Kidlington Roasted

After the near miss against Oxford Irish, Cumnor were keen to continue our great run of form and finish the league programme on a high. Kidlington however, would be a tough challenge. Recent games have been incredibly close and our opposition were confident after pushing Ducklington all the way in both the cup and the league. They also had a two man advantage. In temperatures in the the mid to high 20s, Cumnor’s 11 available players had all the odds stacked against us.

We set up with a 4-1-4-1 formation with Will in at centre-half and Tom the lone striker.  From kick off Cumnor seemed confident and in control, using the width of the pitch and great movement to dominate the early exchanges. Ben and Joe linked nicely through the middle and spread play cleverly to bring in Finlay, Nathan and Adam ahead of them. Charlie held his flank well and Harry S (or, wrong pitch Harry) overlapped on the left flank. Rory and Will marshalled the play from the back, winning headers and playing out with some lovely clipped passes. Tom had the thankless task of keeping Abu occupied up front and proved an excellent focal point in the brutal heat.

The deserved breakthrough came when Adam swept a corner in for Will to leap high and smash a header in. Cumnor then went into overdrive, playing quick intricate football and creating chance after chance. Joe won a ball, fed Ben who linked sweetly with Finlay before finding Nathan, sneaking through the middle to flick the ball over the keeper. 2-0. His second goal was even better. Harry and Finlay outfoxed Kidlington on the flank with a little bit of showboating before Nathan again, found himself through on goal. He spun, pirrouetted around the ball and finished brilliantly. It was Zola-sque in execution according to Tim (sorry, it’s been so long since Man U scored a goal of any real quality it’s difficult to find a comparison.) With a few minutes left we were awarded a free-kick 25 yards out on the left. There was no doubt what Adam would do but he still did it, curling a superb shot into the top corner. 4-0.

The half-time chat wasn’t needed, just conserve energy and relax. We made a positional switch with Tom and Will and Will soon started tormenting the defence almost scoring a superb solo goal after a long, twisting run. Kidlington came back hard in the second-half but on balance of play, we could have scored more. Kidlington should have scored but for a wonderful full length diving save from Harry tipping the ball onto the top of the bar and over. The whistle went, the win secured. Kidlington could yet finish above us in the league but we’ve won two out three league matches against them this season so bragging rights are ours.

Player of the Week: each boy contributed so a collective award to all. Well done.

Cumnor Coming Good

The good form continues with two sparkling April displays against Pennar FC and our nemesis team, Ducklington.

Seeing the first snow of the season was a bit of a shocker as we welcomed Pennar from West Wales. It’s always a test playing an unknown team and with Pennar effectively the football quota of Pembroke RFC we expected a tough physical test. But this feels like a different Cumnor now, a Cumnor willing to dig in and get stuck in. We started crisply, moving the ball forward with real accuracy and urgency. Tom was given the task of taking the physical threat to the opposition which he did with gusto. His reward, a crisp finish from Nathan’s smartly headed assist(?). 

Everything remained up for grabs in the second-half but Cumnor moved up through the gears to produce a very accomplished all round display. Joe thumped home a penalty and Fyn grabbed a rapid-fire hat-trick, the pick a lovely leap and header from Charlie’s inch perfect corner. He could have scored another after a scything move using the length of the pitch saw Fyn’s shot halted by a puddle of standing water. Kyle got in on the  scoring to grab a 6th and continue his recent sparkling form.

The luxury of being quite a few goals to the good meant we could play around with positions so Alex and Michael had a run up front and Toby saw some left-wing action. In all, a great game in filthy conditions. It was played in a terrific spirit too with Pennar players and parents being excellent tourists. 6-0.

Player of the Week: From solid right-back to assist king, Charlie

Three days later we lined up at Carterton FC against Ducklington under lights. With a practically full squad to choose from (except an ill Harry S) we decided to try and play an intense and aggressive game against the team we traditionally have no luck with. The team smarting from an 8-1 defeat to Oxford Irish. With a starting line up of Harry D, Charlie, Alex, Rory, Michael, Joseph, Fyn, Adam, Kyle, Finlay and Tom we knew we had the intensity – and the bench – to get right in the Ducky faces. As usual, plans go awry and an early injury to Michael saw Toby move into left-back. 

