Thameside 1 - 3 Oaks Athletic

On their return to league action, The Oaks came from behind to take all three points against old rivals Thameside. The opposition gained promotion with the Oaks last season, but the gulf in quality that saw the Oaks defeat them three times last year and finish 15 points ahead seems to have only got wider. We all noted that they seemed to have lost some of the fight and competitiveness that made them tough to beat last year, but as is normal we only really moved out of second gear and cruised home once Thameside took the lead.


The Oaks move up two places to fifth

It was pretty typical that, with Milesy absent, all sorts of issues should face the stand in player-manager. Most pressing for Nathan was the lack of players. There was no sign of Connor (he later turned up once we had kicked off having got confused between meet and kick-off times), and Tapsell and Browne were having to attend to some urgent business. The team was therefore announced about 3 minutes before kick-off, with Deano volunteering to wear the gloves.

ppppppppppppppppDeano (c)

BrowneppppppRobppppNikippppEye-Ball

RyanppppppTapsellpppppMikeyppppppScott

pppppppppppppNathanppppDale

subs: Bunny, Connor


There wasn't much to savour in the first half as the Oaks seemed happy to cruise along without looking to dominate the opposition. The best chances fell to Dale, with the first being put on a plate for him by his brother. Ryan's low cross from the right left Dale knowing that any touch from 6 yards out would see the ball end up in the back of the net. Unfortunately a bobble (that's what Dale called it anyway) got the better of our prolific goal scorer and the ball continued on its merry way. Dale's second chance deserved more than just the thud of leather on metal, as he skipped on to a through ball and, running away from goal, lifted the ball first time over the keeper only for the upright to come to Thameside's rescue.

The only other contribution worthy of note was that of Deano in goal. Much like in a night club, where Deano is often observed marking his territory by strutting about with his chest puffed out, the six yard box was his new manor. Any ball or player who encroached was swiftly dealt with as he succeeded in keeping a clean sheet to the end of the half.

Nathan's half time decisions were made easier by the fact that Scott had to get to work, and Deano was struggling with an injury. This meant Bunny replacing Scott on the left and Connor relieving Deano of his duties.

As I have already mentioned, Thameside took the lead early in the second half through a soft goal. The usually impenetrable Oaks defence parted like the red sea to allow the Thameside striker to break into the box. He hit the ball powerfully and although Connor got a hand to it, the ball still nestled in the back of the net: 1-0.

This goal sprung the Oaks into life, with one player in particular taking it upon himself to drive the team forward. A popular member of the squad, Steve Browne is often overlooked but still turns up week in week out to support his team and his friends. However, on this occasion he was guaranteed 90 minutes of football and boy did he make the most of it. It was Steve who was responsible for getting the Oaks back on level terms when he put in a delicious cross from the right that was perfect for Dale to nod into the net from 8 yards: 1-1.

The Oaks were in complete control now, and it didn't take long for them to take the lead. Inside the box, Mikey showed great skill to send his opposite number the wrong way with a Cruyff turn. His subsequent cross from the bye-line looped up off a defender, enabling Rob to get to the ball in front of the keeper and head home: 1-2.

It wasn't all plain sailing for the Oaks, and some good defending was needed at the other end. First Tapsell took up a good position and some how managed to head the ball over from under our cross bar, following a well struck free kick from the edge of the box. Then Browne showed what tough stuff Oaks full backs are made of when he bravely won a header in the box and got a whack on the head for his trouble. An almighty roar and a few rubs were all that was needed for him to be ready to commence battle again. Connor and Browne then combined with the former just getting enough on an attempted lob to stop it going over the line, and the latter being on hand to clear the ball to safety. Then for the second week running Eye-Ball cleared the ball behind precariously close to his own goal when a cross-come-shot was glanced wide with his head.

With this pressure averted, it was crucial that the Oaks put the game beyond doubt. Thankfully Eye-Ball's half time shooting advice was taken on board as Ryan won the ball from a Thameside goal kick, and his nod down was pounced on by Dale. He raced clear and finished in style past the helpless keeper: 1-3.

It's not often that we discuss man of the match awards, but everyone agreed that this accolade should be bestowed on Steve Browne for an outstanding display that saw him terrorise the opposition with his runs down the right, whilst also bravely defending the Oaks advantage. He was also agonisingly close to getting his first Oaks goal to add to the first assist he had already collected. Tapsell played the ball into Dale from the left, but he let the ball run on (deliberately this time I think) into the path of the onrushing Browne whose first time shot stung the hands of the keeper as he pushed it to safety. This great move and Steve's effort deserved more, but it wasn't to be on this occasion and we had to be happy with a convincing 3-1 victory that was welcome after a couple of tough weeks.

Eye-Ball

Next game: Sunday 16th December @ home v Brema Utd - 1030 Kick off

Goal scoring chart

Dynamo Basildon 3 - 3 Oaks Athletic (aet, 5-3 pens) (Essex Junior Cup 3rd Round)

The Oaks may have missed out on a place in the 4th round of the Essex Cup by the narrowest of margins, but the good team spirit and togetherness shown made this a day to be proud to be a member of the Oaks squad. We may not have been taking this as seriously as the league, but there is no reason why we can't compete whilst having this much fun every week.

It was a pretty funny day all round. First there was the comedy of finding the right ground (there were far too many to choose from), then the incredible demountable changing rooms that were like something from a 1970s Pontins site, and where it was colder inside than the sub zero temperature outside. Next we had the frozen solid pitch that was left for 20 minutes after the original kick-off time to gradually turn into a giant slush puppy in the winter sun. Then there was the starting line up...

ppppppppppppppppConnor

Deano (c)ppppppMillyppppNikippppBrowne

ppppppppppppppppGollum

ParkerppppppTapsellpppppMikeyppppppEye-Ball

pppppppppppppppppHarry

subs: Nathan, Rob, Bunny, Dale, Ryan


It was an honour to once again be playing in a team that included Oaks legends Gollum and Parker. If you've never seen these boys in action before then ask your grandparents. It was just like the good old days, with Gollum stretching those long legs to tackle people from 20 yards away, and Parker falling over in comical fashion on the right wing.

In truth the Oaks were struggling a little to adapt to the new formation, and it says a lot that the best chance of the half fell to Eye-Ball, who was moonlighting as a tricky number 9 on the left wing. He broke free of the defence to latch onto a through ball from Tapsell, but as the keeper came out his standing foot sank in the mud and his effort skewed wide (there is absolutely no doubt this chance would have been buried if conditions had been better). You could also argue that the pressure of wearing the number 9 shirt with a legendary Oaks number 9 on the pitch proved a little too much.

As it was the Oaks went into half time a goal down when one of the handful of quality players Basildon possessed broke free and lobbed the ball over Connor and into the net: 1-0.

With the hard work of defrosting the pitch complete, Milesy brought on the big guns for the second half. Ryan, Dale, Bunny, Rob and Nathan replaced Browne, Harry, Deano, Parker and Gollum. Basildon had some good players, but there was not doubt that we were the better side in the second half. However it took another goal from Basildon - a long range effort that would have been too good for any keeper - to finally fire us into life: 2-0.

The Oaks got back into the game thanks to a familiar routine that had a new beneficiary. Ryan delivered a quality corner from the left, and Rob, rather than Tapsell, arrived late at the back post to nod the ball into the net: 2-1.

The Oaks were now in control and pushing for the equaliser as Basildon put every man behind the ball. Mikey went off for Harry (roll on subs remember) and the Oaks pushed more men forward with Rob advancing to leave just three at the back. It took a while, but the equaliser finally came with two minutes of normal time remaining. Connor punted the ball up field and Dale laid it off to Tapsell on the edge of the area. His low drive was perfectly placed in the bottom corner and the Oaks had once again overcome the odds to keep themselves in a cup match: 2-2.

The momentum was with the Oaks as we moved into extra time, and when Dale slid the ball into the net following the keeper's parry from H's well struck shot, it looked like an unlikely turn around (and the possibility of a trip to Bishops Stortford) was on the cards. It was almost put beyond doubt when Dale broke free of the defence, but the keeper saved well: 2-3.

Unfortunately the Oaks couldn't hold on to the end of extra time, when with a few minutes to go the ball was played over the top for Basildon's striker to latch onto. Despite Eye-Ball getting back to make the sliding block, the ball went through both him and Connor and into the net: 3-3.

