Old Challoners v Sutton Courtney
B & B Cup - Quarter Finals
Team: Seaman, Weisz, Crawley, Boris, Walsh, Old Man, Lowes, Allen, Fuzz, Baker, Fallon Subs: Redders (75)
Location - Shadow of Didcot Power Station
Attendance - 20+, including a particularly boisterous away contingent (please read: Redders' Dad) supporting the OC cause.
They say a week is a long time in politics, and the same can surely be said for football. After the most abject performance of OC's season at the hands of Shene last week there was a lot of soul searching among the team, and rightly so. The response was positive on the emails but could the team turn words into actions?
Things did not start well, with RC just getting back to fitness and Rogers still on a self inflicted lay-off (incident with hoover?) the last thing we needed was to find another centre back with an injury. Unfortunately Redders had "cricked" his neck after a particularly vigorous Yoga class. Alarm bells started to ring when El Capitan Weiszo also claimed a similar injury…had he also attended the same "Yoga" class?? All this before a ball was kicked.
The OC's arrived to find one of the biggest pitches with one of the best surfaces they had had the opportunity to play on all season, however that initial happiness was soon quelled when the tail end of Hurricane Katrina began to blow. Some further dissection of last week's game and in particular what was required to stop the rot was put forward in the changing room. Nobody was left in any doubt to what was expected - the OC's were ready to stamp their authority.
El Weiszo managed to win the toss (maybe this was a sign?) and we elected to play with the wind in the first half. As expected the conditions made if very difficult to play good football and Challloners tried to keep it short and tidy where possible. Unsurprisingly the ball rarely got into Challoners half and the only chances that fell the Oppo's way were due to lacks of concentration by OC's. Fallon went closest for Challoners with a trade mark lob half way through the first half, the wind just managing to take it wide of the far post. Mr Lowes also managed to get himself in an advanced position but the goal keeper was quickly off his line to block. The half ended with the opposition mightly relieved to go in tied.
Challoners knew the second half would be tougher but were confident that they had the bettering of Sutton Courtney. However the oppo managed to do something that Challoners couldn't and put the ball in the net. Some slackness in midfield excerbated by some standing off in the defence allowed a ball to bounce freely across the OC's 18 yard box where Sutton's striker despatched his strike into the corner of Sunil's goal. A sweet strike but somewhat aided by the wind.
Challoners couldn't believe what had happened - totally against the run of play. Things got worse before they got better, no more than three mins later Sutton Courtney won a corner. OC's picked up their men and followed the runs preparing to stop any free headers. Unfortunately another slice of luck as the corner swirled in to the top right far corner direct from the kick! not even Peter Crouch would have got his head to that, and a few calls from the touchline that Sunil was "Seaman in disguise" were slightly unjust. Sunil is a much better ice-dancer.At the same stage last year Challoners season had gone down the pan, was the same fate awaiting them, were they going to be the nearly boys of the league & Cup, the AFC Senior 2's equivalent of Charlton?
Challoners kept their heads and continued to play the better football and control the game. The fullbacks started to see more of the ball, Weisz often losing himself in the "outback" of space on the right. Walshy had less room on the left but enjoyed his afternoon of aerial dominance against the shortest right sided partnership he will come up against.
Baker started linking up play more effectively, and Fallon and Fuzz began running at and beyond the oppo's defence. Croucher burst to life after a particularly cutting "put down". For anyone of a nervous disposition look away now….
They called him "Old Man"!! Outrageous, Croucher has only just celebrated his 39th Birthday and is as fit as a fiddle.
Brimming with indignation Challoners charged forward again and after some good passing Lowesy was brought down giving a freekick within striking distance. The call went out for "Boris" who although more accustomed to cat-gut and the ripple of net cord had been practicing with slightly larger balls. A powerful and well directed effort ricocheted off the bar where the quick footed Fuzz managed to leap like the proverbial salmon and nod past the prone Sutton keeper.
This was more like it. Challoners continued to dominate and further good work by Fuzz down the right gave Fallon a shooting chance, instead of taking it first time he coolly let it run across on to his "stronger" right foot and with all the confidence in the world he calmly slotted back across the goal beyond a covering defender.
Time was now running out and as long as Challoners didn't make any mistakes they were confident the game was there for the taking. Sutton were looking tired and devoid of ideas and after assuming that a two goal lead with the wind would be enough were suitably deflated.
With fifteen minutes to go Challoners brought on their secret weapon, a packet a Ibuprofen and half a tub of Deep Heat had healed up Redders neck injury (for a second there you thought the secret weapon was a pack of Ibuprofen and half a tub of deep heat didn't you?). He was thrown up front where his pace a deft touch would create the one final opening that OC's needed to win the match. In fact his first touch was nearly a goal, a case of striking the ball too cleanly…..
After further passages of good play Redders found himself in the area with the ball bouncing across his path,"BANG" he pulled the trigger and only some volleyball style defending by the proper "Old Man" in the match saved it from breaking the net. Fortunately the ref had seen this cross pollination of sporting rules and after explaining where and when using your hands was appropriate sent the defender off and awarded Challoners their rightful penalty.
It was going to be the last kick of the game, and to add to the pressure the wind picked up to Force 12 on the Beaufort scale, small trees and children began flying past. This was going to take some "balls" so there was only one man to call. Mr Becker.
A well placed and well struck kick earned Challoners the deserved win. This was just the performance and attitude that was required to get things back on track.
The same again this Saturday!!!
Well done lads.
Fallon MoM - Fallon Man of the Match - Rich Crawley (a full 90 mins with some solid defending as well)
