A great team performance yet again saw Cumnor see off a battling Bicester side 6-2 to retain our position the the WDYFL A League for next season. This is an excellent performance for a small village club.
The coaches fears that the boys seemed a bit lethargic in warm up and would therefore start slowly were quickly banished with 2 goals in the first 5 minutes and a first half display that saw Cumnor go in 5-1 to the good at half time. The first goal came as Ben spotted Will making a run from midfield and played an excellent through ball. Will took it in his stride and two touches later the ball was nestled in the corner of the Bicester net. The super start saw the lead doubled a couple of minutes later as Cumnor used the width and Toby's cross fell invitingly to Adam to smash home.
Bicester fought hard to come back into the game, but an excellent effort from the back four of Joe, Rory, Josh and James S kept them at bay. Anything that got through was dealt with nicely by Henry S. Bicester were using their pace, and a hard pitch combined with a bouncy ball made defending a challenge, however we held firm, even clearing away corners which have so often been our downfall this season.
At the 19 minute mark, Fyn was put clean through and put his effort just wide. On the 20 min mark, Fyn was clean through again. Had he learnt from his prior experience? Yes was the answer as he slotted home nicely. Again Bicester fought back, and again the defence held - until one bouncing ball too many saw Bicester's striker squeeze through and fire home.
Only 5 mins of the half left and the coaches were hoping for the whistle to give the players a well earned rest and re-focus on the job in hand. For the second time that day the boys proved to the coaches there was nothing to worry about. First Will played what could be described as a one-two with James S (though given both passes were probably 20 yards each and beautifully executed, this does not really do it justice), Will then rounded the keeper, pushed the ball a bit wider than he would have hoped but slotted home from a tight angle with his right foot. An excellent goal. 2 minutes later, a right wing cross from Adam saw Fyn somehow stoop to head home in the corner. 5-1 at the break.
Two of the unsung heroes of the first half, Matt and Toby, took a well earned, rest, both having run themselves ragged in midfield. Ed and James E entered the fray. 5 mins into the second half, Cumnor scored the "team goal" of the day, when a slick passing move through midfield finally saw the ball make its way to Adam on the right wing. A great cross was headed home by Fyn for a well-deserved hat-trick. As the game wore on, James E, showing real determination, kept Bicester busy in defence and put a shot narrowly over. Ed did some great work in left midfield, and had a chance himself to score - unfortunately the ball was on his right foot and he couldn't quite direct in goal ward.
Cumnor were now in champagne football mode, highlighted by a right wing run by Joe which saw him beat two players before crossing. The coaches made some changes, with Henry M coming on for Fyn and Matt and Toby re-entering the fray to replace Joe and James S. Henry M did all that was asked of him and helped create a number of openings, one of which saw Ben put clean through. As he poked the ball into the corner of the net play was called back because a player nowhere near the ball was offside. The two Steve's did not let this pass without comment, however ultimately the ref sided with the linesman and chalked the goal off.
The last 15m of the half saw Cumnor come under increasing pressure as Bicester fought to restore some pride (and perhaps Cumnors midfielders and forwards decided they all wanted a goal and forgot about defending)? This put Rory and Josh under immense pressure and the dealt with it brilliantly, making a number of great last ditch tackles. Eventually the defensive wall was breached, but it was from a 20 yard strike which was impossible to stop. Bicester continued to press to the end and Henry S made a couple of smart saves to keep the score at 6-2. As the whistle went, a spontaneous water fight broke out, leaving Ed in some trouble with Rob ("we've got to go to Homebase with you soaking wet").
That just left player of the week. Like the previous game against Bicester, it was an excellent team performance. However there were a few stand out contributions. Fyn scored a great hat-trick , Will took both his goals very well and Adam had his best game for Cumnor this season (streamlined look seemed to work well). The defence did a great job when judging the bounce, which was not easy; and within this unit, Josh in particular made some great last ditch tackles, chasing down some very quick Bicester forwards. For this effort, Josh was player of the week.
