OXFORD MAIL CUP:  Cumnor Minors U17s 6  Hinksey Park U18s 2

The first Cup game of the season was a home draw against local rivals Hinksey Park U18 - and Harry Tilling's 17th birthday.  That makes an amazing 11 years Harry T has given to this club!   A golden watch perhaps  - no, but a very tasty chocolate assortment at the end.   No Mehmet this week, but  we had twelve, meaning Mark could shuffle the pack.  Lynne has told me I rambled on last time - so I won't get lyrical about the low winter sun bathing the game in a wonderful glow.  Actually I only saw bits of the game as I was filming George for his school exam - so take all that follows with a pinch of salt.   With the return of pocket-rocket Joel up front Dom dropped back into midfield, but otherwise the shape was similar to last game.  The game started with us playing down hill into the prickly hedges.   For once we were the ones out of the trap fast.  A corner in the first couple of minutes and it was one of Harry Tilling's bangers.  Dom rose and rocketed the header past the Hinksey keeper. 1-0.   They looked dangerous particularly down the right wing and were stringing some good moves together, but Cumnor kept their shape.  Then George, industrious as ever, got hold of the ball in midfield and made a driving run into the box, and down he was taken. Penalty - our first for months.  Harry T stepped up and drove it into the bottom left.  Unstoppable - 2-0.   The game continued and it was a tough contest in midfield - with Harry and Jamie combining down the left.  Dom and George were working hard in the centre of the park.   And Joel was drawing a lot of attention up front.  A strong attack and some action in the box and the ball came back to Dom on the edge of the area.  He whipped in a stunning shot into the top left corner bending away from the keeper 3-0.   The scoreline probably was a bit flattering as in the centre of the park it remained even-stevens.   But we have our own Stevens at centre half and he was Captain for the Day.  With Elliot strong and totally committed as his partner not much was getting through.   Harry Thom and Harry C were kept busy with Hinksey's attacks down the wing but held their own and acquitted themselves well, until Denziel (their incredibly speedy winger) made space down the right and whipped in a shot across goal.  Adam parried the shot but into the path of a Hinksey player for a tap-in 3-1.     The half continued very evenly - Osman on the left and Cookie on the right both getting to the ball first and kicking off some great moves.  Their fast winger moved into the centre to keep our defence busy. 

The second half-team talk was all about keeping our calm and discipline and playing football.  The first bit of that sadly seemed to go in one ear and out the other.  As Bob Dylan who won the Nobel Prize for Poetry this week might have sung. 'How many times must a young man be told, to shut up and let his feet do the talking...the answer is blowing in the wind.'   Playing up hill in the second half it felt like it might be a bit of an uphill struggle.   Joel was having an amazing game - chasing down everything.  Speeding past their defence, drawing their defenders, making space.  Given it's panto season, you feel someone should have been shouting out 'He's behind you!'  An attack by Cumnor saw the ball bounce back in the box for Dom coming up from midfield.  With incredibly composure, power and technique (which Oxford United could have benefitted from yesterday against Oldham) he took the ball at height and blasted the ball rising into the top of the net. 4-1. Honestly you needed to be there to see it.  On a chilly day - the temperature on the pitch was rising.  Harry had to come off and take some deep breaths.  And the card was starting to come out - for them and for Jamie for talking back to the ref.  Then there was the incident which we will draw a veil over.  And Cumnor were down to ten men.    There was still most of the half to play and the team would have to dig in.  Which is exactly what they did.  Osman worked his socks off up the left, winning tackles, playing some lovely passes, making a nuisance of himself.  At left back Harry C was doing a great job.  But we were all surprised to see usually law-abiding Harry's name go into the book too for a missed tackle by the corner flag.  Cam and Elliot were putting in some fantastic blocks to keep Hinksey out, making Adam's life easier,.  Adam then pulled off a smart save from a shot down by his feet.   Cookie played some lovely touches down the right.  With just one man up front you'ld have thought it would be hard for Cumnor but Joel was relentless chasing down everything, twisting, turning - massively deserving a goal.   He hit the post but today was not his.   When the next goal came it was another Tilling-Taylor combo and another inch-perfect cross which found Dom's head for 5-1. Captain Cam making some characteristically great tackles made one uncharacteristically mistimed one, for which he too found himself in the book.  Is that the first time ever?  Down the other end Joel made an incredible run got the ball back for Osman to score, but he was felled in the box.  You wait for ages for a penalty to come and then two come along at once.  Harry chipped it in with his right boot!  Only joking -  once again he drilled it in with his left.  Fine penalty.  6-1.  In the Cumnor box, a Hinksey player went down.  The ref gave him a penalty.  Despite a good effort from Adam, it found the bottom corner just out of reach.  6-2.   And that was more or less it.   Ten v eleven for over half an hour and you wouldn't have known.  Great performance to end the year - a good competitive game of football rather marred by bad temper, red mist, a noisy touchline and a flurry of cards.    But hey its nearly Christmas - here's wishing both teams some festive spirit - and perhaps one or two New Year's resolutions to be made.

Man of the match - Special mention to Joel, for amazing skill and tenacity up front, but MoM has to be four goal Dom - for all his hard work in midfield and four goals out of the top drawer. His top drawer, not mine.  Mine's pants.​

Happy Birthday Harry, and Happy Christmas all - Richard

R

n.b Well done to all the boys for giving their all in at times a very difficult game, Happy Christmas to everyone......thanks for all your great efforts and great team spirit throughout, Mark T