SAM A ..IAN...SONNY...MIKE...FRASER...ELLIOT...POD...TED...PETE B,,,JACK(1)...STEW(1)...SAM C...HARPS

This week OFC were up against Milford and Witley, a club who seem to have a team in every division of the league and team that we subsequently play every year. Those who have been at the club for a while always dread this fixture, because the ground at Witley seems to have its own separate climate to the rest of Surrey and whenever we have gone there, the pitch is always boggy and it always drizzles.

Another great turnout at training left the management with more tough decisions to make in terms of team selection but with Stevie C and Dom and 2Gun dropping out at the 11 th hour, there were more opportunities available in the team.

This week's team; Sam in goal. Ian, Sonny, Mike and Fraser at the back. Elliot, Pod, Ted and Pete B in midfield and Jack and Stew up front. Andy, Harps and Sam C were on the bench.

On paper this one looked like it would be tough, it was another typical Witley afternoon and the opposition would be well up for this after they beat Shepperton FB last week and Shepperton were probably the strongest team we played last year.

We got off to an excellent start and immediately gained the upper hand after our determination and pressure forced their back line into a number of mistakes. From the start we looked really up for this one and all over the pitch OFC players were battling for every single loose ball and putting the opposition under a great deal of pressure.

This week's pitch had quite a slick surface due to the constant drizzle and as well as making for good passing conditions, it was also the sort of pitch that suits the sliding tackle. It wasn't long before some of the pressure on M+W told and they let their frustrations boil over, a very late challenge bringing the first foul of the game.

In addition to putting pressure on the opposition every time they had the ball, we looked outstanding in possession, especially in the midfield where Pod, Ted, Els and Pete B all went looking for the ball and all used possession extremely well.

We opened the scoring on 11 minutes with probably our best goal this season and one that was straight off the training ground. In the build up to the goal we enjoyed a long spell of possession in which we worked the ball well round the pitch and shifted it to the right hand side. The attack looked to be dead, so we were forced to build again and it culminated in Ted picking up the ball on the right and whipping a superb cross. The flight of the cross was such that it beat the keeper and he fumbled the ball. Gravy who was chasing in, was able to take advantage of the mistake and finished superbly from close range. 1-0 OFC.

Within 5 minutes of taking the lead, we were pegged back by M+W. An M+W player was running into the corner of with the ball, when Mike gave away a careless foul. After Mike had finished arguing with the referee and picked up an absolutely pointless yellow card, the ball was whipped into the box and Sam was just beaten to the ball by an M+W head. 1-1.

Although this was a bit of a blow, we continued to press the opposition hard and looked excellent when in possession. It was great to see Fraser providing an additional outlet on the right hand side, and on many occasions he was overlapping Pete and giving us extra crossing opportunities and another attacking option.

The game was threatening to boil over in the 20th minute of the game and both teams were bitching at each other and the referee. Subsequently, it was no surprise when there was another bad challenge on Pete down the right hand side resulting in an OFC free kick. Elliot stepped up to deliver the cross and floated in a beautifully flighted ball to the penalty spot. Jack was quickest to react and scored with a superb glancing header that left the keeper rooted to the spot. 1-2 OFC

The next 10 minutes were crazy to say the least. Our determination to win the ball resulted in one or two overzealous challenges and quite a physical approach. The opposition clearly felt they weren't getting their share of the decisions and were getting a bit wound up.

In the 22 nd minute of the game Ted gave away a foul in the centre circle after wrestling his opponent to the floor. As the ball broke loose an M+W player went to pick it up, but Jack kicked it away. Jack was then punched in the head by two M+W players and a 15 man brawl looked inevitable. Once the hand bags had been put away the ref called over one of the players who had punched Jack and sent him off, he then sent Jack off as well meaning that both teams had to play with 10 men.

Things got even worse for Oatlands only minutes later when Els slid into an innocuous looking challenge but came out the other end with a dislocated shoulder. We were subsequently forced to call an ambulance and replace Els on the left side with Sam C.

