

After last week’s game away at Melton was cancelled due to a frozen pitch, Oundles first game of the season was away to The University Of Warwick 3s. With Oundle taking all 3 points in the reverse fixture back in September. Warwick Uni would be ahead of Oundle in the table if not for the 13 point deduction
Away posed a different challenge, firstly the Uni side had now played together for 3 months allowing them to gel and get to know how each other plays. But mainly because their pushback time was set for 10am, the earliest the league allows, meaning Oundle had to set off long before the top of the winter sun crested the horizon.
Oundle travelled with a squad of 14 players, with the biggest name absentee being Peter ‘Albi’ Allett, who was busy being strong and stable somewhere else.
Oundle were short at the back so it was up to Old Dan Phillips to slot back into the left back position, despite being called Old Dan he actually brought the average age of the fullbacks down significantly from what they usually are. Meanwhile Vice Captain Millan was pushed up to defensive mid, meaning a CB partnership of Brenners and Virgil Van Jimmy.
With Warwick having pushback they had to start without their keeper who was nowhere to be seen. It was a cagey start to the game with both sides trying to figure one another out, Oundle were on the front foot playing high up the pitch with Warwick Uni sitting back, praying their keeper would turn up.
Warwick Uni struck first, hitting Oundle on the counter attack, breaking down the middle, a ball forward found their forward leaving him 1 on 1 with Youngy, The forward got the better of the encounter on this occasion as he slid the ball past the onrushing Oundle stopper.
It’s an old saying that you are at your most vulnerable when you have just scored, and that proved true as Oundle went on the attack and secured the first short corner of the game. The resulting strike from George Martin, hit a Warwick Uni player on the line, giving Oundle a penalty flick.
After hearing what had happened to Oundle player Monty Drewett earlier on in the season, none of the Warwick players wanted to face George Martin, his eyes hungry with wanting to regain the title of top goalscorer and keep the trophy which has been collecting dust on his mantlepiece for the past 5 seasons. Martin rolled the ball into the empty net, leveling the game.
With the scores tied, Warwicks goalkeeper strolled onto the pitch and began to get kitted up, Oundle were unable to take further advantage before the Warwick keeper joined the match. With the return of their goalkeeper, Warwick pushed higher up the pitch and became more attacking.
With Warwick Uni buoyed by the return of their keeper they steadily added more and more pressure to the Oundle goal, winning a number of short corners of their own, one of these forcing Youngy into a triple save to keep the ball out. As Warwick Uni kept knocking on the door they eventually got their rewards as Oundle were unable to clear their lines from a short corner and Warwick Uni tapped home a rebound to put themselves back in front.
The 2nd half started as the first did, with Oundle on the front foot but unable to make the breakthrough, both teams had chances calling both keepers into action. As the half continued the game became more and more stretched and end to end, with both teams feeling the effects of the winter break.
The game nearly reached boiling point midway through the 2nd half when one of the Warwick Uni forwards and Old Dan Phillips had a ‘coming together’, the Warwick Uni player then proceeded to give Dan Phillips a tap to let him know he was there. This was not taken well by either Phillips or Jimmy, with Jimmy letting the Warwick player know exactly what he thought about it. Youngy was there quickly to help out his defensive partner pushing the Warwick Uni player away before it could get heated further.
Both teams were able to win a number of short corners throughout the 2nd half, while Warwick Uni were unable to take advantage of theirs, It was a short corner which proved to be Oundles salvation, when the ball was fed to Dan Phillips who showed the forwards how it was done with a low shot to the keepers left.
With Oundle just getting back on level terms, the worst possible thing happened, Oundle again were unable to clear their lines, and after some pinball in the D a lucky shot found its way into the bottom right corner of the goal to restore Warwick Uni’s lead barely a minute after Oundle had levelled.
With the game entering the last 5 or so minutes and Oundle still down by a goal, Oundles attacks became more frantic, one player decided he did not want to lose today, Brenners received the ball and drove at the heart of the Warwick Uni defence, offloading the ball wide, he continued his run into the D, finding himself unmarked on the the penalty spot, to attempt his best John Pickstone impression, heroically falling over while firing home to bring Oundle back onto even terms.
It was a well earned point for Oundle who battled hard from a goal down 3 times. This result leaves Oundle 4th in table, level on points 3rd Place Khalsa Leamington. Oundle return to Pavilion Road next week for their first home game of 2025 against the team directly below them in the table, Loughborough Town 3s. HWTL.