Old Challoners v Sinjuns

Team: Sunil, Weisz, RC, Rogers, Walsh, Croucher, Allen, Lowes, Fallon, Fuzz, Baker, Subs: Gardner (75) Redpath (75)

Score: 1:3 Croucher

A long trip to Tooting for the OCFC contingent, this weekend, facing a Sinjuns side vying for the league title and playing their last game of the season. We knew that this was going to be a toughy and with Mr Powell taking a Caribbean break mid season there were some question marks over his commitment with what seemed to be a part time contract (see next weeks match report as he fakes a broken nose for another couple of weeks off).

Anyway - the game kicked off and Challoners started very brightly, working extremely hard in midfield and dominating the ariel battle. However, the pitch was awful and very difficult to get onto the floor and a touch of hesitance at the back saw Sinjuns create the first real chance which was lashed onto the Bar from about 8 yards out - this was a warning sign to Challoners and a percentages game was called for. 5 minutes later some good work on the right between Weisz, Croucher and Fuzz saw Croucher bursting passed the full back and lob the keeper at a tight angle with aplomb - a well deserved 1-0 lead. The game even itself out and a few chances came at both ends without any serious conviction on

The half time talk centred around one theme - we must come out straight firing on all cylinders in the second half as we had done in the first and carry on playing the safe game on this pitch - unfortunately in the crazy game of football we play, however much we all knew this was the right thing to do it was evident within the first few minutes of the second half that we weren't as buoyant as the first.

20 minutes in and a speculative through ball found the OC defence in control facing our own goal, with a touch of a bobble and hesitance we failed to clear the line and let the Sinjuns striker in for a one on one with Sunil - Sunil got a strong touch but not enough to keep the ball out. This spurred real life into the Sinjuns side and equally came as a sucker punch to OCs. Sinjuns pushed on and started fighting and OCs lost a little shape and were punished 5 minutes later. A break down Sinjuns right with a clean cross fell to their striker - 2-1 with 10 minutes to play.
OCs had to push on now to look for the equaliser and moved to a 3-4-3 formation to try and salvage a point. In the dying seconds another bobbling back pass to Sunil caught him by surprise and let the Sinjuns striker in to kill the game. 3-1 the final score and a lot of work for OCFC to do to get promotion, let alone win the title.

Fallon MoM -
Man of the Match - Croucher