SAM A ...FRASER...SONNY...FURNO...ANDY B...STEW...MIKE,,,ROSS(1)...POD...TOM(1)...HARPS...PETE H...ANDY E...STEVE C

Last week Oatlands were magnificent against league leaders Shepperton FB and only a last minute equaliser prevented us taking all three points. Things aren't getting any easier for us as though, as this week we faced Godalming United, who are a new team with very strong football ambitions and a team who demolished us 5-0 at Abbeylands. While the league table suggests we are safe, we have in fact completed nearly all our fixtures and have played more games than some of the teams around us. Therefore points were an absolute necessity again.

There were 6 changes from the team that got battered by Godalming at home and 2 changes from last week with Pod and Mike Taylor coming back into the squad and Jim Beckram and Sam Campbell making way. Knee injuries still keep Pete Butler and Ted out of contention and there were a host of other players unavailable.

This week's team Sam Ahern in goal. Baynezy, Sonny, Furno and Fraser at the back. Pod Mike, Ross and Gravy in midfield. Barry Harps and Tom up front. On the bench were Andy, Dom, Pete H and Steve C. Furno got the captaincy in only his third game back after a nine month lay off following a cruciate ligament repair.

Prior to the kick off we spent a long time practicing corners and it paid off in the first minute of the game when we took the lead. An outswinging corner to the back post from Pod found Ross who rose well to put it across the keeper and into the corner of the net. A great start and 1-0 to Oatlands.

We took the lead so early in the game that we barely had an opportunity to assess what we were up against. We found out in the first 5 minutes of the game and Phil was forced to make a very early change to the shape of our midfield to counter their 4-3-3 formation.

There was no doubt that Godalming would be an extremely difficult team to play against and from the start it was obvious that the “dirty Leeds” supporting ref would be letting the game flow rather than stopping it for the smallest bit of ruff and tumble. Our youngest player, Fraser at left back looked particularly up against it as their number 7 was particularly aggressive off and on the ball.

In the 10th minute of the game the battle for supremacy between Fraser and his counter part finally resulted in the first foul of the match and an opportunity for Godalming to swing in a ball to the box. The ball was won in the melee at the back post by a Godalming player and Sam was forced to dive low and to his left to stretch for the ball. The ball momentarily slipped away from him and there was a Godalming player first on the scene to make it 1-1.

This was probably one of the loudest games of the season in terms of the amount of shouting on the pitch as both teams tried to gee themselves up for the remaining 80 minutes.

Godalming were clearly a very strong outfit and their very quick passing and movement looked like it would cause us problems all afternoon and they found good angles and space throughout the early exchanges. They nearly could have had a second when a striker broke free and put his lobbed shot just wide of the post.

To counter Godalming's quick passing it would be essential that we gave them no time or space on the ball which was something that Mike Taylor specialises in, and once we had finally adapted to their formation it was great to see OFC players hunting in packs to stem the supply from forward passes from the Godalming central midfield.

Our current defensive line up is about the strongest I have seen. In the centre of the defence Furno and Sonny seem to complement each other extremely well. Furno has the aggression to be the out and out ball winner and Sonny is absolutely superb at sweeping up behind everyone else and covering the full backs. Throughout the first half their main striker had very little opportunity to face our goal and run at our defence.

Out wide Baynezy and Fraser both had their work cut out and were up against skilfull opposition. But the lack of crosses coming into the box would suggest that both of our full backs were extremely effective. Unfortunately there was very little opportunity for either player to break from defence in the kind of positive manner we have seen in recent weeks.

The narrow pitch and packed central midfield meant that to watch from the side, it was an ugly affair with very little in the way of free flowing football. When we were in possession Pod and Stew had plenty of space out wide but unfortunately far too often our balls from defence were going through the centre and playing to the strengths of Godalming.

The nature of the game meant that up front, Tom and Harps were feeding mainly on scraps and the majority of the work they got through was in chasing down Godalming defenders.

In goal for us, Sam was kept busy. But more often than not it was to cross over the road behind the goal, dodge the traffic and to go and fetch the ball and take another goal kick rather than making saves. At the other end of the pitch the Godalming keeper wasn't exactly busy either and it was another indicator of the fact that this game really was locked into a midfield battle.

