Last Minute Heartbreak Leave Cumnor Crushed

Heartbreaking. Unfathomable. Shellshocked. Call it whatever you like but there is no denying the pain and confusion we feel today as we try and figure out what actually went wrong in the closing minutes against Oxford Irish. With just under 10 minutes to go we were cruising 3 nil up. Then a corner was allowed to bounce in the box. A harsh penalty was given. A loose ball broke free to an attacker. Bang. Ref's whistle. 3 - 3. Unbelievable.

No-one saw that result coming, especially the Oxford Irish coaches and parents. The ref didn't either... in fact, he said Cumnor played the best football he'd seen at this age level this season. And we did. We played beautiful football from the start, fluid and crisp, not even a violent hail storm and 10 minute delay could spoil. Every Cumnor boy contributed to a fine all round team performance. A fully stretched Henry made the save of the season in the second-half to stop a certain goal. Josh read the game like a master and revealed genuine instinctive footballing intelligence. Rory, carrying a rugby knock, was strong, tough and always in control of his defence. Toby returned to his rotweiller best, snapping away at attackers, making the ball his. Harry's positioning again was spot on and his confidence in the air showed there was no aerial way in for Irish. Centre-half, wide right, midfield...  Jack was our go to man, just wind him up and watch him tear into the game. And Michael, well another all round excellent display, something he's been doing week in, week out up and down the right flank.

In midfield, the triumverate of Joseph, Adam and Ben bossed the game. Suddenly we have a central three blessed with power, attitude and cleverness. Joseph strolled around the field like he owned the place which is exactly what you want your rock, your CDM to do. Adam has been reborn in recent weeks and is obviously loving the rough and tumble of the central areas. Ben is a wonderstrike waiting to happen; his speed of thought and action makes our transition from defence to attack possible. And out wide, Fyn played with attitude and aggression and plenty of skill. He never stopped fighting. He hit the ball of the day. Over on the over wing, our most creative player, Doddie: our pocket Pele... what a joy it is to watch him run at defenders.

Up front, James almost scored with his first touch but his positioning and awareness adds so much to our attacking play. Then there was Nathan who was quite simply magnificent. His work rate on his own is tremendous and his linking play when partnered with Fyn or James is quick, clever and effective.

So that was us, minus Luke and Will. Let's be honest, we should have won. We played brilliant, on the ground football. Nathan's goals were coolly taken. And his supply work to get that cross in for Adam to eventually unleash his first time thunderbolt was superb. All the best things came from Cumnor: Doddie finding a way to the byline to set up the second, Fyn's visionary cross field pass, Jack throwing himself into a crush of bodies or chucking a cheeky little trick in. Joseph bullocking through the middle... the great stuff came from us. We set the standard, we set the the tempo. We were set to win the match.

But these things happen. It can't be explained, it just has to be endured. There is something we can learn from Oxford Irish and that is, never give up. Never stop trying. Full credit to them for digging in and keeping going til the very last kick. Let's hold onto the pain we felt at the final whistle and channel it into next week's cup semi-final. We shall rise again.

Player of the Week: Adam for his all-action midfield display and his beautifully taken goal.

The Cup Run Is On

A beautiful day, a lovely full-sized pitch, a stand for Richard to shout advice from, a good Ardley side and a well-constructed win which sees us in the semi-final of the cup.

After being out muscled by Harwell we set up slightly different for the first-half with Adam and Joseph playing in tandem as a protective two in front of the defence, leaving Fyn, Ben, Will and Nathan as an attacking four. As usual, plans never go to plan and it was soon apparent that Fyn was struggling with a dodgy knee and Toby (still nursing an injury) was having trouble with the ball over the top to the speedy Ardley 9. A little bit of tinkering saw Luke on for Fyn and Harry for Toby. The half continued to be an open affair with Ardley testing our defence but Cumnor applying more pressure. Continued threat saw a free-kick awarded 25 yards out which Adam - not unexpectedly - thumped into the top of the net. 1-0.