Cumnor pressed and created a good chance for Adam who unfortunately missed the target. With Will, Ben, Nath and Fyn on after 20 we added a little more fresh bite in the tackle. Fyn was happily winding up the centre-halves and Will  enjoying the freedom to orchestrate play from central midfield. Ducklington threatened a little more and scored the opener just before half-time after somehow squeezing between centre-half and full-back.

With rotation very much part of the game plan, Cumnor went three at the back to put an extra body into midfield, which helped wrestle some much-needed possession. After some good work down the right flank, we were given a free-kick. It was the perfect side for Will but Adam grabbed the ball. The defence lined up to deal with the cross but Adam had other plans and absolutely smashed the ball into the net inside the near post. It was a wonder strike and Ducklington didn’t know what had hit them. 2-1.

Typical Cumnor, we switched off in relief and moments later the ball went racing past Harry’s outstretched hand to restore the Ducklington lead. The boys were gutted but unlike other Ducky pastings, they weren’t prepared to roll over. Fyn attacked out wide and was bundled over. Free kick. Every player, everyone in the crowd knew what Adam would do. But he still did it, this time from the left. Smack, back of the net. 2-2.

We were in unchartered waters against Ducky and when the excellent Alex strained his calf, we went four at the back drafting in Fyn and Joseph. A 2-2 draw seemed like a good result. It was.

Every player played their part: Harry was unflustered under the high balls. Toby and Charlie played with calmness and determination at full-back. Michael was unlucky to be crocked so early. Rory was his ever dependent languid self, keeping the busy Ducky 5 in his pocket. Alex at centre-half was what Alex is: superb. Joseph did his bit breaking up attacks and keeping a steady dialogue going with the ref. Will enjoyed the open space and firm surface so he could play a multi-facetted midfield game. Ben scrapped and looked to unlock the defence with some very smart attacking play. As did Kyle who stayed calm and in control, showing common sense, skill and maturity. Finlay was a genuine threat out wide and always looked to get in behind. Nathan ran the hard yards up front and showed his wonderful touch and 

creativity in the hole. Fyn and Tom were both physical beasts up front and at the back. And, our Player of the Week, Adam: matchwinner, hammer, making a fiendishly difficult dead ball skill look very, very easy.

Spring update

Apologies for the lack of updates recently but we are delighted to report an upturn in our on the pitch fortunes. Since our penalty defeat in the cup to Kidlington, we’ve taken 7 out of 9 league points with a win and a draw against Oxford City (1-0 and 2-2) and a 3-1 win against Kidlington. The two wins came on the road and we’ve been especially impressed with the increased tempo and aggression shown by the boys. We’ve even picked up a couple of yellow cards! The last league match against Kidlington was a superb all round performance with great goals from Will, Tom and Kyle…plus a belter of an own goal from Charlie. Players of the week were Will, Alex and Tom respectively.  

We have a tour match coming up and a league fixture against Ducklington. Let’s keep the momentum going and finish the season on a real high.

Cumnor Sink in Mudbath

Another disappointing display in appalling conditions. We struggled to play football or impose ourselves on a very spirited and savvy Harwell, conceding soft goals in the first-half due to our lack of desire to get stuck in and win or control the ball. After a half-time rollicking the boys were faced with a simple choice: fight or look stupid. They fought and in fairness, they fought hard. We made some positional changes with Tom adding some physicality at the back and Michael and Adam linking well where there was some grass, on the flank. Fyn making a foray up front also added a different dimension to our forward play and reminded us of his origins as a striker. The wind also helped and a very soft goal gave us a mountain (well, a slurry hill) to climb. Adam scored a lovely looping goal and delivered terrific corners. Nathan scrambled home a second but with injuries and cramp taking a toll, time and opportunities started running out. Adam threw one more cross in with Will inches away from securing an unlikely draw. Final score 3-2 Harwell.

These are tough times. We need boys who are prepared to be physical, confident and vocal. We can’t wait for the weather to turn to see an improvement in our match performances.

Player of the Week: Michael and Tom played well at the back, Fyn made his presence felt up front and Harry saved brilliantly from penalty (yes, Joe, it was). It was hard in the mud but Adam showed resilience, determination and no shortage of skill of win POTW.

