The first league game of the new season was finally upon us. Despite spending all of pre-season on Pitch 1, the game was to be played on Pitch 2, with Oundle School deciding that Pitch 2 will be Oundle’s new home until further notice. The hallowed Astro of Pitch 2 was where Oundle previously made their home ground a fortress, with teams not relishing a trip to Pavilion Drive.
Oundle have not had the best of luck recently on the first day of the season, losing their last 2 opening fixtures with an aggregate score of 7-1.
Warwick Uni were the visiting side today, boasting a full squad of 15 players. Oundle, prepared for life without previous stalwarts John Brown and Peter Ellis, whose combined experience of 1000 years was sure to be a big miss. Oundle were also able to boast a full squad of players, handing debuts to Ollie Bogg and George ‘Juan’ Kerr. In what was a youthful (for Oundle) line up. Other notable absences included Farmer Jimmy Moore, Dan ‘Baldilocks’ Phillips, Pete ‘Strong and Stable’ Allett and Tristan Ashby, who was out with a broken nail.
Unusually Oundle were playing from left to right as viewed from the capacity crowd of 6 supporters. This was as requested during the coin toss by Warwick Uni, this however put the sun in their keepers eyes for the first half.
Oundle started the new season with pushback and immediately started playing the ball around. Pushing Warwick Uni back and penning them in their own half. Oundles pressure told almost immediately, with Pickstone finding himself with a free shot at the top of D, dragging his shot narrowly wide.
Oundles pressure was constant, forcing turnovers and errors high up the pitch. Warwick defended well, not giving Oundle anything, and as the half went on, Warwick grew into the game, breaking the Oundle press and getting higher up the pitch.
Warwicks main threat came from a number of short corners which they were able to win, forcing Youngy into action to keep the scores level. Despite the short corners, Warwick were limited to only 2 clear chances, the first from a cross across the box which was saved low to Youngys right and a rebound. The 2nd came from a scramble in the D. Oundles defence stood strong, allowing nothing.
With the game in the balance, both sides having a good go at each other, debutant Ollie Bogg found himself free in the middle and found Schoffel model George Martin on the right hand side with a precise pass. Martin drove at the defence and played a splitting pass across the D, to find an open John Pickstone. Pickstones shot hit the Warwick defender on the line giving Oundle a penalty flick.
The flick was calmly dispatched low to the keepers right by George Martin, opening his account for the season.
Half time came at the right time for Oundle, with Warwick slightly on top. But Oundle were ahead where it counted on the scoreboard with George Martin’s flick the difference between the two sides. Throughout the first half Oundles transfers between the defenders and movement causing real problems for the Warwick defence.
The 2nd half started and Warwick picked up from where they left off, putting Oundle under pressure. Oundles transfers still caused problems for Warwick, but Oundle were unable to make anything stick. It was now Oundle’s turn to defend, with again the defence only giving up short corners which Warwick were unable to convert. Oundles defence and Youngy again allowed nothing. The main threat came from a deflection which Youngy managed to get a stick to, low to his right by the post.
With Oundle under the cosh, their shape getting ever more ragged, a clearance found George Martin on the halfway line who beat his man and was promptly fouled, giving Oundle a respite. Or so the defence thought! A quick-thinking through ball from George No 2, (Kerr) found his namesake who drove up the pitch. The ball was played to the left to find a completely free Pickstone, who calmly took a touch and slotted past the Warwick keeper, doubling Oundles advantage completely against the run of play.
With the game entering the latter stages, Warwick Uni turned up the pressure, with Oundle unable to break out of their own half. Warwick were able to win a couple of penalty corners and turned to their drag flickers, after a couple of narrow misses, Warwick thought they had found a way back into the game with a drag flick which hit the roof of the net. It was the umpire’s whistle that saved Oundle on this occasion who deemed the flick to have come from outside the D. Warwick did not contest the decision.
Disaster struck for Oundle shortly after as debutant George Kerr touched the ball on a Warwick free hit and was promptly shown a yellow card, forcing a beleaguered Oundle to finish the game with 10 men.
Neil, who was so used to seeing Oundle concede goals last season, could not believe they had kept a clean sheet and insisted the score was 2-1 to much laughter and merriment from Oundle before realising his mistake!
The final whistle went soon after, with Oundle breaking their opening day curse with a 2-0 win, which briefly put them at the top of the table. Next week Oundle hit the road for their first away game, against a team which they know well from last season, a team that came down with Oundle, Loughborough Town 3s.
HWTL.
