The first double header of the season would have left most Oaks players with mixed feelings whilst they chewed on their Sunday roast. I think there would have been some disappointment that we hadn’t been able to replicate the display from two week previous, but also some encouragement from the fact that we rallied to win the second game and take a share of the points.
Milesy had the luxury of 16 players to choose from for this double header which, compared to the bare eleven for the opposition gave us an immediate advantage. The fact that it was a double header meant that everyone would have the opportunity to be involved, and Milesy showed his superb man management skills by ensuring every player got at least 60 minutes (equivalent to one game) on the pitch. For the first game he understandably started with the same eleven who performed so well against Belhus:
pppppppppppppppppppTyrone (GK)
ppppEye-Ball (RB) Milly (CB) Deano (CB) Parker (LB)
Jimmy (RM) Gollum (CM) Rob (CM) Jordan (CM) Scott (LM)
ppppppppppppppppppppNathan (CF) (c)
Subs: Kenny (the younger), Casey, Aaron, Stu, Landon
There must be something galvanising about the air at Belhus Park, as normal service was resumed at Blackshots with The Oaks being slow out of the blocks and struggling to make the passes count or settle into any sort of rhythm. The early pressure nearly all came from Rec Rovers, who took the lead midway through the first half when their forward struck a rasping shot following a corner. Ty did well to get his finger tips to it, but could not prevent the ball from nestling in the back of the net: 0-1.
Little improved in the first half, and by half time the Oaks were two nil down when the same striker who had put Rec Rovers in front evaded his marker on the by-line and put in a low cross that was neatly finished from 8 yards: 0-2.
No one would have been more frustrated at this first half performance than Milesy, who must have wondered how deploying the same tactics that had seen us win 4-1 in the last match now saw us 2-0 down inside 30 minutes. He made three changes for the second half with Casey, Aaron and Stu replacing Jimmy, Jordan and Gollum. We also reverted back to 4-4-2 with Scott moving up front to offer Nathan some much needed support.
The game definitely opened up in the second half, and the Oaks started to dominate possession and chances. With the exception of a fine one handed reaction save, and a bit of tom foolery in the penalty area, Ty had very little to do. However, we still struggled to create any clear cut chances in front of goal, and when the opportunity did arise to shoot hesitation and a lack of conviction meant these chances went begging.
The Oaks did finally get a goal with the final kick of the game, when a long throw in was scrambled over the line by a combination of Aaron and Rob. Although Rob thought he had the ball over the line before a goal was actually awarded, Aaron was credited with the decisive poke and with it his first goal of the season: 1-2.
After a ten minute break it was time to do it all again for the second of the double headers. Milesy changed the team around to make sure everyone got a fair go, and went with the following line up:
ppppppppppppppTyrone (GK)
Kenny (t. y.) (RB) Milly (CB) Deano (CB) Aaron (LB)
p Casey (RM) Jordan (CM) Stu (CM) (c) Scott (LM)
pppppppppppNathan (CF) Landon (CF)
Subs: Eye-Ball, Parker, Rob, Gollum, Jimmy
The Oaks starting eleven were definitely the fresher, with six having already played no more than 30 minutes. Add to this the fact that this was one of the most youthful sides the Oaks had fielded in some time (I won’t make any exceptions), and you would hope Rec would be made to work extremely hard to get anything out of the replay.
Those expecting a “however” moment will be disappointed, as the Oaks took full advantage of their extra energy, and started to find time and space on the ball that had eluded them in the first match. This meant they grew in confidence and finally started playing some really nice passing football. This game also saw the first start in at least 3 years for our very own American export, and it seemed his time on the other side of the pond playing ‘soccer’ had done some good as his touch, hold up play and awareness frequently brought others into the game and meant we posed a much greater threat in attack.
In a complete reversal of the previous match it was the Oaks turn to take the lead, as Nathan pealed off his marker to race on to a ball over the top and hit a cracking trademark volley across the keeper and into the far corner of the net. Nathan’s finishing has improved remarkably this season, and from my position running the line I had a perfect view of this sublime finish: 0-1
With Nathan and Landon linking up with the wide men the Oaks were getting a lot of joy down the channels, as Rec Rovers appeared to have run out of steam. It wasn’t long before The Oaks extended their lead with Nathan once again breaking away down the right and into the box. Landon had got himself into a good position in the box, but wasn’t needed in the end as Nathan’s attempted pass hit a divot which redirected it into the bottom corner: 0-2.
It is worth mentioning that, whilst Nathan was grabbing all the headlines, Milly was having a superb match at the other end of the field, which meant Rec’s one attacking threat was completely neutralised. It seems sleepless nights and dirty nappies are the perfect preparation for the job of defending on a cold Sunday morning. Thanks to Milly and the overall team performance, Rec looked dead and buried. However (there had to be one), they were handed the footballing equivalent of 10 litres of Red-Bull when a goal was bundled in through a sea of bodies in the Oaks area. All involved were convinced an offside decision should have been given, but when the ref consulted the linesman (aka Parker) he had to admit that he had been distracted by the pink elephants jumping hurdles on the adjacent running track: 1-2.
With a comfortable 3 points now looking like it could become a disappointing 1 (or worse) some managers may have been reluctant to make wholesale changes, but Milesy kept with his plan to rotate the team and give everyone a game. To this end Jimmy, Gollum and Rob came on for the second half to replace Aaron, Deano and Milly. The Oaks looked the stronger team again in the second half, and extended their lead when a fine cross from Landon would have fallen invitingly for Nathan if it hadn’t been for the intervening defender. Unfortunately he was more determined to upstage Nathan’s finishing rather than clearing the ball and headed the ball into the top corner: 1-3.
The remainder of the game was all about missed chances and final nervous moments. The stand out chances to put the game out of reach fell to Landon and Casey twice. Firstly Landon took up a great position in the penalty area to meet a cross from Casey, but perhaps forgot which way he was shooting as the powerful header we expected turned into a lame back pass. Space was starting to opening up in abundance, and twice Casey took advantage of this to latch onto cross field balls and create goal scoring opportunities. The first time he turned inside onto his favoured left foot and, with only the keeper to beat chose power over placement but came closer to breaking a window in one of the flats than the net. The second time Casey chose to stay on his right, but unfortunately the end result was very similar.
The nerves came in the last five minutes when the ball was threaded through to the Rec Rovers’ striker, who turned his man and slotted home: 2-3. As if things couldn’t get any worse, with 53 seconds remaining Rec won a throw in a dangerous position, which consequently turned to a corner. Fortunately this came to nothing, and The Oaks were able to run down the clock and secure the win: 2-3.
It was really encouraging to see so many players turn up for the Oaks this week, especially when other teams seem to be struggling for numbers at the moment. Hopefully everyone enjoyed the matches and with another double header next week our enthusiasm and commitment will be doubly important.
Eye-Ball
Next Match: Sunday 14th March AWAY @ Blackshots v Anchor (double header) 11:00 K.O.
