Old Challoners v Albanians

Team: Sunil, Dias, Redpath, Gardener, Weisz, Croucher, Lowes, Powell, Fallon, Fuzz, Baker Subs: Allen (Gardener 79)

Score: 4:1
Baker 3, Lowes

Attendance - 8 (not including press)

As the B&B cup is not due to reach the quarter final stage until late June, this was easily OCs' biggest game of the season so far.

With their recent run of high scoring games and Albanians flying high in the Premier Division, it was no surprise that the world's media (including the Non-League Paper) assembled at the Theatre of Trees for a veritable feast of football entertainment.

Under Don Weiszio, OCs have an impressive record against premier division teams and OCs started the brighter of the two sides on the bowling green surface that Hervines always provides in January.

Lowes was pulling the strings in midfield and OCs had most of the early possession without creating any clear chances. Albanians then started to see more of the ball and a well delivered free kick from the right flashed across the goal. This was to be prove a warning as following a good save from Sunil, poor marking at the resultant corner enabled Albanians to take the lead with a free header at the near post.

This could be the moment when the lower league side let their heads drop, but Weisz has assembled a band of merry men, who aren't used to defeat. OCs remained confident as the game went into the second half. Powell was dominating central midfield and the defence were collectively impersonating Fort Knox. This gave Fallon the opportunity to abandon his defensive instincts and push further up the field in search of the equaliser.

OCs were now playing some excellent football with Fuzz's pace and Baker's wily front play troubling the Albanians back line. The pressure paid off and Baker applied the finishing touch to a silky move leaving the match delicately poised at 1-1, with 25 minutes remaining.

With Albanians looking tired, it was OCs who were the more inventive side. No more so than the majestic Baker who conjured up a piece of sorcery, befitting of Paul Daniels, as he scored from the edge of the area with an overhead attempt that bamboozled the Albanians keeper.

The Albanians defence was reorganised following an injury and they would not have been pleased to hear the shocking pre-match revelation that Fuzz had spent a rare Friday night in. Fuzz seemed to have more energy than a Duracell battery and this energy was being channelled towards one aim - Project Defensive Mayhem.

In another good OCs attack, Fuzz scythed through the defence and with only the keeper to beat he unselfishly picked out the unmarked Lowes. The very best players seem to find time out of nowhere and the masterful Lowes was no exception as he paused, took a touch, looked up, straightened his hair and once spotting that the photographer had left early, decided there was no point waiting any longer and slotted the ball home.

The match now looked out of Albanians grasp and following a Fuzz goal disallowed for offside, Baker applied the icing to the cake as he completed his hat trick with a neat finish.

Allen entered the game late on which gave the peerless Powell a chance to show his love for the position of centre back, with a brief master class at the back.

An excellent display by all the team and the OCs juggernaut rolls on at full speed. The biggest danger on the horizon (apart from complacency, of course) now looks like being the ski season…

MOM - 11 contenders, with Baker (the B&B specialist) just shading Powell