A return match Between Oaks and Cardinal Newman rounded off the pre christmas half of the season. Played at Jericho Lane the match played in windy and wet weather conditions on a bog of a pitch, ruined by a week of rain. Oaks turned up for the game with a scratch team only just managing to field 11 players. The referee almost abandoning the match due to the poor state of the pitch decided to give the game a chance.
In the circumstances Oaks started well. Trying to play football and making Newman work hard to stay in the game. A first half where endeavour and effort was needed more than skill and finesse. 20 minutes into the game oaks opened the scoring with Peter Fairfield running onto a superb through ball from Robbie Hodson, nipping the ball away from the keeper on the edge of the penalty box and side footing the ball into an empty net.
Petty sqaubles began breaking out all over the pitch between several of the opposing players. This did nothing but upset the flow of our game and only gave the referee opportunity to choose his preferred team and consider his decisions to the benefit of Newman. There were no real bad challenges going in, just a couple of late, half hearted attempts at opposing players. This does nothing for us really and needs to be cut out. Competeing is one thing but the more you focus on the opposition the less you focus on the football - ask Wayne Rooney. Without showing too much in front of the Oaks goal Newman won a needlesly given away free kick outside the box near the right touchline. The ball was swept in to the far post, headed back across goal and then past the despairing dive of the oaks keeper. A classic example of not concentrating on the game but of petty personal duals.The game continued in sticato fashion, played up the half time break with Oaks going into the break with a well deserved 1 - 1 scoreline.
Half time 1 - 1.
The second half began much the same as the first ended - scrappy, and in the conditions that could be expected. Newman had plenty of the ball in midfield and began to keep possession better than a tiring Oaks team. Without any subs to call on yet again, tiredness, some due to illness, began to creep in. With that said though Oaks still looked the team most likely to score.
Newman playing a high line were caught out on several occassions by the pace of the Oaks front two, Ian Bates and Robbie Cheyne. Other than one occassion the match official blew for offside. As I said above referee's can make mistakes but can also be aware of this and subconciously favour those sides not causing as much grief. Despite a scarppy start Oaks were soon 3 - 1 up with goals from Rob Cheyne and Ian Bates livening up the proceedings. To all intents Newman were dead and buried with heads down and beginning to creak. This should have been enough to see the game out and I think most of us thought it would. The game dragged on into the last 25 minutes when a mistake at the back allowed Newman a free shot on goal adjacent to the penalty spot which nestled in the bottom corner. 3 - 2 to Oaks with Newman now sniffing an opportunity to draw level.
Newman continued to press and within minutes were on level terms. Good build up play combined with tired legs allowed a free shot on goal just inside the penalty box to make it 3 -3. Heads down Oaks play became bedraggled whilst Newman piled on the pressure. Another break through the heart of the Oaks defence saw the Oaks keeper rush out and catch the on-rushing striker, who in truth, was going nowhere, to give away a needless penalty which was easily dispatched giving Newman an unlikely 4 - 3 lead. Very shortly after Newman again round the back of the defence, Mike Weedon with the challenge, a theatrical dive by the striker, another penalty, 5 - 3. Just before the end Newman wrapped up the scoring to seal the fate for a sorry second half, in fact last 25 min, performance.
Full Time : Newman 6 - Oaks 3
I could not see any MOM awards being given out on this one. Difficult conditions for both teams but a capitulation by Oaks to a perfectly average Cardinal Newman. Personal battles on the pitch are fine provided the head is kept on the game, something that we are struggling with at times to appreciate. Again short on players with no opportunity to rest tired palyers nor change things round, however into the Christmas break and hopefully out of our system.
