Penalty Pain for Cumnor

 One cruel passage of play cost Cumnor a deserved draw against Kidlington in what was a pretty even match.  The first half started with Cumnor on the back foot for the first 10 minutes, however we grew in confidence and started to match a good Kidlington side.  Defensively Will, Fyn, Charlie and Doddy were strong, and when they were breached, Harry D was usually in the right place at the right time to save the day.  The midfield, minus captain Joseph, took time to settle, however this is not surprising given Harry S was playing in a new position and Kyle was getting used to a new partner. Once the organisation came, they looked solid. Going forward we looked stronger as the half wore on, with Tom "needs new boots" Davenport chasing and threatening before being replaced by Nathan after 20 mins of sliding around.  Nathan offered the alternative back to goal option, encouraging us to go a bit wider, bringing Adam and Finlay and Alex more into the game - to good effect.    

Midway through the first half, Ben found some space in front of the defence and slid a neat pass into the path of Alex.  With plenty still to do, Alex burst clear, cut inside and neatly finished inside the far post for his first Cumnor goal.  Without creating too much more, Cumnor managed to hold on to a half time lead.  

The second half started like the first, with Cumnor on the back foot and under pressure.  However this time not even Harry could save us, with the Kidlington striker finally breaking free of Will and Fyn's shackles and scoring a well taken goal.  This generated a positive response from the Cumnor boys, with the tempo raised a few more chances were created.  Alex and Doddy were a real threat on the left hand side, and this led to chances for Nathan, Ben and Adam, however we couldn't convert. 

Then, the moment that decided the game.  A great corner from Adam, bullet header from Will, ricochet off a Kidlington head, hacked clearance, breakaway, foul, penalty, goal. From virtually scoring at one end Cumnor conceded at the other 10 seconds later.

Try as we might we could just not get the goal back. we threw everything at them, however Kidlington played "winning football", the linesman became pedant of the year and despite lots of changes we couldn't create the one good opportunity.  

Ultimately, we can argue we deserved a draw (as did Chelsea at Stoke).  However, result don't always go for you, and I think, fairly, Harwell could have argued they deserved a draw the match before.  So 3 points from two very competitive and even games - net net better than two draws! On we go to the cup at the weekend, before Harwell again.

There were a few contenders for POTW.  As a reluctant LB, Doddy is playing brilliantly.  Will, a slightly less reluctant CB, was also very strong and but for a bit of bad luck could have won us the game.  However, for not only scoring, but also for a combination of threatening attack play and feisty defensive play, POTW went to Alex.