A new look Oaks Athletic started the season with an impressive 2nd half fight back, in which they overcame a two goal deficit and created more than enough chances to win the match out right.
With more than enough new players to form an entire new team, the person with the hardest job this season (other than me having to remember everyone’s names and contributions) is definitely the manager Milesy. He has promised to try and give everyone a fair chance, but even with inevitable injuries (e.g. Gollum), suspensions (e.g. Sharpy) and band camps (Eye-Ball) when you can only name five, and use three substitutes giving everyone the amount of football they would like will be impossible. The good thing for Milesy, and the Oaks, is that every new player who has signed can do a good job for the team and it is definitely the strongest squad I have been a part of.
For the first game Milesy chose to go for a good mix of the old and new/young with 7 regulars from last year and 4 of the new faces:
pppppppppppppppTy
ppStevepppMillyppppRobpppppEye-Ball (c)
JordanpppMikeyppppTapsellpppppppRyan
ppppppppNickpppppppppHarry
Subs: Parker, Chris, Whiley, Ash, Luke, Joe, Gavin
With so many new faces I thought I could do a weekly introduction to the new lads as we get to know them a bit better. This week Tapsell made quite an impression so seems like a good place to start:
Tapsell
Known as: Tapsell / Taps
First name: ?
Pre-match drink: Red Stripe
Pre-match meal: All you can DRINK Chinese Buffet
Best position: Centre half/Defensive midfielder
Best attributes: Eye for a defence splitting pass, good in the air and the ability to find space and keep hold of possession (also not forgetting a dazzling head of ginger hair).
Best to avoid: Calling him Ginger – if he decides to confirm your suspicions you’ve only got yourself to blame.
Can’t get up for a match without: His girlfriend….supplying the Lucozade.
With Deano away at Jacko’s wedding (congratulations mate), Eye-Ball took both his shirt and his Captain’s armband. It was probably a combination of Eye-Ball’s uninspiring pre-match team talk, dirty kebabs and bottles of Jaigermeister, and the nerves brought on by a new season and the need to prove we all deserved a place in the team that saw the confidence borne from good pre-season displays quickly evaporating inside a dismal first 25 minutes. To be fair to Belhus, they threw everything at us, and caught us cold both in midfield and defence to quickly take a two goal lead with some wondering how big the margin of defeat could end up being.
However, there was definitely no need to panic, with there being plenty of reasons to suggest we could overcome the early deficit. Firstly, the attitude of the Oaks players was first rate, with no arguing or fingers of blame being pointed. Also, Ryan and Harry – two of our youngest new recruits – demonstrated on numerous occasions that the Belhus back four had a fragile core that we had more than enough fire power to breach.
These two were at the heart of all our good attacking moves in the first half, and with Nick using his sizeable frame to keep the Belhus defenders occupied their runs and ability to take on and beat a man gave us a dimension that we thought we may have lost following Nathan’s retirement.
Whilst it is obviously Ryan’s quick feet and pace that pose the greatest threat, it was via a throw-in that he set up one of our best chances of the half, with Nick acting as the middle man to flick the ball further into the box where Tapsell was on hand to head the ball goal-wards, only for the keeper to pull of a good reaction save on the line.
The keeper was to prove our nemesis throughout the match as he also saved well in the first half from a scuffed (sorry Nick, I couldn’t remember if you said scuffed or stinging) left foot shot from Nick, and from our free-kick specialist Jordan who almost caught him out with a low free-kick that was creeping inside the near post. Harry also rattle the cross bar with a rasping drive, that on this occasion had the keeper well beaten.
Harry then had the best chance to get us back into the match when he bamboozled the defender inside the box, who brought him down for a clear (if not a little soft) penalty. With Sharpy not involved it was at first unclear who should step up to take the kick, but as he had won it, it seemed only fair that Harry should be given the chance to open his account for the Oaks. Unfortunately it wasn’t to be on this occasion, as although the keeper went the wrong way, the ball hit the post and the score remained 2-0 at the break.
