It doesn't get much better than this. Cumnor stormed back from their Deddington defeat to take top-of-the-table Ducklington to within a minute of their first defeat of the season. With a new shape - and a return to an older, fiestier attitude - we put in our best performance of the season. Ollie had a cracker in goal showing fantastic handling and great decision making. Toby was unflappable at the back and distributed the ball well. In central midfield, the new partnership of Ben and Rory showed real promise with Rory's superb man-marking allowing Ben the time and space to be the team playmaker. Out right, Fyn was a constant threat and Adam got into some excellent scoring positions. Will - playing up front - was a revelation adding strength and determination to his accustomed skill and guile... qualities which helped him grab our goal in the first half.
We can't praise the boys enough for the way they took the game to Ducklington. We played scintillating football and should have buried the game in the second-half. However, fair play to Ducklington, they kept battling and scored moments before the end. We'll take a lot from this display.
In the second match, Cumnor showed more signs of improvement. There is a balance and harmony forming, driven on by the scowling, growling Joe... marshalled by the ever elegant James S and inspired by the tireless Matt. Laurie is improving with each outing and is becoming a very difficult player to deal with. Henry S - carrying the effects of his flu jab - made many dangerous sorties into enemy territory. Binky ploughed a lonely furrow up front but never let his head drop and James E showed his killer instinct in front of goal to score. 2-1 was an unfortunate result, but it might have been worse if it wasn't for the Mighty Ed in goal.
It's coming, it's getting closer... that illusive win is just around the corner. All we need is a little bit of luck and we'll be on our winning way.
Player of the Week: Rory was close but for his outstanding striker play, Will
Monday 18 October 2010
Tuesday 12 October 2010
Sharkbitten
If Cumnor have a bogey team then it's Deddington Sharks. Just like last season (when they beat us twice in a cup tie) Deddington did another double rollover(2-5 and 2-4). In all fairness, they deserved their victories. According to Dave 'Statto' O'Shea, this is the first time Cumnor has been beaten in the league in 20 games. No-one would dare dispute Dave's grasp of the stats but it does prove what an incredibly tight league this is going to be. On the plus side, Adam took his two goals nicely and Ollie played valiantly between the sticks. We also played some lovely one touch football but on a tight pitch against a physical side, we were often second to the ball and suffered as a consequence. That's not taking anything away from Deddington because they took their chances exceptionally well. However, we must heed the warning and add steel to our silkiness.
The second match was much better. Cumnor were well organized with James E playing the playmaker in midfield and Binky scampering on to score two lovely goals. By keeping our shape and allowing the ball to do more of the work, we almost made the win breakthrough we've been searching for all season. One thing we didn't lack was heart, especially with Joe playing like a man possessed. He missed one tackle during the entire match and was an inspiration - and example - to all his watching Cumnor teammates.
It's Ducklington next and we know what they're all about. They are skillful, committed and probably view Cumnor as the local team they love to beat. Let's re-group, man up and show the doubters that there is more to Cumnor than pretty passing.
Player of the Week: special mention to Ollie but the undoubted winner was the mighty Joe.
The second match was much better. Cumnor were well organized with James E playing the playmaker in midfield and Binky scampering on to score two lovely goals. By keeping our shape and allowing the ball to do more of the work, we almost made the win breakthrough we've been searching for all season. One thing we didn't lack was heart, especially with Joe playing like a man possessed. He missed one tackle during the entire match and was an inspiration - and example - to all his watching Cumnor teammates.
It's Ducklington next and we know what they're all about. They are skillful, committed and probably view Cumnor as the local team they love to beat. Let's re-group, man up and show the doubters that there is more to Cumnor than pretty passing.
Player of the Week: special mention to Ollie but the undoubted winner was the mighty Joe.
Sunday 3 October 2010
Tower Toppled Once, But Not Twice
A glorious day at The Closes saw two hard fought matches between two strong squads. Improved second half performances by Cumnor in both matches meant we came away with one win, one defeat and our heads held high.
The first game saw the usual seven battle it out with a skilful Tower Hill side, both teams displaying some excellent passing skills. From the kick-off this looked like it would be a tight game, and so it proved. The first half saw chances for both teams but some great defending kept everyone at bay. Henry was resolute in goal and both Toby and Rory were strong in the tackle, negating the Tower Hill threat. Cumnor were less threatening going forward for the first ten minutes, but then found some rhythm and started to attack the Tower Hill goal. The highlight came when Adam smashed in a shot from 20 yards, which somehow hit the cross bar twice before Fyn poked the rebound wide.
The second half followed a similar pattern, two good teams playing good football. Tower Hill eventually broke the deadlock, counter attacking after Will had had a great free kick well saved. Henry could do nothing about the fine strike from the Tower Hill winger. 1-0 down with 10 minutes to go. The boys did not let there heads drop and battled hard to get back on level terms. Finally the break through came – Will picked the ball up deep in his own half, beat his marker, before playing a neat ball inside to an unmarked Fyn. One on one with the goalie, everyone shouting “shoot” and he cleverly drew the goalie before squaring the ball for an onrushing Ben who slotted home neatly. Cumnor grew in confidence and were convinced they could win – so much so even Rory started marauding forward. With Adam, Rory and Toby locking up the defence and preventing any Tower Hill threat, Ben, Will and Fyn went about securing a winner. With 10 seconds to go, Ben played a neat one-two with Fyn on the edge of the area before stroking the ball in off the post for the winner. Pandemonium (almost). The team saw out the win and now sit at the top of the league – 3 wins from 3 games.