Irish Eyes Are Smiling

We’ve seen some strange things over the years watching Cumnor Minors. Dazzling goals, mazy footwork, wild challenges, tantrums, tears, joyous celebrations, near misses, outrageous decisions, flukey chances and nail biting  last minute escapes. What we haven’t seen is a performance from a keeper like we saw in our 6-1 defeat against Oxford Irish. A crushing defeat where we actually played well in filthy, foul conditions. Where we moved the ball wide, unlocked the opposition and set up chances time and time again. And yes, a couple went over the bar, but the majority were hit with force and accuracy, hit towards the bottom corner, hit towards the roof of the net, but the sheer size speed and anticipation of the keeper, thwarted us. It was reminiscent of Big Neville Southall in his pomp (and that’s just the moustache) and it was superb. Should we have done better? Yes. But any other day, any other keeper (who is heading to Oxford) and we would have walked away with a bag full of goals rather than Adam’s solitary header… which was a very nicely worked team goal.

Yet, we did concede 6. And we are conceding a lot of goals. Ox Irish kept exploiting us down the left, utilising their immensely physical and fast no.11, who bagged a hat trick. Mistakes were made, conditions blamed but the simple truth is: they took their chances and we didn’t. We cannot fault our boys’ creativity but we can question their desire to do the rough stuff, to close down, to tackle hard, to work the ref, to impose themselves on the opposition. We are ‘nice Cumnor’ and we play ‘nice football’. Unfortunately, we play teams who play tough football. And at this time of year, we play on terrible pitches where ‘nice football’ just doesn’t seem to work.

We need to fight our way out of this rut. Positions are up for grabs. Now is the time for scrappers. Let’s start the comeback at training.

Ducked Off

Beautiful Winter’s day, no gale, nice pitch and the chance to finally show Ducklington what we are all about. And we very nearly did. Joseph and Will were paired in central midfield and told, in no uncertain terms, to impose themselves on proceedings. And they did. They crunched and blocked and bullied. They ended up being spoken to by the ref and Joseph (don’t worry Joe, as a one-off we’ll pay the fine) even ‘took one for the team’. And for an hour, it worked. Our increased fervour and bite put Ducky on the back foot as we worked two exceptional team goals. Twice the ball was played wide from an inspired Nathan into the path of Adam who finished superbly. All was good until just before half-time when we conceded a soft goal from a set play and all our fears kicked in.

Ducklington are an excellent team but they also know how to manage and control a situation. From taking a little bit longer at half-time to working the ref. Decisions seemed to go against us much to the obvious disgust of our onlookers. A few jeers, a few comments and the ref was right on our case. In truth, the boys didn’t need this added grief as, in the second-half, the superior fitness, movement and technique of the opposition won through. We fought them, we scared them, but we lost 4 – 2.

Player of the Week: Special mention to Will and Joe in central midfield but the final POW 2015 went to Adam for an all-round barnstorming performance including two very well taken goal.

Cumnor Click

Cumnor had a lot to live unto to surpass our recent win at Harwell but on a gloomy cold afternoon, the boys played some of the best football we've seen. With key players Rory, Michael, Kyle and skipper Joseph out with injury, an adjustment was required and we lined up with Doddie, Will, Fyn and Harry S at the back, Adam and Nathan in centre mid, Finlay and Alex wide and Ben playing just behind Tom.

From the start there was a confidence and composure to our play with the boys relishing the glorious playing surface and enjoying meeting a Harwell team who wanted to play football. For the purist it was a great spectacle packed full of quicksilver passing, intelligent movement and intricate combinations. We were especially creative playing down the flanks working neat little angles. Harry D's decision making and distribution was spot on and Will and Fyn defended tirelessly and played beautifully throughout.

The first-half brought a flurry of chances with Ben playing the pivot nicely and working well with Adam and Nathan. The scoring opened after some great wing play from Alex who lashed in a cross for Finlay to challenge before the ball fell to Nathan. 1-0. A few minutes later Harry S clipped in a beauty which Ben met with a tremendous volley from the edge of the box. The keeper made a quite brilliant save but Tom was there to follow up. 2-0. Tom had a couple of chances after more creative build up work. Against the run of play, Cumnor fell to a counter attack goal after the dangerous Harwell 8 (Matt) raced through and finished superbly. 2-1.