With the sun beating down and the size of the pitch taking its toll on the boys' energy reserves, we went 4-4-2 in the second-half with Adam dropping out for a breather, Will going up front to help a tireless Nathan and Doddie briefed to hug the left touchline. Ardley thought they could get to us at the back so the defence were told to play a disciplined line and squeeze Ardley deeper. We looked more comfortable and started the half the stronger but Ardley bagged an equalizer after a defensive error. 1-1.

Suddenly Cumnor went into overdrive and played the best football of the match. The midfield trio of Ben, Joseph and Adam were rotating to keep the tempo high, Luke was troubling their left back and Doddie getting behind on the other wing and making a real nuisance of himself. The best things were built came from the back with Rory maintaining order and Jack playing mature, intelligent football and setting up some good Cumnor attacks. The goal came from great decision making and execution from Michael who floated a searching cross into the box. The ever alert Will ran to the ball, saw the keeper advancing and headed the ball over him into the net. A lovely delicate finish. 2-1.

There was a slight wobble when a cross came out of the sun and hit the bar but otherwise, the game belonged to Cumnor.

Overall, the boys showed their flexibility and desire and once again proved how good we are when we play with the ball at our feet.

Player of the Week: an excellent all-round performance with particular praise for Adam in the middle, Will's attacking threat and Doddie's speed of thought but the award went to Nathan for a totally selfless display up front.

Harwell Heartbreak

It was just one of those days. That's all. We know we can play better. We know we will play better. But, a wobbly pitch and a physical team with a clear game plan meant we couldn't impose what we wanted to do on proceedings. We tried, the boys gave their all but a 5-3 defeat dents our league ambitions. However, there is still plenty to play for and we can take some positives from Sunday: including two nicely taken goals by Luke and Will and a coolly executed penalty by Ben.

Let's get back on track against Ardley.

Back On Track

Finally, after weeks of waiting, we got back on the pitch and back to winning ways. It's lovely being top of the league but the frustration at not playing, the fear the good momentum built over recent months slipping away, the boredom of Sunday afternoon's doing something else.... was proving hard to bear. So we got exactly what we needed: a cup game.

Let's get the obvious bit out of the way first, we won 13-1 with goals scored by Will, Ben, Adam, Josh, James, Luke, Fyn, Jack and Michael. But we also missed a load more and whether that's down to a bad bounce, a rubbish ball, or a slight panic in front of goal, we have to learn to be more decisive and more clinical with our finishing. We made plenty of chances and looked very good in patches. But, we rushed it a bit too much, we hoofed it forward when we should have played it square. The patience and intelligence we wanted wasn't there. Maybe it was inevitable against opposition a couple of leagues below us and a match after weeks of inaction? When the floodgates opened, all the boys wanted to rush in and score. Full credit to Crowmarsh Tigers however, for never losing heart in filthy conditions and scoring an excellent goal.

There are many positives to take forward as we enter this crucial part of the season. Will showed once again he knows where the goal is and scored two very nice individual goals and got in the right areas to finish the other two. Fyn has new scoring boots and continued to play the spaces between attack and midfield with intelligence and insight. Ben too, bagged a brace but was even more effective opening up the midfield with his slide rule passing. Michael from full back continues to dominate and threaten. Rory, Josh, Jack and Toby held a high defensive live and look an imposing four at the back. Out wide, Doddie dazzles with his touch and vision whilst Luke and Adam threaten the full backs, find space in the final third and are never afraid to go for goal. Joseph adds muscle and tempo in midfield and James brings the audacious flicks and tricks into tighter areas to make space for the runners. Add in Harry who is an able and willing deputy in goal and never flinches playing out and you have someone who offers the squad strength in depth. Throw in Henry and his excellent keeping and Nathan's goals, speed, strength and attacking nous and it soon becomes obvious: we have a chance this season, we have no reason to fear anyone, we control our own destiny.

So let's take the win and move on. Let's show the rest of the league in these remaining fixtures what we are capable of. There is not a single boy in this squad the coaches would be without. We have the talent... it's now all about the desire to play football the way we know we can.

Player of the Week: it was too cold to hang around so it went to everyone.