SAM A ...PETE H...FRASER...SONNY...ANDY B...POD...STEW...HARPS,,,STEVE C...JIM(2)...TOM...JARV(1)...SAM C

On Saturday OFC were involved in the most important game of their season against Shottermill and Haslemere. At stake was a place in the League Cup semi final against Spelthorne Sports. Last weeks match against Staines wasn't really the best preparation for this game, but we would have to put that behind us and focus on the job in hand.

Prior to the game a tactical rethink was needed as Ross and Mike both dropped out the squad at the 11th hour and with Pete Butler and Ted both injured, there was a void in the centre of midfield that needed filling.

Last time out against S+H we endured a tough match but ran out as 4-2 winners in the league, this week there were 4 changes to the squad that won that game, all of which were in midfield.

In the build up to kick off we lost one of our subs to injury. Mark Jordan who doesn't play that often because he goes to all Southampton's home and away games hurt his foot kicking a ball before the game.

We seemed quite quiet and reserved in the build up to kick off, hopefully a bit of nerves, which would be a good thing.

We got the game underway at the earlier than usual kick off time of 1.45 on a nice big pitch and in front a large number of OFC supporters who comfortably outnumbered the home team's supporters.

The opening 10 minutes of the game were extremely encouraging from the OFC perspective and in stark contrast to last week's efforts. All over the pitch for Oatlands there were simple passes being played to feet, good movement in the search for space and plenty of chat.

We didn't have to wait long for the first opportunity of the game. Sam punted a long clearance down the pitch, Tom was first to the ball and flicked it on, but it only found a defender who was immediately under pressure and forced to play it to the keeper. The keeper's clearance found Clarky on the left and he hit first time from 25 yards looking to lob the exposed keeper. The ball just cleared the bar.

There was wholesale change in the midfield since our last encounter with S+H and it was Chris Harper who had the responsibility of orchestrating our play from the centre of midfield. Alongside Harper in the centre of midfield was Gravy and it looked from the off as if his job would be to pressurise and win the ball while Harps did some of the more elegant looking stuff. In the absence of Pete Butler this week, it was Pod who took the right hand side of midfield. Being a very similar player to Pete Butler in terms of ability, vision and touch, Pod was a constant threat down the right and 10 minutes into the game he drew a foul after some superb skills saw him embarrass 2 defenders.

Throughout the first 10-15 minutes of the game we looked firmly in control and this was further underlined when Gravy broke clean through and was only denied by the foot of the post.

Up front it was good to see the combination of Jim and Tom working well. Tom played mainly on the last man and always looked like he might make something happen when he was on the ball. Jim would often come back into midfield to provide a link up with some excellent hold up play.

20 minutes into the game another chance presented it self to the OFC strike force. On this occasion it was Bainsy making one of his patented breaks from right back. Bainsy broke diagonally across the pitch and took on 4 S+H players on the way. Just short of the S+H box he layed it off superbly to Tom who fired a low right footed shot that the keeper dealt with well.

Our back four dealt well with the S+H attack throughout the opening 20 minutes and except for one occasion when Sam bailed us out following a quick free kick, there was little threat from S+H.

The home teams defence finally cracked in the 30th minute of the game. An S+H attack broke down and quick ball forward was picked up by Jim who benefited from the space that Tom's run had created. Having beaten a player, Jim attacked the penalty area and was left with just the keeper to beat. He rounded the keeper nicely and was left with tricky finish from a tight angle. Showing the sort of calmness in front of goal that has lacked in recent seasons, Jim finished superbly making it 1-0.

Following the goal we appeared to either lose a bit of concentration or take our foot slightly off the gas for the last 15 minutes of the first half and rather than building on the lead that we had deservingly taken, we allowed S+H to come back into the match.

In defending the newly acquired lead we simply made a couple of mistakes across the pitch such as holding onto the ball for too long at the back or making a pass in midfield that went astray and resulted in the need to defend a counter attack. These small mistakes seemed to unsettle the whole team and as a result we had to batten down the hatches, defend a bit deeper and allow the small storm to pass.

While his integrity could not be called into question, the referee certainly served to further unsettle the Oatlands team with some decisions that left some puzzled faces on the sidelines and on the pitch. First of all Pod took a boot to the face from one of the S+H midfielders and while there was clearly no malice intended it was certainly a foul, but only a drop ball given. Bainsy was then caught by a non deliberate but still nasty looking late challenge which sent him off limping and only resulted in us losing possession rather than an obvious free kick.

We went into halftime deservedly in the lead.

At half time, there was no Phil to provide the manager's perspective on the game, so everyone had their say, before Chris Harps and Jim outlined the plan for the second half. Our plans were built on the assumption of the opposition would probably try and hit back on the restart and that we would need to consolidate and build.