Even then there was time for one last moment of drama as a Basildon player played the ball across the face of the goal with a team mate waiting at the back post to slide it into an empty net. However, Eye-Ball was on hand to clear the ball over the cross bar from six yards (believe it or not I actually backed myself to miss the target from that range).

So it was that the game would be decided by the dreaded penalty shootout. The Oaks were not short of volunteers, as when Milesy asked for 5 to step forward, about 8 did. The order that was decided was Dale, Tapsell, Nathan, Harry and Ryan. Basildon went first, and the first 7 penalties were expertly dispatched. Harry then stepped up and struck his kick down the middle only for the diving keeper's trailing leg to block the ball. Basildon’s final kick was dispatched and that was it, the Oaks were out and Dynamo Basildon progressed to the 4th round.

Harry was comforted by his team mates; someone has to miss and at least he stood up and volunteered to take one. It's especially cruel when a game finishes like this, as it is always the final act that is remembered. However, if you think about it so many other things could have stopped this ending on another day. If the keeper hadn't save Dale's earlier effort, or even if Eye-Ball had blazed the ball into the roof of his own net rather than over the bar, the game would have ended differently. On the plus side, all the division two league games were cancelled so we're no further behind, and we can now concentrate on league and cup games in Thurrock. I think it has been a really good experience for us to play a few teams outside of Thurrock, and we showed we are up to the test. At least one home game would have been nice, but it's been fun nonetheless.

On a sadder note, Al Blake (who was at the game to watch) has decided to leave the Oaks to join Ventura. Blake is a really good young footballer, and a popular member of the Oaks double winning squad. We'll therefore all be sorry to see him go, but understand his desire to get a regular starting position. Our loss is definitely Ventura's gain, and hopefully we'll still see him down at the Ship. I'm sure everyone would agree that it would be great to see him back in purple again at some point in the future if he decides he'd like to come back.

Eye-Ball

Next game: Sunday 9th December - Away v Thameside @ Blackshots - 11:00 K.O.

Goal Scoring Chart:

George & Dragon 3 - 0 Oaks Athletic

"Sometimes you have to learn how to lose before you are ready to win"
Arnold J. Rimmer

All good things must come to an end, and after one year and one month, 29 games, one league title, one league cup and an unmeasurable number of ham sandwiches, the Oaks players finally experienced the feeling of losing a game. It isn't a nice feeling, especially when you've not felt it in so long, but much like the flu vaccine a small dose of a bad thing can only make us stronger. Ideally our run would have ended with a great performance, where we fought valiantly until the end only to lose out in a game that could have gone either way. That wasn't to be, and although George & Dragon showed themselves to be a fine young side who are worthy of their position at the top of the table, our performance was disappointing. We allowed the opposition to play their slick passing football, and were inaffective in possesion.

ppppppppppppppppTyrone

Deano (c)ppppppRobppppNikippppEye-Ball

NathanppppppTapsellpppppMikeyppppppScott

ppppppppppppppppRyanppppDale

subs: Browne, Milly, Bunny, Luke



Still a lot of fixtures behind everyone else

I'm not going to go into much detail about the game. We were beaten by three goals from set pieces; two in the first half and one in the second. Two came from crosses and the other was scored directly. Apart from that, and having the lion's share of possession, G & D never really got behind us. We created very few chances, with the closest we came to scoring being a shot hit into the ground by Tapsell that looked destined to go in but hit a dodgy patch of grass that diverted the ball onto the post. This would have made the score 2-1, and who knows what might have happened then. The referee was awful, and at times we were rash as frustrations got the better of us.

It's important not to dwell on this defeat, and I know individuals (your match reporter included) will be wishing they could turn back the clock and not concede that free kick, or make a better job of marking their man, or have another go at making that pass or shooting at goal. Instead we've got to be as much of a team in defeat as we have in every victory over the last glorious year. Forget this game, and take some time to think back to what we have achieved. Read through some of the old match reports of your favourite games and memorable moments: the 5-1 win against Pegasus that convinced us we would be a force to be reckoned with in Division 2; coming back from 3 nil down against Tilbury in the cup semi final; Tapsell's goals in extra time to win us the cup; H fouling himself two yards from goal. The list goes on and on, and I think it would be great to hear some more when we meet next week. Everyone should feel immensely proud to have played a part in what has been the most succesful period in the Oaks history, and I'm sure we'll have many more reasons to celebrate in the future.

Eye-Ball

Next game: Sunday 25th November - Away v Dynamo Basildon - Meet Orsett Cock - 0930

Goal Scoring chart

Oaks Athletic 6 - 0 Mustang (Ted Fairchild Cup Round 2)

The Oaks cruised into the 3rd round of the Ted Fairchild cup thanks to a commanding display against Division 4 side Mustang. This game had some extra spice given that a number of the Mustang players are known to some of us, and also as they were sponsored by The Ship Inn last season. We did our sponsors proud, and maintained bragging rights for the foreseeable future.

Such is the strength of the Oaks squad, and the confidence that Milesy has in the resources available, that he was able to tell a number of players - including the club captain and player of the season - to leave their boots at home. This was a chance to mix up the team a bit, and reward the players who have had fewer opportunities for their loyalty and support. One unexpected change to the starting eleven was Milly replacing Niki, who pulled up lame during the warm up. Milly and Rob have played countless games together over the years for both the Oaks, and previously Berma, but incredibly this was the first time they had formed a partnership in over a year! Still, the fact they kept a clean sheet and rarely looked troubled proves that they haven't forgotten how to play together.

ppppppppppppppppConnor

pppLukeppppppppRobppppMillyppppBrowne

Nathan (c)ppppppBunnypppppMikeyppppppRyan

ppppppppppppppppHarryppppDale

subs: Niki, Al, Scott, Ty, Eye-Ball
Watchers: Tapsell, Parker, Deano

Mustang started brightly, but it soon became clear that they lacked the quality to capitalise on the pace they had upfront. They were also heavily reliant on the one quality defender they had, and although he got them out of trouble on a number of occasions it wasn't long before the Oaks started finding routes to goal.

The best of the early chances fell to Mikey, Nathan, Ryan and Rob. Firstly Mikey was denied a shooting chance when bursting into the box by a last ditch challenge, then smart saves from the keeper prevented Ryan, on the left, and Nathan, on the right, from opening the scoring. Rob was also denied by two goal line clearances as he twice won the ball in the box in the same attacking move.

The lead was eventually taken when Nathan took a throw in on the right into Dale's feet. Dale showed great skill to bring the ball down before crossing low into the centre, where the other Kenyon was waiting. Ryan calmly slotted the ball into the corner of the goal to take his tally to three for the season: 1-0.

Bunny then had a great chance to double the lead, but maybe had too much time when the ball broke to him 15 yards out with the whole of the goal to aim at. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, and I'm sure if the chance came again he'd side foot it into the corner rather than trying to put the keeper in the net with the ball. In the end the windows in the flats behind the goal were in more danger of being broken than the net.

This miss didn't prove to be costly as the Oaks got a second goal before the break. Much like the steeple chase at the Olympics, the Kenyons were stealing the show. Provider turned finisher, as Dale collected the ball in the box from Nathan's pass and nonchalantly skipped past the covering defenders before slotting the ball into the net: 2-0.

Ty and Al replaced Connor and Mikey for the second half. I wrote a few weeks ago about Niki's feat of travelling back from Scotland on the morning of a game. Due to the postponement of last week's match, the trumping of this achievement nearly went unnoticed, as Tyrone turned up for the match having flown in from Turkey at 0700 that morning. Although I'm sure this isn't supportive evidence, we do know that Ty has a competitive streak, and the fact that clean sheets had been kept in the last 5 halves of football wouldn't have gone unnoticed.

Ty did more than his fair share to extend the clean sheet record to three games, as he pulled off two great saves in the opening minutes of the second half. The first saw him get down well to his left to tip a well hit shot round the post, and then he came off his line quickly to palm the ball over the bar as the striker chipped it goal ward.

The slight anxiousness caused by the dreaded 2 nil score line soon evaporated when H was on hand in the box to volley Ryan's cross goal ward. Both keeper and defender got something on it, but could not prevent it crossing the line: 3-0.

The Oaks were in full swing now, and the rest of the half was a joy to watch. The only disappointment was to see Luke limping off again, especially as he had only just returned from injury. This led to a major reshuffle, with Scott coming on to take up a familiar position on the left hand side of midfield. Ryan moved to the right, Rob to full back, and Nathan to the heart of the defence.