We kept the same formation to start the second-half and soon extended our lead after Tom hit a wonderful early shot past the excellent Harwell keeper. 3-1 By now, Cumnor were playing with supreme confidence with Will and Fyn seemingly unbeatable at the back, the full-backs pushing on and Adam and Nathan working relentlessly in the midfield. More excellent attacking work saw Finlay ghost into a lovely position to hit home our fourth. With Charlie and Toby now heavily involved Cumnor kept pressing and finally got a fifth from the excellent Nathan.

A brilliant win and a great match. The opposition and the ref were full of praise for the way we played. With Ducklington on the horizon if we play like this we will beat them. Well done all.

Player of the Week: could have gone to anyone but in the end we went for Doddie because his confidence, technical prowess, calmness and willingness to get the ball to feet and play football give us a great attacking option from left-back. He also tackled strongly and linked wonderfully with Will, Finlay and Nathan.

Cup Full Of Goals

A scintillating display of finishing saw Cumnor ease past Faringdon 11-1 in the 2nd round of the Berks & Bucks Cup with Ben scoring 3, Will 2, Doddie 2, Adam 1, Fyn 1, Nathan 1 and Finlay 1. But more pleasing than the scoring was playing boys in different positions. Special thanks goes to Harry S who went in and pulled off a brilliant penalty save. Well done all, there'll be tougher opposition to face but you can only play who's in front of you.

Player of the Week: Charlie for another assured outing at full back.

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.   

High Tension at Harwell

A thrilling game between Cumnor and Harwell ended in a nerve racking but ultimately satisfying victory for Cumnor.  Games with Harwell are always close and this was no exception, however to deny them a goal and battle as hard as we did for the victory was fantastic.  The boys showed a real spirit of togetherness, working really hard for each other and great determination to hang on for the win.  This was easily our best performance of this season, and probably for some while longer.  Rather than write a full report, we have gone for a comment on each of the players, of whom we are extremely proud:

Harry D - excellent in the sweeper keeper role, very assured on the ball and made saves when he needed to, great handling of crosses - a clean sheet is always welcome;

Doddy - stepped in at LB at the last minute and was excellent.  Worked very well with Finlay, particularly in the first half, and made a number of strong challenges;

Harry S - as usual worked really well going forward, however when needed in the second half really stepped up defensively;

Will - very strong at the back, won tackles, headers, 50/50s etc, and maintained his threat going forward.  Two great free kicks, one of which led to the winning goal;

Fyn - like Will, didn't shirk any tackles, really strong in the air and gave nothing to the Harwell forward - lots of good chat too;

Joseph - worked tirelessly in midfield, won the ball in his usual fashion, and then spread it very well;

Kyle - worked hard alongside Joseph, and hit a couple of very nice passes to spread play;

Alex - really came into the game in the second half, hit every challenge determined to win the ball and was a real threat going forward, putting in a number of great crosses - settling in to the team well;

Finlay - showed his usual skills and has added a level of determination that is making him one of the stars of the season - created a number of chances for the team;

Ben - very strong performance, a real battling display, but then silky skills when on the ball.  A well finished goal to cap it off;

Tom - "knackered" - ran very hard all game, harried the Harwell defence, created chances and came close to getting on the end of a number of crosses - a really strong performance;

Toby - unfortunately due to the quality of the 11 players on the pitch we couldn't get Toby on, however he selflessly accepted this and showed a real team spirit in cheering the team on.

A brilliant effort by all 12  - well done!

Cup run starts

Cumnor cruised through to the next round of the Berks and Bucks cups with a comfortable 5-0 win at Newbury.  On a pitch that could do with a cut (and a roll) Cumnor produced a strong performance to book its place in the next round of the cup.  The 13 boys involved all played very well, creating many chances, and ran out deserved winners.  

Cumnor set up in its traditional 4,2,3,1 formation, with the aim of going to 3 at the back quite quickly.  However, with Harry Stanley playing at RB, Tim and Dave realised we were pretty much 3 at the back from the start!  All joking aside, Harry played as we expect him to, and was on the end of a loose ball to smash home the opening goal.  Cumnor created many more chances, particularly on the left flank where first Rory and then Will had acres of space. The interchange of passing through this area, using Finlay, Ben, Alex and Nathan was excellent and often opened up the Newbury defences.   Joseph, as has been the case this season, was playing a very measured game in the centre of midfield and switching play well to both sides of the pitch.  With Fyn as solid as ever at the back, and Harry D communicating well with all concerned, Cumnor looked very unlikely to concede.  As the game opened up Joseph and Adam both went close and Alex had a header cleared of the line by an opponent’s arm (chest according to the referee!).  1-0 at half time was not as good as it could have been, but Cumnor looked comfortable.  

