he couldn't score in a particularly easy to score in brothel, Jack finished well and scored from 12 yards out to add an element of respectability to the score. 5-2.

As time pressed on it was clear that both teams were tiring, subsequently there were more mistakes by both sides and the game tended to clear the midfield and become a more end to end affair. Sadly, we conceded a 6th with 15 minutes left. For about the first time in the second half Dom was beaten well and after cutting in from their left hand side an Abbey player scored from a tight angle beating the keeper at the near post. 6-2 to Abbey and there was clearly going to be no way back.

As we approached the last 10 minutes of the game, it was clear that big Steve Sweeting patrolling the centre of midfield was flagging badly and yet again Phil was forced to make changes. Subsequently Steve went up front with Rob Hunter and Jack went into the centre of midfield where he spent the rest of the game covering nearly every blade of grass on the pitch.

With no more than 1 minute left on the clock, there was time for one more goal, the ninth of the match. A superb delivery from a Pete Butler on the right hand side found Ross Elliot at the back post completely unmarked. He made no mistake from close range with his head to make it 6-3.

There was barely enough time to restart the game before the referee put an end to a miserable afternoon for Oatlands. Final score 6-3.

Overall it has to be said that this was a poor performance by Oatlands. Pete Butler got the Man of the Match just ahead of Ross, but there were a lot of sub standard performances, particularly in the first half of the match and despite us showing the character to win the last 55 minutes 3-1, the game was well and truly over before it had even got started. Many of the problems in the match stemmed from our own mistakes and on far too many occasions we gave the ball away far too cheaply, costing us on the counter. It was a hot day, but there was also some evidence of the team being slightly short on match fitness and so far this season too many of substitutions have been forced rather than tactical.

On the plus side there were some encouraging performances by those who are new to the club and a lot of the young lads on the team have adapted very quickly to adult football.

Next week we play Shottermill FC, I don't know whether this is the same team that we beat 3-0 in the latter half of last season, but either way we now desperately need to get some points on the board. Please ensure that you get down to training and if you can't make training please ensure you advise Steve, Phil or Jim of your availability for next week.

A big thanks to all those that came down to support and to those who either didn't come off the bench or didn't play. As the season progresses everyone will get their opportunity to play and compete for the positions available. Also a big thanks from all the team and those associated with the club to Phil Barr who had his 100th game in charge on Saturday. It's probably fair to say that Phil has probably improved every player that has joined this club and he has sacrificed a lot of his own time (and hair) to help out each week and coach the team - we thank him for his dedication.