Highlighting this situation is important, as it means that more weight should be given to the performance than the result. Regardless of the ultimate result being the same as the previous two weeks (a defeat), the performance from the Oaks this week was a vast improvement with us playing at the level we should do every week.
In a hope to address the defensive issues of the past few weeks, Milesy changed the look of the side, with Deano deployed in a sweeper role and Rob moving into the five man midfield to give Mikey more opportunity to support Nick up top. With Scott returning, and Alex coming back into the side we had extra strength in both attack and defence:
pppppppppppppppppTyrone (GK)
ppppppppppppDeano (CB)
Eye-Ball (RB)pppppppppppppppMilly (CB) Alex (LB)
ppppppppppppppGollum (CM)
Nathan (RM) (c)pppppppppRob(CM)ppppppppScott (LM)
ppppppppppppppMikey(CM)
ppppppppppppppMikey(CM)
pppppppppppppppppppNick (CF)
Subs: Parker, Aaron, Aaron (2)
The Oaks started the game brightly, and showed that they were determined to make amends for the lacklustre performances the two previous weeks. Every ball was competed for, and we did a great job of disrupting the opposition’s flow. We even played some football of our own, and should have taken the lead when Eye-Ball intercepted a pass inside the opposition half, and passed the ball to Mikey who expertly played the ball behind the defence to meet the continued run of Eye-Ball. Now Eye-ball being clear through on goal is about as unlikely as Parker coming home to find the Brazilian women’s beach volleyball team lying in wait for him. Although these two things are very different, Eye-Ball’s reaction was the same as Parker’s would be probably be. Panic, decide you’re not up for the job, and get someone else to finish the job. Unfortunately passing the ball across goal for Nick to tap into an empty net proved to be a mistake, as the referee claimed Nick had benefited from being in an offside position when the ball was originally played through. Despite some debate about the offside rule (which I think centred around Nick’s resemblance to Cristiano Ronaldo) the goal was ruled out, and the chance for the Oaks to take the lead – and for Eye-Ball to open his scoring account for the Oaks – was squandered.
To make matters worse, another bad decision from Eye-Ball soon after lead to Springhouse taking an unexpected lead. Caught in two minds between staying goal side and running with his man, or stepping up to play him offside, the result was that neither was done successfully and the Springhouse winger produced a neat finished when clean through on goal: 0-1.
The Oaks new system can’t be blamed for this, and was actually working very well with every man knowing the plan and executing it as intended.
The Oaks reacted well to going a goal down, and although no obvious goal scoring opportunities spring to mind from the first half, we continued to battle hard, and all were pleased with the performance in the first half.
There was no need to change anything at half time, and although we continued to play well, we went a further goal behind when a rare error form Ty saw a well struck shot slip through his raised hands and trickle agonisingly into the net: 0-2.
Not even going two goals down could dampen the Oaks spirit, and the fact that Springhouse started arguing amongst themselves, despite being two goals up, was a testament to the disruptive effect we were having on their game. Our determination was rewarded when Alex sent in a trademark long free kick into the box, which Springhouse watched sail apparently harmlessly over their heads (see it’s not just us Ty!). However, Nathan had taken a gamble and chased in to poke the bouncing ball past the keeper with the tip of his stud: 1-2.
Unfortunately Springhouse’s two goal lead was restored as quickly as it had been lost, thanks in part to some foul play from the opposition skipper who called “Keeper’s ball” as the ball was swung into the box from a free kick. However, instead of seeing Ty race out to claim the ball, all we saw was the back of the offending player as he raced in unchallenged to steer the ball home: 1-3.
The spirit we continued to show was outstanding, and the determination to challenge for every ball was commendable. It was to be expected that we would get caught on the break, as we pushed forward in an attempt to reduce the deficit, and although everyone dug deep to get back and defend, goal saving challenges from Scott, Nathan and Mikey stand out in the mind. Confidence also continued to be high with Parker even executing a Cruyff turn inside our own penalty area.
The deficit should have been reduced to one goal when Nathan broke down the right and smashed the ball home from an impossible angle, but the linesman decided to give a dubious offside. The decision was possibly influenced by the fact that the opposition had felt aggrieved when, just minutes earlier, Milesy received instructions from the fourth official, via his mobile, to give an offside against Springhouse.
The two negative points were injuries to both Ty and Deano. Ty damaged his shoulder, which meant he missed his first minutes of football for the Oaks since joining at the start of last season. The injury is likely to keep him out for a few weeks which is a real blow. Parker showed himself to be an able substitute though as he pulled off a fine save from a fierce volley, but I’m sure he is wishing Ty a speedy recovery more than anyone. Deano also went off with a “bum” injury, but I’m sure he’ll be ready to go again next week.
Despite some late unsavoury scenes there were no further goals to report, and although all were happy with the performance who knows what the Oaks may have got from this game if it hadn’t been for three avoidable goals. Still, if we play like this against our old rivals Linford Wanderers next week, we’ll have a great chance of returning to winning ways.
Eye-Ball
Next game: Sunday 14 November Away v Linford Wanderers @ Corringham Rec - 1030 ko
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