AFC Blackshots 6 - 2 Oaks Athletic

This week's game was disappointing for a number of reasons. Obviously the scoreline doesn't make pretty reading as an Oaks fan, but even worse was the performance and the reaction to individual and collective errors of which there were too many to count. I realise that it is easy to get caught up in the passion and intensity of the moment, but when you think about it in the cold light of day you can find an argument for the fact that we are much too harsh on ourselves and each other. At the centre of this argument is the opposition - AFC Blackshots. Because of the familiarity and rivalry between our two sides, the fact that Blackshots are a very good side is often overlooked. They've only lost one league game all season, and play with the consistency, confidence, swagger and determination of a team who have it in their own hands to win the league (remind you of anyone?). It's therefore not surprising that we made more mistakes than usual, as teams like this don't give you as much time on the ball, or allow players the freedom to find space to receive passes. Mistakes are also more likely to be punished, as they have the energy and quality to break in numbers and put away their chances. This then becomes a vicious circle, as our own confidence and energy levels drop and more mistakes are inevitable.

It's good that expectations are high, and of course nobody likes losing, but I'd encourage everyone to treat each game (regardless of the outcome) as part of a learning curve. I think we've done fantastically well in our first season in this league - this is Blackshots's third season in Div 1 and they finished 7th first time round - and there is so much more than results that make this a great squad to be a part of: enough of us turn up every week to give Milesy a selection headache; we all get on pretty well and can have a laugh both before the game and in the pub afterwards; we have no pre-madonna types and a good mix of old and young players; the club is run the right way with Milesy and Trev taking on all the admin to allow us to just get on with playing football; we have our only weekly blog; we are a pretty diverse punch but value and respect each other. It's this last point that is most important, and to me it means that we all have our own strengths that make the team function as a whole (and these aren't just strengths in terms of what we can do with a football). We should value what each person brings to the squad, and respect the fact that we all have our weaknesses, some of which manifest themselves as mistakes on the football pitch. I also know that we are all our own harshest critics, and will worry that some of the respect we have all earned would have been lost as a result of these mistakes. This is why encouragement, a hand on the shoulder, and some constructive advice is what is needed rather than the two most damaging responses which involve pointing the finger of blame or worst still, doing and saying nothing at all.

Subs: Sharpy, Parker, Browne, Harry, Gollum, Nick (who found his way there having driven himself for the first time, but an hour late having forgot to put his clocks forward - name and shame!)

I'm not going to dwell too much on the details of the match as we just need to move on. We went two nil down in the first half through two soft goals. The first was a penalty, which Connor was unlucky not to save as he got a much better contact with the spot kick than he had with the player when the kick was awarded. Connor was also involved with the second when he got caught in two minds and decided to punch rather than catch a ball into the box. The close proximity of a sizeable Blackshots player made this the wrong option and the ball ricocheted off him and into the net. We pulled one back before half-time through a sublime curling finish - through a crowded box - from Ryan when Tapsell's flick-on was presented to him just inside the box by an opposition defender.

We created more good chances in the first half with Ryan rising well (but heading wide) from Nathan's cross, Dale blazing just high and wide of the far post from a tight angle, and Mikey being unable to generate any power with a header from a looping cross to the back post. We also had a good shout for a penalty when the defender conceded a corner via his arm. Although the whistle had gone, it's still worth mentioning Deano's unconventional attempt at clearing the ball from a corner as he smashed it against the underside of our own cross-bar.

The second half was were it all really went wrong, as we lost our shape, composure and a few marbles following two copy cat goals from Acer Lawrence. Rob's boy doesn't have the greatest reputation for the way he conducts himself during a match (Rob knows exactly what H thinks of him now), but there is no deny that as good as his Dad is at stopping goals, Acer is as prolific at putting the ball in the back of the net. We presented him with two chances, and he took them both with identical lobbed finishes.

We then conceded again from the spot following an awesome two handed save on the line from Tapsell (at least his good looks were protected), and a break away goal when possession was lost and we were left short at the back. Connor again got hands to the spot kick, but he didn't get enough of his body behind it (which when you haven't got much to start with is pretty vital). We did pull one back when Dale played a one two with his brother before racing clear to score.

There were some other good things to note in this match: H came on for Deano and had a massive hissy fit; Sharpy managed to play about 20 minutes in central midfield without collapsing; Browne came on to charge up and down the right wing; Ryan put Mikey through one-on-one but the keeper saved; Tapsell made another awesome clearance off the line (with his head this time); Connor made a flying save for the cameras from a free kick; and Rob missed out on a chance to score when he was taken by surprise when his youngest boy put in a late bid for extra Easter eggs by not flagging him offside when everyone moved up following a corner.

The great thing about football is there is always next week to put things right (provided it isn’t the last game of the season). It’s going to be tough again against Lakeside, but we know we should have beaten them last time so this should be an extra incentive to go one better this time.

Eye-Ball

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