The second half opened with a flourish.  Charlie and Toby were bought on at the back, allowing Will and Harry to push even further forward. Almost immediately Ben and Will showed great creativity (including a "nuts" called by Dave Stanley), forcing a corner.  The same combination then converted - Ben sending over a whipped corner that Will rose to meet to head Cumnor into a 2 goal lead.  It was from another corner, this time  a well worked short corner between Harry and Adam, that Cumnor took a 3-0 lead, Adam floating a left foot curler into the top corner.  The team were now playing with huge confidence, knocking the ball about and creating chance after chance.  Joe smashed a rasping shot against the crossbar, Finlay poked just wide, and Alex just failed to connect with one of Will's many crosses.  

The game position meant Tim and Dave could ring the changes and give players a go in unfamiliar positions.  Nathan and Adam played 30 mins in the centre of midfield and looked very assured, Alex had a run as centre forward and centre back, and towards the end Fyn and Rory were playing on the wings.  It remained for Will to put the icing on the cake, first with a well-executed dink over the keeper and then with a well struck drive that found the bottom of the net.  A well-deserved 5-0 victory and on to the next round.  

Player of the week was in some ways difficult, and some ways quite easy.  All 13 players did well, Charlie and Toby both assured at the back and happy to play the ball out, the rotating centre backs all very solid, Ben, Alex and Finlay all showing great creative touches, with Adam, Nathan and Harry powering at the opposition.  Will had freedom to play and took full advantage, however player of the week, for the third time in four games was our captain Joseph. He has gone from a no nonsense ball winner to someone who now demands the ball off others and moves it well across midfield and into the danger areas.  Yesterday he showed his shooting isn’t too bad either!  Well done everyone.   

The Great Escape

After last week's drubbing, Cumnor needed to get something from the trip to Oxford City. And not just in terms of points, but pride and belief from a committed performance. We certainly left Cowley with the sense of a reputation restored but we should have left with all three points.

The positives were many: having Fyn back from injury strengthened the defence, Finlay showed some lovely creative touches, Charlie had a superb first half, Adam and Doddie delivered from out wide and Tom and Nathan worked tirelessly leading the front line. Our goals too, were superb. Finlay had a split second to look up and shoot early from 25 yards out and did so, finding the corner. Some great midfield play saw Adam put in a wonderful cross for Nathan to drill home. And the equaliser after a period of sustained pressure was well deserved with Doddie's searing cross met by a leaping Will. The draw came from a desire to fight till the very end. We were bold and aggressive and going three up front and three at the back (sorry Toby, for not getting much game time) demonstrated that surrendering a two goal lead was unacceptable. The boys were challenged to fight at half-time and prove themselves to be worthy of the win. It wasn't quite to be. The goals against us were down to poor positioning, sloppy decision making and defending, all made more glaring by our lack of communication. We don't talk to each other and that isolates people on the ball or poses doubt as to who will deal with a dangerous situation.

Overall, the positives to come back from behind and get the 3 - 3 draw against tough opposition will do us good. So an excellent first 20 minutes and an impressive last 15. Let's use this and move on.

Player of the Week: Joseph, captain's performance, enjoying a superb start to the season.

Abingdon Go AWOL

A little harsh perhaps but difficult to gauge how good our opening performance of the season was with the opposition so visibly struggling. Then again, a team can only play what's in front of them. Cumber kept the ball on the floor and tackled beautifully, working nice tight patterns and playing confidently from the back. Kyle and Harry gave us an immediate attacking outlet from full back whilst Will and Rory and centre-back pressed the midfield of Joseph and Alex high up the pitch.

In pre-season our finishing had been woeful but all four goals from Nathan, Adam, Ben and Will showed a crispness of technique and an assuredness in front of goal. Bad luck to Abingdon, they battled manfully and we, as a coaching team, did all we could to ensure the second-half would get under way. It did, for all of 10 minutes before another Abingdon injury forced the ref's hand and he called the abandonment. Cumber get the win, 4-0.