The half time team talk was a positive one; we had really improved towards the end of the half, and we all knew in ourselves that we had to up our game. No more so than Mikey and Tapsell, who were the first to admit that they had been completely out of it in the first half, with their opposite numbers completely dominating the middle of the park. However, the arrival of Tapsell’s better half with energy drinks rather than Red Stripe, the realisation from Mikey that the two of them could work better as a pair if he switched off his defensive instincts, and the introduction of fresh legs in the form of Ash and Whiley, resulted in a dramatic shift with the Oaks totally dominating the second half.
It is no understatement to say that we absolutely pummelled Belhus for the whole of the second half, and apart from one late chance and a few corners Ty was pretty much untroubled. The Belhus central midfielders may as well have made an early trip to the bar, as they didn’t get a look in with Tapsell winning every ball and Mikey finding time and space to link up with the front players. With Ryan providing a constant attacking threat, and Ash and Rob – who are both natural ball winners – taking hostage of their opposite numbers on the right flank Belhus were lucky to get a touch of the ball, let alone get it anywhere near their lone striker.
It is rare for the Oaks to have so many players on the pitch who want to get their foot on the ball, and although difficult on an awful surface, some of the football played in the second half is the best I have been involved in whilst playing for the Oaks. The opening goal in the second half was a prime example as I believe Ash, Mikey and Nick exchanged passes before Tapsell played a delightful ball over the top that Harry anticipated and calmly lifted past the stranded goalkeeper: 2-1.
It wasn’t long before our constant pressure was rewarded with an equaliser, with Ryan inevitably being involved. It was his corner from the right that was headed back across goal by Tapsell, who collected his second assist of the game as Ash rose powerfully at the opposite post to head the ball home: 2-2.
On paper Belhus may still have had a point to hang on to, but the reality was that on the pitch they were well and truly beaten. It was clear from their body language, and the almost constant arguing, that they couldn’t wait to hear the final whistle. The Oaks, on the other hand, were determined to find a winner, and the fact that we didn’t can only be put down to their keeper playing out of his skin, and a few rushed finishes in front of goal.
There is no way I can remember all of the chances, but here are some of the highlights:
Rob was one of those foiled by the keeper as his glancing header from a bullet cross from Ryan (who later admitted it was a shot) would have nestled in the far corner if it hadn’t been for the keeper’s intervention. He also saved well with his legs to deny Ash a deserved second goal for the Oaks following a great second half display. Mikey was yet another Oaks player to be denied by the one man Belhus team, as his controlled shot from the edge of the area was well tipped over.
Even Milly was getting in on the act, as he took advantage of the arrival of Whiley, whose pace and solid defensive skills meant Milly could advance into the box for corners. His header from one of these corners had plenty of power, but unfortunately lacked direction.
Ryan also created a great opportunity to grab us a winner as he showed good determination to win the ball on the bye line and run it into the area, it was unfortunate however that his low ball into the middle was just too late to coincide with the runs of any of the four Oaks players who had steamed into the area.
It’s no surprise that Harry alone had as many chances as the rest of the team put together to score. His superb running off the ball and ability to find room for a shot made him a constant threat, and once the finishing comes (which it surely will as he grows in confidence) the position at the top of the Oaks goal scoring chart should be his to make his own.
I’m not going to go into all the chances (not least because I can’t remember them all), but the one that will have Harry kicking himself the most will be when, once again put through on goal, he chose to try and lob the bouncing ball over the enormous advancing keeper, in the hope that he would go down. As it happens he didn’t and made the simplest of saves (I believe Nick may also have missed a chance in similar fashion?)
So the final whistle finally came to Belhus’ rescue, with the Oaks being left wondering what should have been. Despite only picking up a point, the second half display should do wonders for the confidence of the team, and hopefully we can carry this momentum into next week’s match and the rest of the season.
I have to say one final word about our referee for the day, Mike Stanley – aka Alan Partridge – who always entertains and frustrates the 22 men on the pitch and on this occasion didn’t fail to amuse. Firstly when he decided Ty had handled the ball outside the area, and subsequently booking him for the apparent offence. However, the absolute gem was when he penalised Nick, telling him he is “too big” to shield the ball. If that theory holds true then surely
Milesy will be sunning himself in
Eye-Ball
Next Match – Sunday 2nd October Away @ Belhus Park v Jacks Lads – 09.45 meet.
Goal Scoring Chart to follow