Throughout the rest of the first half Oatlands played some superb passing football involving everyone on the pitch and we looked by far the more likely to score. Down the right hand side, two of our 16year olds, Fraser and Pete were outstanding and despite being half the size of their much older counterparts, they were far more composed in possession and won the majority of their challenges. Pete Butlers dribbling and crosses were particularly notable throughout the first half.

At the back we looked pretty solid, Sonny had the responsibility of holding the line and very often was the last man back on our corners, again as with a lot of players it was difficult to find any fault. As a result of our solid looking back line Sam was virtually a spectator for much of the half and apart from making an excellent one on one save, he had little else to do.

Ian Parr was playing on our left hand side and making his full debut for the club. He has waited patiently for his opportunities and performed well at the back giving the opposition very little space and time on the ball and very little got past him.

We could have scored at the end of the first half when another passing move culminated in a volley from gravy that went just wide.

At half time Jim, who was standing in for Phil emphasised the fact that M+W, despite being physically a much bigger side did not like it up them so to speak and that we needed to continue what we were doing. Again we needed to use the width.

When the second half started, the game pretty much followed the same pattern as the first half with OFC enjoying the lion's share of possession.

Despite having the lion's share of possession and being camped in the opposition half, it was very obvious that we were lacking our second striker and very often Gravy had the thankless task of trying to hold the ball up while our midfield bombed forward to compensate for the lack of a second striker. Doing his best to support Stew up front was Sam Campbell, despite being played out of position Sam was absolutely tireless in his efforts and was up and down the pitch throughout the second half. He could have got his reward 10 minutes in when he was cleverly released by our central midfield, unfortunately after cutting in from the left and shifting the ball on to his right foot, his shot only hit the side netting.

After 15 minutes of the second half we were forced into another change after Ian picked up a neck injury late in the first half. His replacement was Barry Harps who slotted into the left hand side of defence and definitely bought a bit more steel to the back line.

Unfortunately OFC were hit on the break in the 65 minute of the game and a raid down our left resulted in an M+W player cutting in from their left on the edge of the penalty area. Unfortunately Sam seemed to lose his footing before the shot and the insuing toe poke squirmed past and into the net. 2-2.

Given the amount of possession that we had enjoyed, there seemed to be a certain amount of injustice from our perspective, but that didn't dampen our spirits as we went in search of a winner.

The last 25 minutes of the game were all Oatlands. Pod, who was captaining the team for the third week in succession and has yet to captain a losing side was again superb in the centre of midfield and was the creative heart of the team, rarely losing possession and always available and willing to put his foot on the ball. Alongside Pod, Ted was again extremely strong in the centre offering a Javier Mascherano type role, breaking up opposition possession and using the ball wisely.

As the game progressed towards its conclusion, we basically stopped worrying about our defensive responsibilities and desperately sought the winner. Despite numerous attacks, corners free kicks and shots it just wasn't happening and the referee bought proceedings to a close.

Overall, it was a case of another 2 points dropped rather than 1 gained. The performance was for the most part an excellent one and we played attractive football when in possession and were like a pack of wolves when not in possession. The game itself was an exciting one to watch and it was a massive shame that it was spoiled by the two sending offs and both teams will have to suffer the consequences of their actions. It was also a shame that we lost Elliot to injury as well and it looks like we may not have 2 of our most valuable players available for a while now. Sonny got the MOM award from Jim after another solid display and commanding the back line extremely well. Mike gets the donkey award this week for the season's most pointless yellow card. Our main concern at the moment is the lack of goals. We are creating more chances than we have in many recent seasons but we are simply not converting them at the moment and dropping points.

Next week our attention shifts to the County Cup and an opportunity for some giant killing as we play Brockham FC who are currently 3rd in the premiership of their equivalent league.

Please ensure that you are at training this week and that you let Phil, Jim or Steve know if you are available this week. Please also ensure that you get your money in for the Blue Hawaii this week as well. Its £30 and the club needs to issue a cheque for Monday 22 nd October.