We didn't start the second half brilliantly, but we did enough to ensure that the first 5 minutes after the break were fairly comfortable for Sam and the back four.

Shottermill began to press forward in numbers in search of an equaliser and this was leaving them more and more exposed at the back. It appeared inevitable that while they looked to get one back Tom, Jim or one of our wide players would have an opportunity in front of goal.

Have rode a bit of pressure early on, the opportunities start to come thick and fast for Oatlands. The first chance fell to Tom. A through ball from Jim signalled a race between Tom, the S+H keeper and a defender. It was Tom who got there first and despite being under pressure from the keeper and defender he did his best to scoop out a shot over the keeper and it just cleared the bar.

We may have had more opportunities on goal if it wasn't for the disciplined back line of the S+H defence. Virtually every time we picked the ball up in midfield and looked to release a striker through, the S+H defence pressed high up the field and on numerous occasions Jim and Tom were made to look foolish as they found themselves offside.

It was a run from deep that unlocked the opposing defence for a second time. Pod was the creator and played through a ball from midfield that Tom latched on after a late run that beat the offside trap. In all truth Tom might have done a bit better in front of goal but help was on hand from Jim Beckram who having made a number of kills in recent weeks, had a taste for more blood and finished off the loose ball comfortably. 2-0 Oatlands.

We made our first change of the game 15 minutes into the second half and Sam Campbell came on for Clarky on the left hand side.

Generally speaking we were playing well. Chris Harper, who was nursing an injury, played very well in shielding the back four with a number of important aerial interceptions. He was also extremely assured in possession and pulled the OFC strings. Gravy was also excellent in the centre and was up against a fairly physical looking no.11, but his relentless and persistent approach made him a perfect foil for Chris.

We continued to create opportunities in front of goal and should have undoubtedly got a third with 20 minutes left on the clock. With just the keeper to beat and the goal at their mercy, Tom and Sam conspired to miss a glorious opportunity by getting in each others way resulting in the ball only hitting the post.

Jim Beckram, having scored twice in the game was taking no prisoners in the penalty area in search of his hatrick and was now shooting from virtually anywhere with mixed results.

With the game approaching the last 15 minutes and victory in sight we went into our shells and made some mistakes that put us under unnecessary pressure. Having defended extremely well throughout the game we were guilty of making some poor decisions coming out of defence and on more than one occasion we caught in possession or chose to kick the ball away when a simple pass was on.

You could sense Beaters tension on the side as the Club Chairman reacted angrily to any errors or missed chances.

S+H very nearly grabbed a goal with 15 minutes left when a shot from distance had Sam beaten, fortunately the cross bar stood in the way and we grimly hung on to our lead.

Beater was understandable furious when we conceded a soft goal with just over 5 minutes left on the clock. The play broke down unnecessarily in the centre of the pitch and a S+H player broke away down our left. Pete Hallam did his best to show him out wide and force either a cross or a shot from a very tight angle. But when the shot was unleashed it was across Sam who was unable to get to it before the ball nestled in the side netting. 2-1.

The goal gave S+H renewed hope and we reverted to a safety first approach in defence and quite rightly we basically hoofed the ball out as far as we could.

With 3 minutes left we bought on Jarv for Jim up front. Jarv's brief spell on the pitch couldn't have been anymore eventful. His first touch was to collect the ball near the halfway line and drive towards the S+H penalty area. Despite screams of shoot from around the pitch and from the supporters, Jarv continued to hold the ball until he drew a foul out of the opposition 25-30 yards from goal.

Given his sweet left and right foot, Jarv assumed responsibility for the direct free kick. Just like Beckham versus Greece at Old Trafford, Jarv hit an absolutely glorious and unstoppable right footed free kick that curled round the wall and went into the top corner at the near post. It was one of the goals of the season and ensured our berth in the semi final. 3-1 Oatlands!

Overall it was a very solid team performance and we adapted well to the forced changes in the centre of midfield. On reflection we might have won by more, if we had taken some more of our chances and there was some room for improvement when in possession, as we probably held on to the ball for too long at times, especially in areas of the pitch where we needed to adopt a safer approach.

Next up in the cup is Spelthorne Sports at home. This will be a very tough game, as they defeated Chobham 5-2 and have lost only once in the league.

Our next league match is against Shepperton FB who top the league and will be very tough opponents. Last year we managed to beat them 3-2 at their place and we will almost certainly need a performance of similar calibre to get anything out of this fixture.

A big thanks to all those that made the massive journey from Weybridge to Hindhead to support, you'll be pleased to know that next week we are at home.

A big thumbs up to everyone on the team, I know that Beater is extremely proud of our performances and achievements so far in this years league cup competition, lets make sure we carry our cup form into our very tough remaining league games.