The one good thing about this double header is that, after 120 minutes of being taught a severe lesson, we can say goodbye to AFC Staggs for this season and probably beyond given they must be one of the favourites for promotion.
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We were found out by a very good footballing side on this occasion, with matters not being help by injuries and absences that mainly affected the Oaks defence. Ty, Alex and Milly were missing, and Deano just wasn’t ready to return to action despite his best efforts.
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Scott was called on to play in goal in the first match, having impressed in his last outing against Linford in November. With what was left, Milesy went for the following line up for the opening match:
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pppppppppppppppppScott (GK)
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ppJimmy (RB) Rob (CB) Eye-Ball (CB) Aaron (LB)
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Nathan (RM) (c) Gollum (CM) Jordan (CM) Aaron(2) (LM)
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pppppppppppMikey (CM)
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pppppppppppppppppppNick (CF)
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Subs: Sharpy, Parker
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The first half was definitely one to forget, with Staggs cutting us apart with their pace and movement. The unfamiliar back four struggled to gel, and weren’t given any time to settle by the opposition. The situation wasn’t help by our failure to keep possession for more than two passes, and as soon as the ball was cleared it was coming back again.
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It was 4-0 by half time with two goals coming as a result of breaks down the flanks which ended in perfect low crosses for the man in the middle to finish. The others came from a break down the middle and a goal through a crowded area. Later in the pub, Mikey was adamant that he should take the blame for two of the goals despite there being no fingers pointed. His argument was that he should have made the tackle on the winger leading up to one goal, when he showed good pace and determination to get back to put in a sliding tackle, but somehow missed the ball and the player. The goal through the crowd of bodies could possibly have been avoided if Mikey and Scott hadn’t challenged each other for the ball. However, this doesn’t change the fact that we were totally out played and couldn’t complain about the half time score.
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Sharpy and Parker came on in the second half and Jimmy swapped with Eye-Ball. Jimmy was given the job of man marking Staggs dangerous number 10, and it was possibly felt Eye-Ball might have a bit more pace to deal with the breaks down the flanks which had given us so many problems in the first half. The second 30 was a much better performance, and we actually drew the half 1-1, and only conceded because Eye-Ball was caught out by the oldest trick in the book as he allowed the Stagg player to make a gap in the wall following the award of a free kick. The ball was duly placed through the gap and into the far bottom corner.
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The Oaks goal came courtesy of good work from Nick in the area, and Nathan was on hand to put the ball in the back of the net via a deflection. He assures me his effort was goal bound, and he is therefore credited with the goal.
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Unfortunately the Oaks lost yet another key player to injury, as Sharpy fell awkwardly on his ankle whilst trying to keep the ball in play. He initially thought that he had broken it, and as he lay stricken with one foot still in play the game had to be stopped for a good 10 minutes and an ambulance was called. The paramedics confirmed the diagnosis that many of us had already made – Sharpy was just being a big girl (there goes any chance of being a Sky Sports commentator). Although the ankle wasn’t broken, damage to ligaments had obviously been sustained and Sharpy would take no further part. The game ended 5-1.
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The referee we had been assigned for this match was stranger than most, and in particular was adamant that we should have as little a break between halves as possible, and also seemed very upset to have to delay play whilst Sharpy lay on the side of the pitch. He apparently didn’t have anywhere to be, so the only other explanation was that he had foolishly ordered a beer from the club bar before the game, and was concerned it would be warm after two and a half hours. Weight was added to this argument when he stormed off after the first match following a discussion about a decision with the opposition, only to be seen at the end of the match sitting in the bar enjoying a cold beer.
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This caused a further delay as we tried to sort out what to do about the second match. The Oaks have fallen foul of opposition officials standing in as referees before, but on this occasion agreed to the suggestion that their man could take the whistle. To be fair he did OK, even though he couldn’t stop himself from giving advice to, and willing on his own men. His pitch coverage and running lines were also woeful – there is a lot more to being a referee than just knowing the rules.
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The twelve men left in Oaks shirts did very well in the second match despite still conceding 4 goals. Parker replaced Scott in goal, which gave us a fresh pair of legs on the left. This definitely made a difference as we started to see more possession, and even put some good passing sequences together. Scott even managed to improve his goal aggregate for the day, as a cross come shot from the left sailed over the keeper into the far corner.
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Tiredness began to show as the game wore on, and Staggs’ superior quality and much larger squad meant they were able to keep the pressure on right to the end, and despite some good chances for Nick and Nathan we were well and truly beaten. It was something of a relief when the final whistle blew and we could lick our wounds on the way to a much needed pint at The Oak.
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Eye-Ball
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