Old Wykehamist Football Club

HOME DRAW IS COLD COMFORT FOR HIGH-FLYING WYKEHAMISTS

OWFC 1st XI vs. Old Bradfieldians 1st XI at Fortress Doggers, 22/12/08

Jamie Rann reports.....

After a disappointing result, Premiership managers usually announce that they can ‘take a lot of positives from the game’. But this ain’t the cosy world of prawn sandwiches, WAGs and flashy motors (with the honourable exception of Tooney). This is the harsh reality of the Arthurian League: so… OWFC can take a lot of negatives from this game. 1) A home draw against the bottom club in the league, Bradfield, is two points dropped in the title race. 2) Players pulling out on the day of the match undermines a lot of the preparation that goes into the game. And lateness sucks too. 3) This was a truly ugly game of football: a shortest-day slugfest on a Doggers quagmire. There were more corners than completed passes, more throw-ins than through-balls, plus plenty of head-tennis and mistimed challenges. 4) The Blues looked far from their best, lacking authority at the back and cohesion all over the field.

But this is the season of goodwill, so the carping stops here. There are reasons to be cheerful. 1) This result was not that bad. Bradfield, stung by a four-goal humbling earlier this season, rung the changes for this fixture, and their new line-up showed considerably more pace and endeavour. 2) Although they had plenty of chances, their goals were, respectively, a deflection and off-side. 3) The Blues showed considerable spirit to fight back from one-nil down: Marsh won every header, but less likely giants (Vernon) also won their share in the air, and players in all positions rolled up their sleeves. 4) Bradfield defended OWFC’s aerial bombardment with considerable courage, so it is credit to Wykehamist persistence that Marsh finally converted the umpteenth White corner with a towering header. 5) With sharper refereeing, this could have been a famous victory, with a winner worthy of any stage: a lightning break down the right flank – White to Masefield squares to Sutton GOAL!!! – was reminiscent of Arsenal in their pomp. 6) Keeper Neale showed that his reflexes have not been damaged by his Wakiwaka-enforced lay-off: he produced crucial saves throughout the game, but two beauties in the final five stick in the mind – a finger tip onto the post and a speedy stretch when the striker looked certain to score. 7) Aldenham also drew at home. 8) Mr and Mrs Baker (rolling back the years?) had a baby.

Finally, we must remember that OWFC are top of the league and unbeaten in all competitions, surely one of the best starts in living (i.e. Gordon’s) memory. 2009 promises to be a golden year for the boys in blue.

Result: OWFC 2 (Marsh 60, Sutton 80) : OBFC 2 (small winger 35, offside striker 85)

Neale; Underwood, Toone, Rann, Walters; White, Marsh, Lascelles, Vernon; Masefield, Sutton.

MOTM: Neale, Marsh