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

The magic of the cup returned this week as OFC took on Spelthorne Sports in the League Cup Semi-Final. Spelthorne play in the league below, but that was no reason to be sure of victory as we only have to look at our own record against the teams in the lower half of our own league. Nonetheless, we had every reason to be confident going into this one, our recent form has been superb with just one loss in 10, we had pretty much a full squad to choose from and last week we beat Surrey Uni. 2-0.

This fixture was a pretty historic moment for OFC and as such the word had gone round the village and we were expecting a very strong turnout on the side in terms of supporters.

This week's team; Sam in goal. Baynezy, Furno, Sonny and Fraser at the back. Pete B, Harps, Ross and Mike in midfield. Jim and Jarv up front. On the bench were Steve C, Pod, Gravy, Ted and Pete H.

Disaster nearly struck prior to the game. In typically disorganised fashion, Mike forgot what time kick off was and was still en route 10 minutes before kick off, We had a ready made replacement in the form of Ted Smith, but the injury curse that has kept him out the team for the past few weeks struck again as he managed to get injured in the warm up. Thankfully Mike turned up in the nick of time allowing Phil to proceed with plan A.

We kicked off and were playing up the slight gradient in the first half. In truth, it wasn't a great start for us and early on we struggled to make an impact in the game as a busy Spelthorne central midfielder seemed to pull the strings early on.

In spite of being slow out of the blocks this week, it was OFC that had the first chance of the game. The keen-eyed linesman who was provided by the league spotted the keeper drifting out of his box when punting down the pitch and Jarv had an opportunity to repeat his cup heroics of a few weeks ago with a direct free kick. Despite hitting the target, the keeper made a good save.

Our slow start resulted in Spelthorne getting a corner early in the game. The ball that came in was a left footed in swinger and despite Pete being on the front post, the ball was swept in directly from the corner. 0-1 to the opposition, 3 minutes gone.

We needed to re-group and equalise quickly from the restart, but from the kick off we still looked a bit lacklustre compared to the efforts of recent weeks and were very often second to a lot of the loose balls all around the pitch. We looked a threat if we could get the ball wide to Mike and Pete, but too often the supply was cut out by an industrious Spelthorne midfield.

Spelthorne's industry in the centre resulted in a free kick to us just inside our half and an opportunity to put the ball into the box. Pete Butler put a superbly flighted ball into the back post area and it was met well by Ross who rose above the defence and headed it across to Jim. The OFC captain made no mistake from six yards and roofed it with a superb left footed half volley. 1-1.

Having levelled the game, I would have expected us to push on and push Spelthorne onto the back foot but it wasn't to be. Again the opposition had the better of the game in midfield and we found it very difficult to get the ball down and retain any sort of decent possession.

We had another serious scare 15 minutes into the game. A long ball from the Spelthorne midfield fell into the corridor of uncertainty between keeper and defence. Our reactions were too slow and a challenge between Sam at full stretch and the Spelthorne striker resulted in the ball being headed toward our unguarded net. The ball looked as though it was going in off the underside of the cross bar, but Sonny was in the right place at the right time and we managed to scramble it away.

As a team we looked a bit frustrated with ourselves and our frustration vented itself in the form of some cheap free kicks. Unsurprisingly Mike Taylor was inevitably involved as he tried to wind his opposite number up and it wasn't long before we heard the first clattering sound of a Jim Beckram boot connecting with an opposition players shin pad. A succession of free kicks made the game somewhat stop-start.

Much of our success in recent weeks has been built on our very solid back four and on Saturday we again looked extremely solid. At the heart of the back four Sonny and Furno continued to look solid and both provided superb cover for the full backs. Spelthorne had a very young lad with a lot of pace up front but barring a catastrophic error we looked fairly comfortable in dealing with that threat.

This week we played with Harps and Ross in the centre of the pitch. Both players won a huge amount of aerial challenges and tackles but we seemed to be losing out on second balls which were more often that not swept up by the industrious Spelthorne centre midfielder. Our lack of possession meant that it was very difficult to get Baynezy and Fraser into the game, and for much of the first half they were extremely subdued and restricted to sitting back in the full back positions rather than making the sort of overlapping runs we have seen in recent weeks.

Up front Jim and Jarv had very little to feed off and chances in front of goal were very rare throughout the first half. When the ball did come their way they did the best they could to make it stick, but we weren't able to create the sort of width or space to give them the options they needed.

Approaching half time Spelthorne had the better of the game and after our post was hit late on we were glad to see half time.