We had a superb chance to take the lead shortly before half time. A cross into the box looked as though it should have been easily cleared but Godalming had 2 players challenging for the same header and the ball ricocheted between them and fell loose for Mike who then thrashed his effort wide from the corner of the 6 yard box.

We came into half time looking as though we were 5-0 down despite having played extremely well. Phil reinforced the fact that it had been a strong 45 minutes and addressed the areas we needed to improve. Namely ensuring that when not in possession that Gravy or Pod make up an extra man in the centre and give us width when we were in possession. He also reinforced the need to man mark across the back to leave Furno as the spare player.

The second half started with a Godalming corner which we had to deal with but after that it was back to the midfield battle that had been such a feature of the first half and for the first 10-15 minutes it was a stalemate in which we looked very solid in defence and neither side looked likely to score.

With about 60 minutes of the game gone we began to look the stronger team. In the centre of midfield Ross and Mike had got through an unbelievable amount of hard work and it looked like they had turned the tide of the game in our favour as they started to win almost everything in the centre. Subsequently our wide players in Pod and Gravy began to find themselves coming into the game in an attacking sense and our full backs began to make a positive contribution to our attacking threat.

As a team we were now playing superbly in every position and Godalming were beginning to look ragged and soon the chances in front of goal began to come.

We worked the ball nicely across the midfield and our width stretched Godalming so much that Pod was left unmarked at the far post. Ross laid a lovely looking ball into his path and a first time shot clearly would have troubled the keeper, but unusually for Pod it wasn't the greatest first touch and he was forced to square it back across the box where one of our strikers only made contact with the air around his boot.

After several attempts to get forward from the full back position, Fraser finally managed to get himself down the flanks and in the 72nd minute of the game he put in a telling cross. Gravy got the flick on and Tom was there at the back post to do the rest. 2-1 Oatlands and nothing less than our efforts deserved.

Having taken the lead we looked comfortable. It was only a couple of hospital balls from Sam and Furno that put us in danger, but apart from that our defending was exemplary.

Godalming switched to a 4-4-2 with 15 minutes left and this almost seemed to give us an extra lift. With the opponents adopting a 4-4-2 we had much more space in midfield and both Mike and Ross were able to settle on the ball and focus their attention on finding other OFC players rather than fighting tooth and nail for the ball. Out wide Pod and Pete (who replaced Barry, but went out wide left) began to find more space in behind their counterparts and with 10 minutes left we should have scored again.

In a very similar manner to our other second half opportunity, we again found space out wide following a good passage of passing in the midfield and we created a great one on one opportunity for Gravy, now playing up front. It was a well struck shot and only a brilliant save from the keeper that prevented us putting the game beyond doubt.

Having played an absolute blinder all game, it was decided that Mike would get a rest, so Gravy came back into midfield and Andy came on and played up front. After coming on Andy worked like a man possessed to close down the Godalming defenders and ensure that we defended from the front, he also retained possession well and linked nicely with Tom.

We had another glorious opportunity that looked like it may have turned into a disaster with 5 minutes left. Tom Broke free down the right hand side and with just one defender back and Andy screaming for the ball near the penalty spot, a chance to secure the points seemed to be on. Sadly for Tom he appeared to get his studs caught in the ground and twisted his knee badly while trying to square it. He was forced from the pitch and we put Clarky up front.

In the last 5 minutes of the game we resisted a series of corners from Godalming with some excellent defending and when the referee blew the whistle we had secured 3 more valuable points.

Overall it was another outstanding OFC performance and we have now lost just once in 9 league and cup games. Everyone on the pitch played their part and it was another superb team performance in which there wasn't one player that stood out from the rest. Godalming were clearly a good team, but apart from the goal they had virtually no chances on goal and had we been a little more decisive in front of goal we would have won by more.

Next week we face the University of Surrey . There will be a few people away through injuries and Pod's stag do and this is a perfect opportunity for those who have not had that much playing time to prove themselves before Phil picks the team for the League Cup Semi-Final.

In terms of the League Cup Semi-Final, it is in 2 weeks and at home. I am sure that there will be plenty of supporters anyway but it would be great to see as many people on the sideline as possible to cheer the lads on.