Luck of the Irish

Ok - luck had nothing to do with it - Cumnor was comprehensively outplayed by a sharper, more dynamic and stronger team.  That said, we had patches in the game where we more than held our own, however it was a tough challenge and we just couldn't match Irish on the day.

The first 15 minutes were not Cumnor's finest.  We conceded a soft goal due to some poor tackling, then were somewhat unlucky with the linesman's call, before contributing to a third goal through a couple of mistakes.   The next 20 mins were much better, the defence of Harry D, Tom, Rory, Harry S and Kyle held firm and continued to play good football under intense pressure.  The midfield duo of Joseph and Alex worked tirelessly against a very strong pairing from Irish and we gradually managed to get moving forward.  Adam had a couple of long range free kicks and Nathan harried and chased the Irish defence.  Finally a chance game, and Doddy hit a great first time shot which was well saved by the Irish keeper.  HT came, and given our start 3-0 was a good effort.

Cumnor made a number of changes at HT, with Michael, Charlie, and Finlay all joining the fray, whilst Kyle was moved to centre back to cover for the injured Tom.  Within 5 mins a slick Cumnor move saw Alex put in a great cross, only to see Nathan's header hit the crossbar.  However things had certainly picked up, and the boys were playing with greater desire.  Joseph led from the front and tackled anything that moved, but Irish maintained a threat and the more Cumnor pushed forward the more we were left open to counter attack and balls over the top.  This vulnerability led to another 15 minute spell of conceding 3 goals, and we were 6-0 down.

Given the scoreline, the boys continued to battle hard.  Charlie worked the right flank well with either Harry or Adam, and this helped create a great chance for Adam which was saved by the keeper.  Tom came back on up front and his speed started to open things up and Doddy did well with two free kicks - one a delightful cross that should have been headed in, the second a good shot that the keeper saved.  Close to the end Irish made an mistake and Ben hit a swerving shot that somehow the Irish keeper managed to turn over the bar.  Cumnor were then undone by some tired defending and we conceded 2 more.  8-0 and a chastening experience.

Whilst the result was tough to take, there were some positives.  Rory was his usual solid self, winning many headers and tackling hard.  Joseph and Alex worked very hard against an extremely mobile midfield, Alex having run himself into the ground and being replaced 15 mins from the end. The three HT subs all had an impact, Charlie and Michael defending well and supporting out wide, whilst Finlay is adding some serious endeavour to his undoubted ability.  Overall though, whilst technically the Irish players were a bit better, their desire to win the ball was stronger in spells and this proved costly.

 

Summertown Champions Again

A great day for Cumnor as all three teams all made it to the semi-finals. The truth is, any of the Cumnor teams could have won. We were unbeaten throughout the group stages conceding no more than about 4 goals thanks to the excellent defending and goalkeeping from Lucas, Matt and Harry. The Cumnor Whites v Cumnor Reds semi was a tense affair with both teams unable to create much. Inevitably it went to penalties and for once, Lucky Lay's team didn't win the day with Adam shooting agonisingly wild.

The other semi-final saw Cumnor Blues beat Marston Saints. The key to the win was exceptional closing down of Marston's key player. Cumnor created far more chances will Will coolly slotting the winner.

The final was incredibly close with the Blues eventually winning 2 - 0 after a lovely volley from Will from Ben's deft cross and a great bullish charge from Alex. So congratulations to Lucas, Rory, Charlie, Alex, Ben and Will and commiserations to Harry, Harry, Toby, Michael, Finlay and Tom.

Well done to all, let's go one better than we did last season and win Grove.

Big Day Out Blues

Eventually, the pain will subside a little and we'll recognise certain truths:

1. It was a superb achievement to reach the Oxford Mail Cup Final.
2. The boys adapted well to the different systems we applied on the day.
3. No-one lost heart.
4. Ducklington set the standard for our age group in Oxfordshire.
5. Our time will come.

It was a strange old final. The 4-0 win was deserved but Cumnor played well and created chances especially in the first-half. But Ducklington's discipline, intensity, power, organisation and speed of thought and execution won through. There was little point trying to contain the League champions, we had to attack and an attacking three of Tom, Will and Nathan certainly asked questions. But we just lacked… something. It wasn't heart or desire… it was an ability to match them in the maelstrom in all areas of the pitch. There were some stand out Cumnor cameos: Joseph threw himself into every tackle, Fyn and Tom added pace and power up front, Will produced the outstanding moment of skill to bamboozle two defenders and create a chance, and Harry D made a series of superb saves… including a finger-tipped worldy. But it just wasn't to be.