After discussing a small tactical change with Ross and Harper, the rest of the interval was spent with Phil trying to motivate the team for a much better second half.

We started the second half well. We looked much more hungry and determined, especially in midfield and it wasn't long before we started to control the game. In the centre of midfield Ross and Harps began to start winning the majority of both first and second balls and we soon found the time and space to start stringing a few passes together.

Across the back we continued to look extremely solid and gave very little away. The back four made vital tackles when required, cleared it when it was necessary and passed it well when the opportunity arose. With our back four looking extremely solid and the Spelthorne attacking threat subdued we had a good platform to go forward and create chances of our own.

On the flanks, doors seemed to be opening for us and down the left it was Pete Butler who provided the main threat. With Pete gaining increasing support from Chris Harper and Fraser we were beginning to look like we might score.

In the centre of midfield Chris Harper and Ross turned the game and were winning everything that came their way. With a bit more time and space available, Chris Harper was now able to do some showboating, taking on at least one player and having a shot that was certainly no more than 15 yards wide.

20 minutes into the second half we would have taken the lead had it not been for an outstanding save by the Spelthorne keeper. Some great work inside the box by Jim gave him the opportunity he needed to shoot, but the keeper miraculously tipped his shot over the bar to keep the scores level.

Midway through the second half we bought off Jarv and put Gravy up front.

The pressure was now mounting on Spelthorne and they were now having to fend off a succession of attacks and corners as OFC searched for the lead. Jim Beckram who has definitely re-discovered his form this season, was tripped on the edge of the box and we had an opportunity load the box with the big guns.

It was a superb delivery from Jim to the back post and at the back post there was a bit of a melee involving 2 OFC players, 2 Spelthorne players and the keeper all of whom rose for the same ball, but it was Fraser who got the vital touch with the ball appearing to come off his back before going in for his second goal this season and putting us into a vital lead. 2-1.

Now a goal to the good we began to dominate the game and it looked as though Spelthorne heads were beginning to drop. It also encouraged the 40 plus OFC supporters to start making a bit more noise.

It would be unfair on Spelthorne to say that we were completely outplaying them, because in truth our advantage came mainly from our determination around the pitch and not via countless flowing moves. We passed the ball well at times, but it was mainly due to the fact that every time Spelthorne cleared the ball it just kept coming back at them putting them under pressure and forcing mistakes.

With about 15 minutes left we made our second substitution. After a great return to the team following a five match absence through injury, Pete Butler got a deserved rest and was replaced by Pete Hallam on the left hand side.

Pete was barely on the pitch for 2 minutes when he got his first touch and put Oatlands into an unassailable lead. Good work from Gravy down our right hand side allowed him the time and space to put in a decent ball into the box where a number of OFC players were lying in wait. Gravy's ball into the box was perfectly stood up for a late run into the back post area and it was Pete who got there first and finished with a superbly controlled side footed volley. 3-1 OFC!!!!

The game was now won and only a blunder of Tim Furnival proportions could have changed the result. We had to endure a bit of pressure at the end but a combination of the back four and some very solid handling from Sam ensured the result was never in doubt.

We made a late substitution with 5 minutes left giving Pod a run out. One minute later we needed another sub as Pod almost immediately got injured.

We held on well in the last minutes to ensure our place in the final.

Overall it wasn't a vintage performance and we only really got going in the second half, but when a place in the final of the cup is at stake it's the result that counts and we are now going to the final of the League Cup.

We struggled to get going in the first half and the attacking side of our game appeared to be misfiring, but the defence were always solid and kept us out of jail. In the second half we pulled together superbly as a team and turned the game round. We also had the luxury of a very strong bench and it was great to see two of our subs combining to kill the game off.

The result is a landmark for Oatlands and sends us to our first ever Cup Final. The result also means that we have suffered only one defeat in 11 games (won 8, drawn 2 and lost 1) and I believe that we also beat our longest undefeated streak.

A huge thumbs up to everyone on the team for taking OFC to the Cup Final. It's a fitting reward for succession of tremendous performances in which we have matched and beaten almost every team put in front of us since mid December.

We have a week off next Saturday but after that we face Abbey Rangers in our final league game. If we can win that one, it will be a superb boost going into the cup final and will give us a brilliant platform from which to start next years league challenge.

A big thanks to the 45 or so OFC supporters who came down to watch, yet again we vastly outnumbered the opposition and hope to see you all again for the final. Pictures from the game and a squad photo can be found on “The Mighty OFC” group page on facebook.