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LAUNTON ATHLETIC 1  CUMNOR MINORS 6

27th November 2016

An overcast chilly November day took us to Launton.  First task was to navigate the roadworks and the Bicester Village Christmas-shopping traffic.  We got there to discover it was going to be a squad of just eleven today, with Scott still out and Mehmet and Joel (last games goal-scoring hero) otherwise engaged with their families.  For a moment it looked like it might be 14 v 9 as Dom and Jamie followed the sat-nav and found themselves lost in someone's front garden in a close round somewhere round the back of the village.  Anyway, fortunately they arrived just in time.  Launton looked big and well-drilled in the warm-up.   With no subs - and with Elliott with a dicky stomach suggesting he might need to run off to the loo at any point - this threatened to be a long, tiring afternoon.  A new look line-up had Jamie and Dom leading the line as twin strikers. Would the DNA chemistry work?  As the whistle blew, the big question on everyone's lips was could we - for the first time this season - keep a clean sheet...? .Errr that'll be a no.  Within a couple of minutes of kick-off, Elliot, normally so firm on the ball, gently caressed a back-pass towards Adam with all the force of a snow-flake falling on a lamb's bottom.  It ended up straight in the path of the Launton striker who nutmegged a sprawling Adam, 1-0 to them.  Not the perfect start Mark had asked for.    But then things started to improve.  They were big up front and a handful either side for our new look right back Cookie and left back Harry Collett.   But both stuck to their tasks really well,  and Launton couldn't add to their score.  Going forward Cumnor started to play some great football stroking it about - particularly down the left.   Cumnor won corner after corner - their keeper looked good plucking a couple out of the air, but Harry C was knocking them across and one or two just needed a foot or a head to connect to find the net.   Then down the left Harry picked up the ball - and made a driving run - a beautifully timed give and go with Jamie, and Harry had the space to find a perfect cross.  Dom rose like Giroud with a rocket up his behind to connect with an unstoppable bullet header.  1-1.  It was a thing of beauty - probably goal of the season so far.  Game on.  It was tense and felt it could go either way.  Harry Thomas and George were digging the ball out in midfield and Osman was making himself a nuisance on the right and pulling off some nice touches with Dom.  Behind them Elliot and Cam were solid as ever.  The next goal felt important. And when it came it was Taylor-made.   Dom put in Jamie who was driving in from the left hand corner of the box and he buried a blistering shot low and hard - as opposed to high and soft which has happened before. 2-1.   Now Cumnor were starting to go through the gears.  And in a purple patch of five minutes it all came together.  Dom netted with a beautiful looping header from another Harry Tilling cross.  3-1  I'm told it was a fantastic goal - I missed it trying to shake a ball out of a tree.    Just minutes after and another corner.  Harry C crossed it low and hard and Harry T(illing)  at the front post (there are a lot of Harry's in this team) flicked a clever head that then hit a couple more Launton heads like a pinball before finding the net.  4-1. 

Launton weren't giving up.  They found space in the box.  From a few yards out, their striker pulled the trigger - Adam got low and saved it.  The counter attack was on.   The ball was recycled quickly. Osman pulled off one of his little flicks on for Dom, who unerringly found Jamie again and Jamie - shooting boots on today in a big way - made no mistake.    5-1.

More strong defending from Cookie, Cam, Elliot and Harry C and Cumnor got to half time without conceding again.    The question was could Cumnor keep it tight and panic like headless chickens as they are occasionally inclined to do in the second half.  Our dear leader - sporting a rather fetching new beard - rightly decided not to change the formation.  Back out they went. Launton had pulled some of their stronger players back to deal with the relentless attacks of Harry, Jamie and Dom, but it seemed to blunt their attack a bit.  Harry Tilling and Jamie made some fantastic runs down the left - and there was chance after chance.  Osman nearly got on the end of a Jamie cross,  And Dom and a handful of shots charged down.   Captain Murphy and Harry Thomas were starting to dominate the midfield and spread the ball left and right.  Cookie was having a blinder closing down their left wing.  Nothing was getting past Elliot and Cam.  Harry T swapped positions with Jamie and the attacks continued.  One great move began down the left is worth recording for posterity.  Elliot used his fancy feet to clear the ball down the left to Harry C, who with one touch found Jamie, who passed on to Harry who took it into the box and rifled it over the bar.  From one end to the other in under ten seconds.  But no more goals until Harry played a peach of a ball over to Dom who shot, was saved and brother Jamie was there to net 6-1.    Jamie hit the bar and Cumnor could have had couple more but their substitute goalie kept us out.  Their keeper had injured his hand and came out field making some dangerous runs through midfield.    But so good was the play in front of him that Adam had almost nothing to do but become gently chilled as the half wore on.

The game seemed to go on for hours and Launton to their credit never gave up but finally Reg the Ref brought proceedings to an end.  A great win - a complete team performance.  Everyone working their socks off.  No answering back, no Cumnor yellow cards - just eleven knackered boys. 

Man of the Match:  all eleven musketeers outstanding - but the Dom, Jamie, Harry Tilling trio was special.  And Jamie gets MoM for three goals, an all-round great game, and not going out partying until three in the morning the day before a football game!​

cheers Richard B