Scott nearly made an instant impact when he won possession on the left before hitting the ball against the underside of the crossbar from all of 25 yards. Later in the half, H also learnt to think twice about requesting the ball from Scott, who duly obliged by leathering it at him from about 10 feet. In Scott's defence I think it might have been another attempt on goal, but this didn't make it any less amusing for the spectators (or painful for H).

Once Harry gets his confidence up, he is almost unplayable and after scoring his first in this one he then scored another and set up one. The assist came first as he flicked on Nathan's clearance with the outside of his boot for Dale to run on to. He held off the defenders who tried to dispossess him before beating the keeper for his second goal of the match: 4-0.

Bunny then got the fifth when the ball bounced back to him in the box, as the keeper could only parry Ryan's fiercely struck shot. This time Bunny made no mistake as he side footed the ball into the corner: 5-0.

H finished the scoring, with Dale once again providing the assist with a cross into the box that fell perfectly for H to strike first time into the roof of the net: 6-0.

Six goals and a clean sheet proved to be more than just reward for yet another good day at the office, as the Oaks march on to the next round of the Ted Fairchild Cup. I hope it also gives all the players the belief that they have what it takes to knock the league leaders off their perch next week.

Eye-Ball

Next Game: Away v George and Dragon (venue to be confirmed):Sunday 18th November.

Goal Scoring Chart

Wheatleys 0 - 4 Oaks Athletic (Essex Junior Cup 2nd Round)

This is a game that would have left statos scratching their heads, as there is no way you could have arrived at a 4-0 win to the Oaks based on possession and territory. The Oaks were below par with the ball, and although conditions could be used as an excuse (if it hadn't been so muddy the ball would have easily rolled unassisted from one end of the pitch to the other), the truth is that our opponents were far superior, on the day, with the ball at feet. The difference was that the Oaks were colossal in defence, and took their chances - when they arrived - to exploit the frailties of Wheatley's immobile keeper. If reaching the second round of the Essex Junior Cup is a novelty, reaching the third round (and last 32) is possibly a first, and just adds a little more gloss to what has been a truly remarkable run.

Once Eye-Ball had safely lead the troops to Eastwood Park, Milesy named his starting eleven, and demonstrated his man management skills by conforming to the cup rules of allocating numbers based on positions without upsetting any of the more sensitive members of the squad. We were all pleased (Scott and Dale were over the moon) to welcome Connor, who had already impressed in a pre-season friendly, and was now making his full debut in goal having signed for an undisclosed fee during the week. A familiar face also returned to the subs bench, as Parker made a welcome return.

ppppppppppppppppConnor

Eye-BallppppppRobppppNikippppDeano (c)

NathanppppppBunnypppppTapsellppppppScott

ppppppppppppRyanppppDale

subs: Parker, Milly, Al, Browne, Harry

The contour of the pitch was not the only thing making it an up hill struggle for the Oaks in the first half, as they failed to keep hold of the ball and were camped in their own half for most of the opening half an hour. Still, this gave Connor the opportunity to show us what a fine young keeper he is. Although picking up a back pass, in order to have to make a fine save from six yards, is going a bit far. As well as showing great handling and agility, Connor's booming kicks were the main route out of our own half in the opening exchanges. Despite their dominance, Wheatleys were finding the Oaks to be a hard nut to crack and they couldn't make the break-through.

Probably the Oaks biggest strength is that they have so many weapons in their goal-scoring arsenal, and for every loaded gun there is a skilled marksman to pull the trigger: Nathan and Rob combining from throw-ins; Tapsell burying Ryan's fantastic deliveries; H's runs in behind the defence that are so expertly picked out by any number of our midfielders. Now with Dale in the squad, we've added our very own loose cannon to the mix. He may appear pretty harmless, but without any warning he can go off to devastating effect. To translate, I'm referring to his ability to make something out of nothing, which he very nearly did in this game when he volleyed a cross from the edge of the area that I can confirm was goal bound before giving some unfortunate defender mild concussion.

It may well have been from the resulting corner that the Oaks took the lead. Maybe Tapsell is losing some of his fiery glow, as despite the insensitive cries of, "Pick up the Ginger", nobody did, and he was left to head home Ryan's corner at the back post (de ja vu or what!). The number of goals Tapsell scores in this way is simply ridiculous: that's four so far already this season, and long may it continue: 0-1.

Nick may have found it hard to cement his place in the Oaks side, but nobody could argue his position as the number one spot kick exponent, with Sharpy being his self appointed deputy. I don't think we have actually discussed who would take penalties now that these options are unavailable, but Scott bravely stepped up when a penalty was awarded to the Oaks. I have to admit I have no idea what for, but I believe Bunny may have been infringed. Scott probably wishes we'd all missed his attempt from 12 yards, which was dragged wide, but all his team mates encouraged him to keep his head up as we still had a lead to defend.

The beauty of the Essex Cup this year is that they are trialling the idea of 5 rolling subs, which is great for a big squad like the Oaks. Steve made his first change at half time when he replaced Ryan with H. You can't knock the enthusiasm of youth, but perhaps Milesy needs to give more careful instructions to these impressionable souls. With the Oaks now attacking down the slope, shooting from distance could be a good tactic, although having a pop direct from the kick-off probably wasn't what he had in mind. To give H some credit, his effort was well weighted but lack direction.

It took a while for the Oaks to extend their lead, again against the run of play. With Dale on the pitch you never know what might happened, and he caught Wheatleys' number 1 off guard as he made room for a shot inside the area and fired low under the keeper's body: 0-2.

With Wheatleys continuing to dominate possession, this second goal must have felt like saving up all your pocket money for a year, to then find the toy shop has sold the last Power Ranger toy to the spoilt brat in front of you in the queue (we do have a lot of youngsters in the squad now, so I'm trying to keep the references relevant). If that wasn't bad enough, Dale then preceded to taunt the opposition with the aforementioned Power Ranger as he collected a pass from Tapsell and fired it high over the keeper's head and into the net from 25 yards: 0-3.

Despite not being overly bothered whether or not we won this game, I think Milesy had held off making too many changes up to this point more from a fear of extra time keeping him out in the cold for longer than was necessary. This third goal therefore gave him the breathing space to make wholesale changes, with Parker, Milly, Browne, Al and Ryan all making second half appearances while Eye-Ball, Niki, Deano, Bunny, Tapsell and Scott all spent some time watching from the sidelines.


Milesy considers drastic measures to avoid extra time

I imagine this game wasn't that enjoyable for Harry, as much like the first half the defenders were seeing a lot more of the ball than he was. However, he worked his socks off to give us an outlet, and despite not getting a goal for his hard work, I've accepted the petition for him to be credited with an assist for the part he played in the fourth and final Oaks goal.

The Oaks played some good football to move the ball out of the defence down the left, and Ryan picked up the ball some 40 yards from goal out on the left. He spotted H's run into the box, and played what he described as "a screamer" - but I'll call a floated cross field pass - into the opposition box. With the keeper anticipating that H's despairing dive to make some sort of contact with the ball would be successful, he was made to look very silly as it eluding H, bounced over him and nestled in the far corner. If the keeper had been sporting a grey beard, he would have resembled a well known festive figure who will definitely not be visiting the Kenyon household this year: 0-4.

Although the game may have finished soon after this, the most incredible revelation of the day was still to come. There were two games taking place on Eastwood Park, with all four teams sharing one large changing room that only had three showers. Three showers between approximately 50 muddy footballers. If Niki, Rob or Eye-Ball had any concerns about missing the fine Ship sandwiches they needn't have worried, as they had the luxury of each having their own personal (very warm) shower. Just to prove that the soap-dodging epidemic is not just confined to the Oaks Athletic.

Eye-Ball

Next game: Sunday 4th November @ Home v Brema United - 1030 KO

Mossops 0 - 4 Oaks Athletic

The Oaks recorded their second league win, and first clean sheet of the season as they cruised to victory over bottom side Mossops. Stearner tests lie ahead, but when you come up against a side yet to register a point, it is somewhat of a relief to not be the first side to fail to take all three, and although it took us a while to get going, once the first goal went in the result was never in doubt.


The Oaks gain 3 more points and move up one place to fifth

Milesy returned to team-picking duties this week, but had one less option than usual as ever present Nick had, earlier in the week, informed Steve that he would be leaving the club. This isn't the place to talk about the reasons, as that should only come from Nick. I know he was immensley proud to be a part of the double winnings Oaks squad so this couldn't have been an easy decision. I wish him all the best for the future, and hope he finds another club where he can enjoy his football and most importantly be happy.