The second match, like in both previous weeks, saw our boys up against a second team that included a number of players that had played in the first game, so it was always going to be a tough encounter. With James S as Captain trying hard in centre midfield, a solid pairing of Joe and Matt at the back, and Will in goal, the team looked strong and prevented Tower Hill creating too many chances. Binky and Henry S worked tirelessly on the wings and tried to feed James E up front to create an opening. This was done on a number of occasions, only for some last ditch tackles by Tower Hill preventing Cumnor from getting the vital shot away. Tower Hill then started to pass the ball well and created some chances, scoring two quick goals. The boys responded well and fought back, with Joe making brave tackles, Matt running tirelessly and James E almost grabbing a goal. Unfortunately, just before half time, Tower Hill broke twice and scored twice – 4-0 down. A lack of communication across the team was costing us.
The second half was a much stronger performance by Cumnor. James S and Matt swapped positions and the whole team started to make some more noise. Will made some great saves in goal, athletic dives followed by brave stops as the big Tower Hill centre forward broke through. Cumnor created a lot more chances in this half, with Henry S in particular making strong runs down the left. One such run saw the ball break to Binky who smashed it against the post. Further chances came and went and it looked like only a matter of time before we scored. Unfortunately, luck didn’t go our way and Tower Hill eventually grabbed another to make it 5-0.
The second matches this season are clearly going to be tougher than previous years – we are up against smaller squads and the boys are going to have to fight really hard to secure victories. That said, if they stick at it and work as a unit, victories will come and they will learn a lot along the way.
The player of the week trophy was a tough decision. Every player made a strong contribution. In the first match Toby had another outstanding game and Ben scored two well taken goals. Joe was as brave as ever in the second match, Will was outstanding in goal and Henry S created many chances. However, for creating both goals in the opening game and running as hard as ever even though he was clearly unwell, Player of the Week was Fyn.
The first game saw the usual seven battle it out with a skilful Tower Hill side, both teams displaying some excellent passing skills. From the kick-off this looked like it would be a tight game, and so it proved. The first half saw chances for both teams but some great defending kept everyone at bay. Henry was resolute in goal and both Toby and Rory were strong in the tackle, negating the Tower Hill threat. Cumnor were less threatening going forward for the first ten minutes, but then found some rhythm and started to attack the Tower Hill goal. The highlight came when Adam smashed in a shot from 20 yards, which somehow hit the cross bar twice before Fyn poked the rebound wide.
The second half followed a similar pattern, two good teams playing good football. Tower Hill eventually broke the deadlock, counter attacking after Will had had a great free kick well saved. Henry could do nothing about the fine strike from the Tower Hill winger. 1-0 down with 10 minutes to go. The boys did not let there heads drop and battled hard to get back on level terms. Finally the break through came – Will picked the ball up deep in his own half, beat his marker, before playing a neat ball inside to an unmarked Fyn. One on one with the goalie, everyone shouting “shoot” and he cleverly drew the goalie before squaring the ball for an onrushing Ben who slotted home neatly. Cumnor grew in confidence and were convinced they could win – so much so even Rory started marauding forward. With Adam, Rory and Toby locking up the defence and preventing any Tower Hill threat, Ben, Will and Fyn went about securing a winner. With 10 seconds to go, Ben played a neat one-two with Fyn on the edge of the area before stroking the ball in off the post for the winner. Pandemonium (almost). The team saw out the win and now sit at the top of the league – 3 wins from 3 games.
The second match, like in both previous weeks, saw our boys up against a second team that included a number of players that had played in the first game, so it was always going to be a tough encounter. With James S as Captain trying hard in centre midfield, a solid pairing of Joe and Matt at the back, and Will in goal, the team looked strong and prevented Tower Hill creating too many chances. Binky and Henry S worked tirelessly on the wings and tried to feed James E up front to create an opening. This was done on a number of occasions, only for some last ditch tackles by Tower Hill preventing Cumnor from getting the vital shot away. Tower Hill then started to pass the ball well and created some chances, scoring two quick goals. The boys responded well and fought back, with Joe making brave tackles, Matt running tirelessly and James E almost grabbing a goal. Unfortunately, just before half time, Tower Hill broke twice and scored twice – 4-0 down. A lack of communication across the team was costing us.
The second half was a much stronger performance by Cumnor. James S and Matt swapped positions and the whole team started to make some more noise. Will made some great saves in goal, athletic dives followed by brave stops as the big Tower Hill centre forward broke through. Cumnor created a lot more chances in this half, with Henry S in particular making strong runs down the left. One such run saw the ball break to Binky who smashed it against the post. Further chances came and went and it looked like only a matter of time before we scored. Unfortunately, luck didn’t go our way and Tower Hill eventually grabbed another to make it 5-0.
The second matches this season are clearly going to be tougher than previous years – we are up against smaller squads and the boys are going to have to fight really hard to secure victories. That said, if they stick at it and work as a unit, victories will come and they will learn a lot along the way.
The player of the week trophy was a tough decision. Every player made a strong contribution. In the first match Toby had another outstanding game and Ben scored two well taken goals. Joe was as brave as ever in the second match, Will was outstanding in goal and Henry S created many chances. However, for creating both goals in the opening game and running as hard as ever even though he was clearly unwell, Player of the Week was Fyn.
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