We left the field bitterly disappointed but with our heads held high. Our challenge next season is to improve on our Cup and League finishes, work hard, push on and fulfil the true potential we have as a squad.

Player of the Week: Will and Harry, great performance on the big stage. Well done.

Cup Final Here We Come

On a beautiful spring day, on a relatively flat pitch, Cumnor showed the dedication and desire required to beat an excellent Kidlington side and make our first ever cup final. Let's repeat that line, our first ever CUP FINAL!

It was close, there were moments when we thought we'd come undone - especially when 2 - 1 up and every single outfield player deciding to charge up the pitch - but we held our nerve and took our chances. Nathan took his goal brilliantly, he had so much to do off the back of Adam's great pass. But he kept his head and gave us the lead. As for the Kidlington goal, nobody could have saved that - not even Harry who made one of the best saves of the season to keep us in the game. The second Cumnor goal was down to some smart work by Ben feeding the elusive Harry S who kept his nerve and bagged the winner.

Well done boys, well done indeed. The defence of Rory, Michael and Fyn looked rock solid. Joseph, Adam and Tom worked tirelessly. Ben and Will were everywhere (often at the same time!) and Finlay, Doddie and Harry did exactly what was asked of them. As did Toby and Charlie. And remember, we did this without Kyle who has been integral to how we want to play. Nathan too, just heroic up there on his own, running til he couldn't run anymore.

Now we've reached the final, let's win it. Let's show Ducklington exactly what Cumnor Minors U14s are all about.

Player of the Week: all of them

Cup Run Continues

A sublime display against a committed Goring side. Our return to The Closes saw Cumnor play a quick-passing, fluid game with four lovely goals including two smart finishes from Nathan and a brace of lovely strikes from Adam and Doddie. It was great to see everyone contributing so let's keep the momentum up and finish the season with a flourish.

Player of the Week: shared between Doddie and Finlay who both showed vision and creativity.

Harwell Heartache

We lost. Badly. Enough said.

Cup Run Goes On

A far more convincing performance form a Cumnor team determined to win the Oxford Mail U14 Cup.
With 15 boys to choose from we were keen to exploit this strength in depth and look at new combinations with Ben, Doddie and Fin playing three across midfield in front of Kyle and Joseph. We started with real fluidity and movement, using the strong wind to our advantage. Nathan threatened in the box and the solid back four of Michael, Fyn, Tom and Rory allowed the midfield five to press on.

We've tried to encourage the boys in training - mainly through playing two-touch football - to think faster and for themselves during play; to anticipate events and when an opening arises, get their shots away early. Ben responded in sublime style hitting a wonderful 25-yarder with his left foot straight into the top corner. He saw the opening for a second but trusted his ability to finish brilliantly from distance. 1 - 0. Doddie - again playing well out wide - put in some lovely corners allowing our aerial threat of Fyn and Tom to go close. We then made the first of our planned changes with key players Will and Adam joining the action. Will announced his arrival by clipping the bar from 30-yards out. Soon however, we were two up with a typically smart Nathan finish from a Fyn effort. 2 - 0.

Rory took a breather after struggling with the after effects of illness allowing Toby to bring his usual resilient self to proceedings. The ball was worked wide to Will who raced into the box, testing the keeper before knocking the rebound home for a fine solo effort. 3 - 0.

In the second-half, playing against the wind, Charlie came on to look after the excellent Oxford City winger. The wind made things difficult for us and the increasingly confident Harry in goal had to be very alert. Despite some strong defending, City got a deserved goal. We could have wobbled but Will took a quick free-kick to Adam who powered into the area before playing a beautifully weighted pass to Nathan for his second. 4 - 1.

Overall, comfortable winners. We could have scored more goals but the City keeper made some superb saves. The middle areas were a bit of a lottery with Kyle and Joseph grafting hard but we were deserved winners and happily took our place in the quarter-finals. We celebrated with delicious chocolate cake to mark Tom's 14th birthday.

Player of the Week: some tough tackling from Toby but pow was Ben for his superb goal and excellent distribution, tackling and awareness.