With still no goal keeper signed, Dale took the gloves this week as it wouldn't have been fair to stick Scott between the sticks for a second week running. This meant there was only one recognised striker (although H isn't always recognisable first thing on a Sunday), but despite this Milesy still had plenty of options and he chose to shake the team up a bit. The biggest surprise was probably Tapsell starting at centre back, with Rob moving to the right and Bunny partnering Mikey in the middle. I say it was a surprise, but the truth is that it demonstrates the strength in depth we possess in all positions (OK, so not including willing goal keepers).

ppppppppppppppppDale

RobppppppTapsellppppNikippppEye-Ball

RyanppppppBunnypppppMikeyppppppScott

ppppppppppppHarryppppNathan (c)

subs: Deano, Milly, Al, Browne

The Oaks have a habit of lowering themselves to the standard of the opposition, and in the first half the going was far too easy. As a result we hardly got out of first gear, and despite showing no real threat to our defence, Mossops probably felt they were unlucky not to take the lead in the first 40 minutes of the match. Their best chances came, firstly, when Niki under-hit a back pass but was relieved to see Dale save from the striker with his legs. In Niki's defence, I reckon he must have broken the record for furthest distance travelled to get to a game, as he flew some 500 miles from Scotland that morning to make it to the game - that's some commitement.

The Oaks had Dale to thank twice more in the first half for keeping the score at nil nil. A cross that turned into a shot needed the slightest of touches from an out stretched hand to direct the ball onto the inside of the post, and then a top class save from a well struck 25 yard volley prevented the ball looping over Dale's head and the embarasement of being caught off his line.

Despite being below par, the Oaks still created chances of their own. We've got many players with the quality to pick out a defence splitting pass, and H again showed himself to be the perfect recipient as his pace and movement saw him find himself behind the defence on a number of occasions. Unfortunately he's still yet to find his deadly shooting range, and these chances went begging. Nathan also missed from close range after the ball unexpectedly broke to him off the keeper.

Milesy re-arranged side didn't last long, as Mikey pulled up with yet another hamstring injury mid way through the first half. Mikey has be plagued with injury over the last year, and this latest blow looks set to see him sidelined for a number of weeks. Mikey was replaced by Deano, which meant Rob moving back to the centre of defence and Tapsell going back to his favoured position at the heart of the midfield.

The break through finally came in the 40th minute from a familiar source when a throw-in was won on the left hand side of the box. This was the first throw in that Nathan chose to take, and Mossops seemed completely unprepared for what they were going to have to defend. Perhaps they didn't think a bloke wearing embroidered ankle straps would have much of a throw, as when it arrived the defence seemed struck dumb, and Rob had the simple task of strolling into the six yard box to head the ball home without anyone making an attempt to challenge him or the ball: 0-1.

The same team took to the pitch for the second half, but Rob's late goal in the first half seemed to have finally woken the Oaks up, as they put the Mossops goal under constant pressure for the remainder of the match.

Scott and Ryan were offering plenty of width, which gave Tapsell and Bunny the opportunity to release them down the wings on countless occasions. This meant Mossops were getting more and more stretched, leading to big gaps appearing all over the pitch. It also meant defending was a doddle, especially as Mossops' lack of quality on the ball meant they often cocked up before a tackle was even required.

Scott and Ryan were rewarded for their tireless running when they linked up for the second Oaks goal. Scott caught the full back in possesion and raced to the byeline before picking out Ryan on the far side of the box. His shot was intercepted by the defender on the line, but off balance he could only deflect the ball into his own net. There was some debate as to whether this should be given as an own goal, but Ryan's shot was on target, and it would be harsh to deny him his first goal of the season, and Scott his first assist. It also means I don't have to create another row on the goal scoring chart: 0-2.

Scott was once again involved in the third goal, which was the best of the bunch from a team perspective, as it involved four players and just four touches. The goal keeper's clearance was won in the air by Scott, with Nathan then nodding it back into the path of Tapsell. His vision and H's anticipation saw the young striker released into the gap between the centre backs and he finished first time into the bottom corner. This was just reward for H's hard work, and made up for a cracking vollied goal that had been ruled out for offside: 0-3.

If the third goal was a great team effort, the fourth came from a touch of genious from club captain Deano. He went marauding down the right but seemingly found himself penned in by the corner flag. However, the defender should have known that you can't contain the beast, and with a drop of the shoulder and a cheeky nutmeg Deano was away and breaking into the box. Bunny is making a habit of being in the right place at the right time, and his late run into the box was perfect to sweep Deano's low pull back into the net: 0-4.

Blackshots put 9 past Mossops, and the Oaks created more than enough chances to match this. We might feel we need to be a little more clinical, especially when chances are harder to come by. Nathan would have expected to have done better when he found himself the wrong side of the defence, but his first time shot blazed over. Sometimes there is nothing you can do differently, and Nathan was denied a certain goal when the keeper needed all of his afro to deflect the ball over the bar from point blank range.

With the game safe Milesy chose to defend the clean sheet as he bought Al on for H and Milly for Rob. Not only did the changes not affect the Oaks rhythm, they also had a negligble impact on the average age of the side.

Mossops had given up by now, and the game was eventually ended with the unfamiliar sound of the referee's whistle (which made a nice change from last week). All recieved a slap on the back from the manager for a convincing display, who will surely have a headache picking next week's side.

Eye-Ball

Next match: Sunday 28th October - Away v Wheatleys - Essex Cup Round 2 - Meet at Orsett Cock - 0915. DON'T FORGET THE CLOCKS GO BACK SAT NIGHT.

Goal scoring chart:

Oaks Athletic 3 - 3 SSC Orsett

The Oaks were left a little deflated at the final whistle, having led this match 3-1 going into the second half. Although both teams come away from a draw with the same reward, it tends to feel more like a victory for one side and a loss for the other. Orsett would have felt pretty good about themselves, but it's important that we also look at the many positives to be taken from this display: this was only our second game in this league, and we've shown again that we can more than hold our own at this level - and without a recognised keeper. We scored three really good goals, and recovered from the early set back of going a goal behind. Also the post match banter and roast potatoes were still as enjoyable as ever.


No surprise to see the Oaks playing catch up already

With Steptoe only getting back from holiday the day before, Albert was once again given the job of picking the side, and was grateful to Scott for once again taking the gloves in the absence of Ty, whose injury is likely to keep him out for a number of weeks. With Luke and Deano both injured, the strength of the Oaks squad was once again evident as Albert was able to call on specialist full back Browne to start on the right side of defence.


Milesy shows Sharpy his preferred method for picking the side

ppppppppppppppppScott

BrowneppppppRobppppNikippppEye-Ball

Nathan (c)ppppppTapsellpppppMikeyppppppRyan

ppppppppppppHarryppppDale

subs: Bunny, Nick, Al

Orsett started the brightest of the two sides, and were particularly effective without the ball as they stopped the Oaks from finding any sort of rhythm by hassling and cutting out passes on numerous occasions. They deservedly took the lead, although it was a 1 in 100 strike from an individual rather than a goal earned by a dominate side. The ball sat up nicely for the Orsett midfielder some 30 yards from goal, and his sweet strike dipped over Scott, hit the underside of the bar and nestled in the back of the net: 0-1.

The Oaks tend to come to life after going a goal behind, and this game was no exception as passes started to find their range and it became clear that the key to turning this game around was to exploit a shaky defence with balls in behind for our two young whippets to exploit. Corners are an obvious consequence of forcing defences to run towards their own goal, and this was to provide the source for the Oaks equaliser. Ryan's deliveries just seem to get better and better, and from one corner in the first half he whipped a fantastic ball to the back post where Tapsell arrived unchallenged with a header that had too much power for the keeper to keep out: 1-1.

The Oaks continued to press, with Dale especially showing that he had too much pace for the Orsett defence to deal with. This was proved beyond doubt when the ball found its way to Dale on the left and he raced clear of the defence and into the box. He then lifted the ball over the advancing keeper, and we all held our breath as the ball bounced towards the goal, hit the inside of the post, spun along the line and finally came to a halt the right side of the white wash before a covering defender could become a hero. Dale later foolishly admitted that he hadn't even meant to lift the ball over the keeper, but it looked pretty good from where I was standing: 2-1.

It wasn't long before the Oaks added a third, with Orsett not learning from their earlier error as they once again allowed Tapsell to arrive unchallenged at the back post to head home a corner from Ryan, in a carbon copy of the first Oaks' goal: 3-1.

The Oaks were then denied the opportunity to add a fourth when Dale was tripped in the area. His momentum carried him outside the box, and the referee decided to award a free kick from there rather than taking note of where the offence had initially been committed.

The game could have been over by half time if it wasn't for Orsett's keeper, who pulled off a number of saves, including denying Harry who found himself in the penalty area with just the keeper to beat. As well as good saves, the Orsett keeper also performed one of the most bizarre clearances I've ever seen as when the ball was the wrong side of him and the goal, he chose to punch it over the bar rather than the far easier and less risky option of just putting both hands on it! As it was neither the keeper nor the Oaks players could extend the lead further, and we had to be happy with a well deserved two goal advantage at half time.

The second half unfortunately didn't match the excitement or goal mouth action of the first, and instead was dominated by the performance of the young referee, who was the cause of increasing amounts of frustration and anger from both sides due to general poor decision making, a tendency to be looking the wrong way when key incidents occurred, and a lack of confidence that ultimately meant he lost the respect of those he was supposedly in charge of.

The chances started to dry up for the Oaks, and even the introduction during the half of fresh legs in the form of Al (on for Taps) and Nick (replacing H) could not galvanise a side that was still showing signs of early season weariness. In contrast Orsett seemed to have recovered from the shell shock caused by the Oaks' first half onslaught. When a long throw was allowed to bounce in the 6 yard box, Scott showed good reactions to deflect the ball away after it was prodded goal wards. Then Mikey was in the right place at the right time on the near post to divert a powerful header wide for another corner.

Orsett finally pulled a goal back when the right winger found room to run into the box and put in a low cross. The initial effort was blocked, but the ball fell kindly to another player who slotted low past a helpless Scott: 3-2.

The Oaks were hanging on now, but with five minutes to go the resistance gave way when the ball was not adequately cleared, and the Orsett striker was allowed time in the box to squeeze a low shot past Browne, Eye-Ball and Scott and into the bottom corner of the net: 3-3.

Despite some late pressure the gods (and the referee) were not on our side, and we had to settle for a point. On reflection this was probably a fair result overall, but having had a two goal lead we're bound to think those two points were cruelly snatched at the death.

We've made a good start to the season, and with a run of games now we'll surely get stronger and stronger. The one issue that remains is in goal, and I'm sure Scott is hoping more than anyone that a solution can be found by next week.

Eye-Ball

Next game: Sunday 21st October - Away @ Palmers College v Mossops.

Goal scoring chart

Vichouse Sports 1 - 6 Oaks Athletic (Essex Junior Cup Rd 1)

In the pre match instructions Nathan (skipper for the day) urged the Oaks players to go out and just enjoy themselves, and play the kind of football we know we are capable of; we've no chance of winning the Essex Cup anyway. Having the weight of expectation lifted from our shoulders seemed to work a treat, as the Oaks completely dominated the game thanks to a team performance that was both a joy to watch and be a part of.

A question: Who is the odd one out between Dale Kenyon, Tyrone Owen, Michael Parker and the Honey Monster? Read on for the answer.



Crime watch reveal the main suspects

One man who wasn't quite so relaxed was Sharpy, who had to manage the side thanks to Milesy conveniently booking the pre-season tour to Mexico too late to invite the rest of the squad. His first headache was who to play in goal, as Ty was injured. Amazingly he had two volunteers, and it was agreed that Dale would wear the infamous green outfit for the first half, with Scott replacing him at half time. The new rule being trialled in this competition meant that Sharpy had the luxury of naming 5 substitutes and using rolling changes. He still had to pick a starting eleven, and went with the following:

ppppppppppppppppDale

LukeppppppRobppppNikippppEye-Ball

RyanppppppTapsellpppppMikeyppppppScott

ppppppppppppHarryppppNathan (c)

subs: Bunny, Nick, Al, Browne, Milly

The game had been moved from Basildon to a nice set up in Benfleet, complete with tea hut, roped off pitch and dug outs. However not all were happy: the bacon wasn't to Sharpy's taste, and the tea hut didn't have a stash of Stella for Tapsell and Browne. There is no pleasing some people.

With the sun shining, the Oaks soon got into their stride on a wide, well maintained pitch that offered a bit of zipped thanks to a heavy dew. We weren't too sure what to expect from Vichouse - who play in the equivalent league to the Oaks in Southend. We soon learnt that they were a physical side who were happy to mix it up, but could also pass the ball around effectively. The early chances fell to the Oaks, and Harry in particular who on more than one occasion latched on to good through balls. Unfortunately his attempts sailed just over or wide of the mark; still it was obvious that if we kept on like this we would soon be in the lead.

The Oaks were getting a lot of joy down the flanks, with young guns Ryan and Scott terrorising the Vichouse full backs. They both put in crosses that could have ended in goals, with Mikey arriving late in the box to head Ryan's cross goal wards and Scott taking advantage of a defensive mix up to put a blistering ball across the box that was met on the stretch at the back post by Bunny (who had replaced Luke who was unfortunate to pick up an injury in the first half). On both occasions the target was just missed, but on another day we could have already been talking about contenders for goal of the season.

It has already been mentioned that this was quite a physical match up, but a certain ginger number 8, playing in the centre of midfield, was taking it a bit too far. A series of dangerous challenges led to angry confrontations, but with ultimately no action being taken by the referee. So obvious was his rule breaking, that on one occasion he even proclaimed "I actually tried to get the ball that time". Fortunately no-one got hurt through his antics, which caused as much frustration for his own team as anyone else, as it meant they were constantly defending free-kicks. The good news for the Oaks that it wasn't our ginger number 8 being an arse (not that Tapsell ever is of course!), and eventually the referee must have given him a final warning as he went quiet towards the end of the half, as he eventually came to terms with the fact that he was the top red-headed dog on show.

The breakthrough for the Oaks came from one of the many free kicks conceded by Vichouse (but not actually the number 8 on this occasion). It was awarded when Scott turned his man and was brought down on the edge of the box in a very similar position to that from which the Oaks scored their winner in the opening game of the season. Ryan once again stood over the ball, but this time shot for goal. The ball rebounded to Tapsell, whose effort was also blocked. This time the ball fell to Rob on the edge of D, and he took one touch to get the ball out from his feet before looping it over the keeper into the roof of the net for a rare (and maybe even first) goal from outside the box: 0-1.

Vichouse rarely troubled the Oaks goal in the first half, with the only half chances coming when their lone striker's shot from the right was well smothered by Dale, and a dangerous ball to the back post that was landing right on the same striker's head was glanced behind for a corner by Eye-Ball. Niki and Rob were in their usual domineering mood at the heart of defence and were rewarded with a clean sheet at half time.

The rule change for substitutes was definitely welcome as Sharpy was forced to make a second substitution at half time as Eye-Ball had a Baptism to attend. Steve Browne replaced him, and the rest of the re-shuffle saw Scott replace Dale in goal, who now partnered Harry up front with Nathan moving to the right and Bunny to the left. Despite this Sharpy would still be able to bring on Nick, Al and Milly at some point.

I have to apologise for the sketchy details of the second half, as I only saw ten minutes between getting changed and leaving. Thanks to Sharpy and Mikey for giving me the important facts, but there are some gaps around assists that we'll have to clear up next week.

The Oaks extended their lead early in the second half when the new strike partnership linked to devastating effect, with Dale chipping the ball into the box for Harry to head home: 0-2.

So we've now had a long range goal from Rob, a headed goal from H, and two ginger number eights. If you think this game couldn't get any weirder just read on.

The two goal lead didn't last long as a Vichouse player was given time and space to shoot low and hard from the edge of the box. Scott managed to get finger tips to it, but couldn't prevent the ball from nestling in the bottom corner: 1-2.

Rather than signalling a comeback for Vichouse, this goal seemed to galvanise the Oaks with two further good chances being created before I had even left. Firstly Mikey played a killer through ball for Dale who raced into the box but dragged his shot wide, and then a loose ball in the box fell to Tapsell who poked wide under pressure from the goalkeeper.

The Oaks were playing with a real swagger now, and even Niki was starting to show off, as one minute he was putting in a crunching covering tackle and the next he was flicking the ball over an opposing player's head before setting the Oaks on yet another attack.

Sharpy's tactical and personnel changes had really paid off up to this point, and his next changed proved to have just as big an impact as he replaced Harry with Nick. The BFJ was soon in on the action as the Oaks broke, and his through ball was perfect for Dale to beat the keeper one-on-one: 1-3.

This goal meant that Dale joins the glamorous list of players who have played in goal for the Oaks, and have also scored. As well as Tyrone and Parker, I believe Sharpy, Scott and Deano would also claim to be members of this elite club, with Luke being the most likely to be next. In answer to the earlier question, unless you thought it was about personal hygiene, the Honey Monster is the obvious odd one out. Although he has famously scored and played in goal, this was for two different clubs - Manchester United and Newcastle United.

The flood gates now opened, with the Oaks scoring three more goals before the final whistle. First Nick was rewarded for his assist with a goal of his own as he finished from close range (assist up for grabs), and then he again turned provider as he squared the ball for Dale to slot into an empty net. Dale was on hand again to finish the job, and collect his hat-trick as he reacted first to slot home the ball after the keeper could only parry someone's (missing another assist) long range effort: 1-6.

Although we don't do Man of the Match rewards, to play in goal for 45 minutes, keep a clean sheet and then score a second half hat-trick (and get one assist) must be worth a special mention. It just goes to prove what a great addition to the squad Dale is going to be this year (he's much better than that bloke Darren who played in the last game), and with first Ryan and now Dale joining the Oaks from the Kenyon conveyor belt I wonder what's next. Perhaps Alec will dust his boots off, although with a kid’s game on the adjacent pitch he appeared to be a lot more interested in MILF hunting than football.

I don't remember the Oaks making it through the first round of the Essex Cup (in the six previous seasons I have played at least) so this was a great day, and more important is that we keep the momentum going into our league game next week.

Eye-Ball

Next game: 14 October @ Home v SSC Orsett - 1030 KO

Goal scoring chart

I've given the assist for Rob's goal to Tapsell as I believe he had the shot that fell to Rob (I'm sure I'll be corrected if wrong). I also think Al replaced Mikey, and have assumed that Milly got on. Don't forget there are two assists up for grabs for Nick's goal and Dale's hat-trick strike.

Greyhound 1 - 2 Oaks Athletic

Last season was remarkable; as week after week the stats relating to unbeaten games, clean sheets, goals scored, points accumulated, sandwiches consumed and minutes played by Sharpy without getting sent off became more and more impressive. This all resulted in Oaks Athletic winning both league and league cup, and Mark Tapsell deservedly being named Player's player of the Season (congratulations Mark). Also in a scene that, despite my absence, I imagine was akin to a great leader dedicating victory to his battle weary warriors - Milesy award his Manger's player of the Season award to the entire squad. The football was great, the team spirit was superb, promotion as champions was awesome, the relationship with our Sponsors - The Ship Inn - blossomed, and the dust and cobwebs in the trophy cabinet were replaced with silver.

But this is a new season; a clean slate. Although the memories of last year will always be sweet, Division One is going to be a completely different challenge. We're the new boys here, and much like the team that started last season with so much uncertainty about what the new look side could achieve, we really don't know what we are going to come up against, or ultimately what our rightful position in the league should be. One thing is clear, that if we can all walk off the pitch at the end of each game and say that we couldn't do any more, there is now reason why this year can't be just as enjoyable and satisfying as last.



Oaks Athletic 2012/13 - Proudly sponsored by The Ship Inn, London Road

The biggest positive going into the new season is that the bulk of the squad that gelled so well last season remains. And whilst Sharpy is going to have to do most of his arguing with referees from the sideline this season, the two top goal scoring strikers are going to have to continue to fight for their places thanks to the recruitment of another Kenyon (Dale), whose impressive pre-season displays of pace, skill and vision earned him a starting place today. The squad has also been strengthened by Scott's return, who continued to support the club last year despite horrendous back problems. The full team for today's clash with Greyhound was:

ppppppppppppppppTy

Deano (c)ppppppRobppppNikippppEye-Ball

NathanppppppTapsellpppppMikeyppppppRyan

ppppppppppppDaleppppNick

subs: Bunny, Scott, Harry, Luke, Browne

The Oaks started brightly, and Dale quickly showed what a headache he is going to cause for defences this season, as he used his pace and movement to make runs in behind the opposition back line that were providing opportunities for the likes of Taps, Ryan and Nathan to show they haven't lost their eye for a pass over the summer. Last ditch defending, awkward bounce on a hard pitch, a troublesome cross wind and some good goalkeeping meant that none of these chances resulted in the deadline being broken.

It didn't take long for the Oaks to take the lead from another source as a deflected shot from Ryan resulted in a corner. I must admit that I'm in the "Totally pointless" camp when it comes to pre-match handshakes, but one thing it did make apparent on this occasion was that the Oaks may have an aerial advantage over a significant number of the Greyhound players. This was proved as Tapsell rose highest at the back post to power home Nathan's out swinging corner: 0-1.

The Oaks continued to have the better of the early exchanges, and really should have extended their lead. One particular chance fell to Nick, but rather than smash the ball in the direction of the goal, he unselfishly tried to play it across to Dale who he thought was in a better position to score. We'll never know if option 1 would have resulted in a better outcome, but when we know have hard Nick can leather a football this is what we all really wanted to see.

As the rain started to fall more persistently, Greyhound started to get on top as they looked to punish the Oaks for not making more of their early dominance. Our play became a bit more ragged, and we were indebted to Ty for maintaining our slender advantage as he made a fine save diving low to his left from a free kick on the edge of the box.

A succession of free kicks for the opposition is usually a good sign that the Oaks are getting frustrated with their own performance, and the sound of the referee’s whistle was being heard more and more frequently through the middle of the first half. However, the events leading to the Greyhound equaliser were noticeable for lack of a whistle at key moments. Firstly the referee chose to play advantage as the ball broke to the winger down the right after brushing Eye-Ball's arm, but then quickly decided to come back for the free kick before anything further had happened to suggest no advantage was going to be gained from playing on. Then as Ty jumped at the back post to collect the ball under sufficient pressure to cause the ball to spill from his hands, the sound of air vibrating through ball and plastic was again no where to be heard, and in the ensuing scramble the ball was poked home by a Greyhound player: 1-1.

Although not playing an active role on the pitch, it seems referees are still not safe from Sharpy's wrath, as he told the man in black (repeatedly) what a ridiculous decision it was to award the free kick that led to the goal.

Losing the lead seemed to spark the Oaks back into life, and we actually relaxed a bit and started to play some of the neat football that had been our bread and butter during the previous season. We started to enjoy more of the possession, and started to find our shape in defence. Ty was relatively untroubled for the rest of the half as fine defending in front of him (including a great covering tackle from Niki) saw any signs of danger being quickly extinguished. We created enough chances to go into half time ahead, but it wasn't to be and we had to settle for parity at the break.



Holly can't convince Deano that it was a horse that had crapped all over the pitch

The second half saw Harry replace Nick, which was a shrewd move from Milesy as the fact that we were now attacking down hill would mean we would want as much pace and directness as possible to make the through balls work. No offence to Nick but I'm sure he'll admit that young H is better suited to this particular task.

The game really started to open up in the second half as first match tiredness became apparent. Chances for the Oaks fell to Dale and Harry, but Greyhound's excellent young keeper was equal to the task.

Whilst the attackers were searching for a winner, the defensive players were doing their bit to ensure that one goal would win the game for the Oaks. Mikey proved his worth to the team in a covering capacity as he made up ground to make a superbly timed sliding tackle as the Greyhound attacker advanced into the box. Also, when the speedy striker broke into the box, Eye-Ball read the danger and sprinted across the six yard box to snuff out the danger.

We weren't able to protect Ty's goal every time, but on the one occasion that the offside trap was breach high up the pitch Ty came out of his goal to make not one, but two superb saves with his legs as he denied both Greyhound strikers in one attack (and all this with a broken finger!).

The winner for the Oaks came with 15 minutes to go, and was thanks in some small part to a former Oaks player. Gav - now playing at the back for Greyhound - scythed Dale down just outside the box on the left corner of the penalty area. Harry and Ryan stood over the ball, but rather than have a speculative pop at goal Ryan deceived the wall by side-footing the ball under it to pick out the late run of Bunny (who had recently replaced Mikey). Bunny's shot may have been scuffed, but it had enough to beat the keeper and sneak inside the post: 1-2.

Milesy made his final change, as Scott replaced Dale (who had been injured in winning the free-kick for the goal), and the priority for the Oaks turned to defending. Many may not have noticed Tapsell injury himself going for a long range shot earlier in the half, but this didn't stop him forming a one man wall in front of the defence for the final stages of the game. He was immense, and more than justified the decision of his fellow team mates to name him their player of the year.

The defending was sometimes a bit "seat of the pants", as attempts to clear the ball from danger were not always successful. Even Rob, who usually has a no nonsense approach to clearing the lines struggled to keep his balance long enough to make the telling punt up field. He even managed to head but the ground on one occasion, leading to speculation that his new hairstyle was making him a bit top heavy.

A few crunching tackles also started flying in, and on one occasion Niki even passed the ball to the opposition when running it out of defence just so he had an excuse to then leave him in a heap. What can you say - the boy loves defending.

Greyhound's replacement winger then decided to take out his frustration on Eye-Ball as he first ironically caught the left back in the eye with a leading elbow, and then attempted to break both his ankles when going for a ball he was never going to get to first. Fortunately Eye-Ball was able to jump over the challenge, and all the winger received for his trouble was a yellow card.

When the referee finally blew the whistle to signal the end of the match, there was a sense of relief that we had managed to hold out for our first 3 points of the season (which trumps the start we made last year). The win was well deserved, with every man playing their part, and it felt good to get the taste of victory sandwiches again.

Eye-Ball



It's early days but good to see some points on the board already

Next game: Sunday 7th October v Vichouse Sports -Meet at Oaks 9:15

Goal Scoring Chart

Wilburn Wanderers 0 - 2 Oaks Athletic

Fortunatley Eye-Ball was not forced to eat his words, having annoyed some of the opposition with his claim in the local paper that the Oaks had enjoyed an unbeaten run to the title. In my defence this was accurate (regardless of the outcome of this final game), and having been called off 2-3 weeks previously I never thought this match was actually going to happen.



The Oaks took the lead inside the opening minute; after kicking off, an interchange of passes followed between Eye-Ball, Mikey, Nick and Tapsell before Harry let fly from the edge of the area. The ball took a wicked deflection that wrong footed the keeper, and the ball sailed into the net. The dubious goals committee later confirmed that Harry would be credited with the goal: 0-1.

The Oaks continued to dominate early exchanges, with Deano being in a particularly exhubarent mood as he was often seen bombing down the right and linking up with Bunny. Harry was also running rings around the opposition, and should have had a second when he arrived at back post, but could only shoot straight at keeper.

Similarly to when we played Wilburn in the cup final, the referee was giving a lot of soft decisions to our young opponents. This resulted in us having to do some defending, but apart from one scare when Ty dropped the ball we were more than equal to the threat, with Niki especially having one of his best games to date in an Oaks shirt.

The second half was not the best from the Oaks as lack of match fitness due to the long break between games started to become evident. For the most part we were able to keep the opposition at bay until their striker found himself through on goal. His shot rebounded off the post and fortunately Ty reacted quickest to dive on the ball.

With the title of top goal scorer at stake Nick looked like he was going to equal Harry's seventeen goals as he found himself through on goal with only the keeper to beat. Unfortuntately he didn't have as much time as he seemed to want, and gave the defender time to get back and make a challenge.

Bunny settled the game with 5 minutes to go when his initial effort was blocked, but the rebound fell to him again to fire into the roof of the net: 0-2.

And that was that; 50 points on the board, and the end to the most successful season in the Oaks history. I definitely couldn't end the season with a synopsis that would do it justice. I just hope that these match reports (and your own memories) will still put a smile on your face in years to come when you look back on what we did together back in 2011/12 (I'm talking football Browne :) ). It was great fun, and I hope we can enjoy 2012/13 just as much regardless of whether or not there are trophies, cup finals and countless victories.

Thanks for listening

Eye-Ball

Goal-Scoring Chart:

Congratulations to Harry, who is this season's top goal scorer, and to Nathan for providing the most assists.

Oaks Athletic 6 - 1 Belhus Park Rangers

Opinion is divided in the Oaks camp as to whether or not we should care about finishing the league season unbeaten. Those who think it is immaterial rightly argue that we have already proved beyond any doubt that we are the best team in this league; by beating Belhus Park we have now beaten 9 of the 10 other teams in the league, and have taken at least four points from each of them. The one team we haven't beaten in the league were defeated in the cup final, and this Sunday we collected our league shields to display proudly next to our cup medals. We've shown we can win games from any position, and have won games when no where near our best (and with half the team intoxicated). Having said all that, when you've achieved all that we have this season, success can become an addiction, and destroying other teams is the drug that fuels this addiction for some in the squad. These addicts feel that we still have a little unfinished business to settle with Wilburn Wanderers; the one team we haven't beaten over 90 minutes, and who we gifted four goals to a few weeks back. While the season can't be tarnished, finishing unbeaten would definitely be the cherry on top of the greatest season in the Oaks history.

Thameside lost their last game against Tilbury, which means we'll win the league by at least 11 points!

For the penultimate game of the season Milesy mixed the team up a little with Luke deputising in goal after Ty had volunteered to sit out, Niki returning and Browne earning a start at left back:

ppppppppppppppppLuke

Deano (c)ppppppRobppppNikippppBrowne

NathanppppppTapsellpppppBunnyppppppRyan

ppppppppppppSharpyppppNick

subs: Al, Parker, Gollum, Eye-Ball


The less said about the first half the better. The Oaks were really off the boil, as possession was too easily given up and Belhus were able to press and frustrate the double winners. However, it was still a surprise to see Belhus take the lead when a speculative effort from the Oaks' right caught Luke off his line and dipped into the net: 0-1.

A one nil deficit with 70 minutes to play against the bottom side in the league really shouldn't have been a cause for concern; especially when you consider that we've scored at least 4 goals in each of our last 6 league games. It may have taken the Oaks a little longer than usual to get going, but parity was restored before half time when a N.A.T.H.A.N. alluded everyone before brushing a defender on its way into the net. Obviously Nathan can't be credited with the goal, but does pick up the assist. Interestingly this goal also meant a late entry into the goal scoring chart for Own Goals; with this being the first scored on our behalf this season: 1-1.

As frustrating as the first half was for the large crowd of Oaks supporters to endure, the second half was an absolute hoot. The Oaks finally found their rhythm, and looked to be thoroughly enjoying themselves while crushing any hope Belhus may of had of dragging themselves off the foot of the table.

The lead was taken when Ryan ran diagonally from left to right, and chose to play a difficult reverse ball over the top rather than the simpler pass out to the right to Nathan. The risk paid off as his ball was latched onto by Sharpy who finished superbly; lofting the ball over the tall keeper and into the onion bag: 2-1.

This will be the last game of the season for Sharpy, who goes in for a long overdue operation on Friday. It's been an up and down season for Sharpy who has had to fight for his place with Nick and Harry forming such a prolific partnership. He hasn't always helped himself, but no-one will be prouder of what the Oaks have achieved this year, and a fine return of 12 goals despite limited starting opportunities proves what an asset he can be for this club when he has his head screwed on. Unfortunately I don't think we can convince the surgeons to sort that out while he is in, but I'm sure the whole squad will join me in wishing Sharpy all the best, and we hope to see him in an Oaks shirt again soon.

Sharpy's second goal was converted from the penalty spot after Nathan had been sent tumbling in the box. Sharpy took responsibility despite Nick being on the pitch, but the BFJ still deserves credit for teaching Sharpy how to score from 12 yards, with power over placement being the evident order of the day with the ball being smashed into the roof of the net: 3-1.

So often the provider, Ryan has started to cash in with the goals himself in recent weeks and notched up his 9th of the season as a well struck shot from the left took a deflection before nestling in the back of the net. The assist for this goal is up for grabs as I can't remember who made the final pass (too busy waving my flag around): 4-1.

With the game surely won Milesy went sub crazy; making three in one go and rewarding a couple of Oaks old boys for their loyalty with some well deserved game time. Parker replaced Browne at left back, Gollum slotted into midfield in place of Bunny and Al Blake replaced Nathan, who damaged his foot in a tackle and unfortunately will miss the last game of the season.

The change in personnel did not affect the Oaks dominance, and they soon scored a fifth when Bunny tapped home into an empty net after Tapsell's shot inside the box had been well saved. The keeper was determined to keep Tapsell from scoring, as earlier in the half he pulled of an incredible save to stop a header from the cup hero: 5-1.

