Oaks Athletic 1 - 5 Garrison

It’s easy to look at the score line and think “what a thrashing!” However, although it would be hard to argue that Garrison were not the better side, the reality was that they took their chances (and half chances!) and we didn’t. If we had taken ours we might not have won, but I would have a few more goals to embellish.

The rain had been pouring all night and into the morning, and had turned a surface that could have hosted Dancing on Ice three weeks ago into one that was more suitable for Mud Wrestling. Thankfully the referee (and more reluctantly the grounds men) deemed the pitch playable – and we managed to convince Parker to keep his clothes on.

Darling! Yellow boots are sooooo last season!

It was good to be able to welcome back both Nathan and Gollum from injury, and with Jason also available Milesy had more options open to him. Having closely analysed the evidence (Eye-ball’s photos) from last week’s meeting between these two sides, Milesy decided to pack the midfield; opting for a 4-5-1 formation:

ppppaaaaaaaaaaaaaNppppNeil (GK)

pppppppDeano (RB) Rob (CB) Milly (CB) Jason (LB)

pNathan (RM) Jimmy (CM) ppppppStu (CM) (c) Bill (LM)
ppppppppppppppppppppppppAl (CF)

pppppppppppppppppppppSharpy (CF)

subs: Parker, Gollum, Aaron

The opening twenty minutes were a tight affair, with Garrison struggling to adapt to the much smaller Blackshots pitch, and both sides being affected by the conditions both underfoot and the current wet and windy weather.

Unfortunately The Oaks hadn’t learnt their lesson from last week, and – after (roughly) twenty minutes – they took the lead. The ball was played high into the box, with the two nearest players being Nathan and the Garrison keeper. Bets were being taken as to whether Nathan would get crunched, display his “flying salmon” like jumping ability and nod the ball over the out-rushing keeper and into the net, or give us a heart-rendering rendition of the Smurfs classic “I’ve got a little puppy” (you’d have to have had a conversation with him to understand). As it was the first didn’t happen, the second wasn’t necessary, and the third is now available in all good record stores. The goalkeeper checked his run, and Nathan was able to simply glance the ball past him and into the net. 1-0 to the Oaks.

The sense of déjà vu continued when Garrison drew level due to a speculative cross come shot, from the same right winger who had left Neil flapping last week , which nestled in the top corner. 1-1.

The view from the dug-out of the Oaks Athletic Stadium ... it's there in black and white! (sort of)

1-1 became 2-1 to the visitors when a firmly struck free kick fell straight onto the head of Garrison’s striker and continued into the net. Before long it was 3-1 (I can’t quite remember how) and things were looking bleak.

It could have easily been 3-2 before the break when the ball re-bounded to Deano six yards out, but unfortunately he couldn’t lift it over the keeper, and the score remained 3-1 at the break.

Captain Stu receives his instructions for the second half (I could have been ruder, but my Nan reads this - Hi Nan!)


The same eleven started the second half, and once again The Oaks tried in vain to break down a well organised Garrison defence. The opposition also grew in confidence as the half wore on, and for a lot of the time we were simply chasing shadows. However, there were still some positives: we created more chances than last week (Al and Rob only being denied by fine saves by the Garrison Keeper), and Gollum made his first appearance since mid December after a long lay off with his bad back. It was a shame to see Sharpy limp off in the penultimate match before going under the knife, having had very little opportunity to improve on his goal tally.

The 20 members of the Lord of the Rings Fan Club were disappointed to discover he wasn't the real Gollum. Although they did agree the resemblance was uncanny.

The fourth goal for Garrison mid way through the second half killed the game as a contest. Nobody was more disappointed than Neil to be beaten by such a tame shot at his near post, and he didn’t complain when he was subsequently replaced by Parker between the sticks. It was a real shame as he had once again displayed his commitment to the side by turning up even though he had been up half the night with wisdom tooth pain (I hope it holds off long enough for your driving exam on Tuesday mate).

The fifth goal was irrelevant, and really just added salt to the wounds. Parker could possibly be forgiven for mistakenly thinking he had been asked to play at right-back – although the gloves should really have been a giveaway.

Anyway, what’s done is done. We don’t have to play Garrison again now, and next week against Woodlands will be a totally different match. On paper we’ll be favourites rather than underdogs. It’ll all be about attitude, so let’s make sure we get it right.

Iain "Sharpy" Pitney. Always wears the Oaks shirt with Pride.

Eye-Ball

Next Match: Sun 1st Feb Woodlands @ Blackshots – 10:30 K.O.

Goal Scoring Chart: