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).
ppppppppppppppppDaleRobppppppTapsellppppNikippppEye-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:
No comments:
Post a Comment