No one has enjoyed this season more than the BFJ; like many of us he has experienced little success on the football pitch up to now, and being part of such a great side with so much competition for places has seen him really up his game this season, and more than double his goal tally from the previous campaign. He openly admits that finishing top scorer would be the icing on the cake, and would have fancied his chances of at least getting level with H given that the prolific youngster was missing through injury. He left it late to get on the score sheet, but it was well worth the wait as this individual effort is up there with the best goals we have scored this year (and there have been a few). With a corner successfully defended, Nick collected the ball on the right (another assist up for grabs here) inside his own half and ran some 60 yards down the right hand side of the pitch, and into the box. At this point he was spoilt for options: he could pull it back for either Nathan or Tapsell, or better still play it across the goal to Sharpy who was ready to tap the ball home and complete his hat-trick. However, having done all the hard work himself you can't blame him for wanting to collect the prize, and that he did, finishing in style low across the keeper. Given that Sharpy was still a little upset not to receive the pass, I hate to think what would have happened if Nick had missed. To score under that sort of pressure emphasises the quality of this goal in my opinion: 6-1.

With yet another victory secure, all that was left for the Oaks to do was collect their league winners medals, pose for a few photos and head off to the Ship to do the one thing we arguably do better than playing football: drink and be merry!

Eye-Ball

Next game: Sunday 29th April - Away v Wilburn Wanderers @ Belhus Park: 1030 Kick Off

Oaks Athletic 8 - 2 Jurgens Sport

When the second from bottom team turn up to play the double winners with only 8 players (they managed to increase this to 10 in the first half), the only question to ask is how many will the Oaks score? Despite strolling to victory it is actually a little disappointing that we didn't get into double figures; we definitely created enough chances to do so. Not to get a clean sheet is also a bit of a shame, but then credit to Jurgens for converting their only two shots on goal with two well struck free kicks. The net result was 3 more points, 6 more in the GD column, and still a big fat 0 under L.



With Niki Law going on the pre season team jolly a bit too early, the welcome return of Luke, and Cup Hero Mark Tapsell being rested (or maybe dropped...), the starting eleven looked a little different this week. Still, one look at the side highlights the immense strength in depth that the Oaks possess.

ppppppppppppppppTy

LukeppppppRobppppDeano (c)ppppEye-Ball

NathanppppppAlpppppBunnyppppppRyan

ppppppppppppSharpyppppNick

subs: Harry, Tapsell, Parker, Gollum, Browne

Up to now I have been reluctant to concentrate too heavily on the goals and assists table (although I know that is all most of you look at!), due to the risk that individuals could get competitive with each other on the pitch. However, there is no doubt that everyone plays for each other first and foremost, and with the league and cup now won I can't see any problem with a little healthy competition to keep the spirits up. I therefore thought I might use this report to explore the runners and riders.

1. Harry Judge - 16 Goals, 7 Assists

Keeps his place at the top of the table despite failing to make an impact in a 25 minute cameo appearance.

2. Nicholas Myers - 15 Goals, 6 Assists

Moves a goal closer to Harry after latching on to a superb through ball from Ryan. The keeper got a hand to his side footed shot into the corner, but for once Nick put enough behind it to claim the Oaks 4th goal of the game before half time.

3. Mark Tapsell - 12 Goals, 15 Assists

Another non mover at 3. Only had 25 minutes on the pitch today, but still looked a threat with a powerful header from 18 yards that may have troubled a shorter goal keeper. More interested in being the top Assister, which is good news for the strikers.

4. Iain Pitney - 10 Goals, 6 Assists

Moving up one place to number 4. thanks to 2 more goals and 1 assist. Claimed goals 6 and 7 for the Oaks; the first being a penalty after Eye-Ball was felled in the box, and the second a simple finish into an empty net after Nathan had beaten the off-side trap and drawn the keeper out of goal. Completed his second 90 minutes in a row, which is an achievement in itself (and I'm not just talking about fitness).

5. Nathan Kerin - 9 Goals, 18 Assists

May have been responsible for dropping a place in the standings by setting up his mate Sharpy, but also improved his own stats thanks to one goal and 2 more assists. Scored the second goal when he latched on to a great through-ball from Al Blake and made no mistake with the finish. Missed an even easier chance to score when he unwisely attempted to lob the 6ft 3 keeper from 6 yards when clear through on goal. Now has 3 more assists than any other player in the squad.

6. Ryan Kenyon - 8 Goals, 15 Assists

The quality of his delivery was once again a highlight with a hat-trick or assists, as he set up two goals with his crosses, and also slipped Nick in for his goal. Scored a good goal himself as Sharpy played him in down the left, and he showed the pace and composure needed to break free of the defence and slide the ball into the net.

7. Robin Lawrence - 7 Goals, 3 Assists

With minimal defending required Rob spent most of the match in the opposition box and was rewarded with two fine headed goals. The first broke the deadlock and came from a good cross from Ryan following a corner. His second was the 5th for the Oaks, with Ryan once again the provider, this time direct from a corner. In powering the ball home, Rob battered the whining Hanson wannabe, much to the amusement of the rest of the team. Rob came seriously close to completing his hat-trick as he dived at the far post to head a cross from Nathan goalwards. Unfortunately though his effort hit the post, hit him a second time and fell straight into the arms of the keeper.

8. Ash Bunn - 3 Goals, 1 Assist

Had to take on the role of midfield general in this game, and controlled the play. Didn't have the opportunity to unleash the right boot, but hopefully we'll see another screamer before the end of the season.

9. Dean Wright - 2 Goals

With Rob disappearing into the opposition box whenever a free-kick, corner or throw was won Dean shared the defensive duties with Luke and Eye-Ball. Convinced he would have powered home a header from one corner if Luke hadn't jumped in front of him and headed over. Revealed before the game that his superstitious tendencies had led to him not cutting his toe-nails since January in case this may derail the Oaks' push for the title. With toe-nails freshly cut he admitted feeling feather light on his feet and like a new man.

10. Mikey B - 1 Goal, 2 Assists

Injury means Mikey missed this game, and a thumping head ache meant we missed his input from the side lines as well.

11. Al Blake - 1 Goal, 1 Assist

Has really made the most of his recent run in the side. Deceptively tall, he was once again colossal in the air (even taking a few headers from Nathan), and showed great vision to slip the ball in behind the defence for Nathan to score.

12. Michael Parker - 1 Goal.

Easily the biggest mover in the chart, rising an incredible 12 places (it would have been 13 if not for Al's assist) by grabbing the 8th goal with virtually the last kick of the game. Parker has suffered more than anyone due to the influx of players this year, and has found it almost impossible to get a spot on the bench let a lone getting anywhere near the pitch. This was in fact only his second outing as he came on as a second half substitute for Eye-Ball. Those who go to training will be in no doubt of this man's undoubted ball skills, and the stats from this game speak for themselves: 100% pass completion and 100% shot to goals return. The goal itself was a gem; a N.A.T.H.A.N. was fired in from the right with everyone in the box (including Ty). When the defender could only partially clear Parker was on hand to open up his body and volley the ball from around his shoulder into the roof of the net. Hopefully we'll have the opportunity to see something special again from this Oaks legend before the end of the season.

13. Luke Williams - 2 Assists

A welcome return at right back, and showed us all what we have been missing with a few mazy runs.

14. Eye-Ball - 1 Assist

Even Eye-Ball was spotted advancing into enemy territory in this game, but unfortunately when defending is ingrained in your very being, it can be hard to kick the ball towards a goal. This was demonstrated when the ball fell in front of Eye-Ball in the box; in attempting to hook it towards goal he only succeeded in kicking it into his own face, for which a bloody nose was his only reward. Ty may argue this was retribution for admitting to turning his head in the wall for Jurgens first goal, which meant the ball only skimmed his face rather than hitting him full on in the hooter. Did earn his first assist of the campaign when a darting run saw him collect the ball from Sharpy before being felled in the box to earn the penalty that Sharpy duly converted.

15. Tyrone Owen - 1 Assist

A very quiet day for the Oaks number 1. Can only really remember him picking the ball out of the net twice, taking a few goal kicks and running 80 yards to get involved in the last action of the game and subsequent goal celebration with Parker.

16. Niki Law -

Won't trouble the chart whilst sunning himself in Spain

18. Steve Browne

Now recovered from his damaged ankle, should be making a start next week if he stays wrapped in the cotton wool.

Just two more games to go now, and next Sunday we'll be presented with the league trophy before the game, so make sure you do your hair!

Eye-Ball

Next game: Sunday 22nd April @ Home v Belhus Park Rangers