Struggling Oakwood hit for seven

Oakwood 0 Hailsham Town 7, Southern Combination Football League Division One, Saturday 16^th November 2019

The inclement weather has become something of a recurring theme in this blog over the past five or six weeks.

So, to cut a long (and frankly rather repetitive) story short, it’s still raining. And it’s still playing havoc with my groundhopping plans!

In a rare fit of decisiveness, I'd actually decided fairly on Monday that my match for this weekend would be Roffey vs Mile Oak in the SCFL Division One. After a relatively dry start to the week (especially by recent standards) I was confident that all was looking good for this weekend.

Then, on Friday afternoon, it started raining. Hard.

By Friday evening, Roffey had announced that there would be a pitch inspection at 9am on Saturday morning.
After checking the club’s Twitter feed at 11am whilst coaching at 5Ways Soccer in Brighton, there was still no news. It was obviously one heck of an intense pitch inspection that was taking place!

Unfortunately, the news that I’d feared (and half expected) was not too much longer in coming. The pitch had failed its inspection.

Time for Plan B. Having noted while searching out contingency plans the previous evening (just in case), that Oakwood were also due to be at home, I quickly checked their Twitter feed to discover the status of that match. No news. Thankfully, Oakwood’s opponents for the afternoon, Hailsham Town, had been rather more pro-active on their social media and had confirmed that the game was on.

With no rain scheduled for the afternoon (for once) I was fairly confident that there would be no repeat of last week’s shenanigans in Surrey. I would be heading to Crawley.

I arrived at Oakwood’s Tinsley Lane ground at just after 14:40. Having driven up the aforementioned lane, which seemed to go on for miles, I paid £5 to the man at the gate and then parked in the car park located directly alongside the ground.

Unfortunately, the man explained that there were no programmes this week as the printer was broken. ‘As long as the team’s not as well,’ he joked . ‘We need to start picking up some wins soon.’

Tinsley Lane is a lovely little enclosed ground, surrounded by trees. It has one small covered seated stand and then further terraced covering courtesy of the sizable overhang from the clubhouse. The clubhouse itself is a good, functional size, and the welcome I received was warm and welcoming. What’s more they also serve tea and coffee in a proper mug (Oakwood FC-branded no less). This is always a winner for me – the mug, not the branding.

The pitch also looked in brilliant condition. Particularly given the recent weather. There was never any danger of this game being cancelled.

Oakwood were without a win (or a positive result of any sort) since their first league match of the season back in mid-August. Coincidentally, their opponents that day had been Hailsham in the reverse of this fixture.

With the visiting Stringers also scratching around for form, they had accrued only nine points from their opening eight games, the man on the gate had been hopeful that this would be the game that would finally kick-start Oakwood’s season.

The man on the gate was wrong.

The match was over as a contest with barely 15 minutes played, by which time the visitors were already three goals ahead.

While a lack of game-time (they hadn’t played since 22^nd October) could perhaps be attributed to some extent for the hosts slow start, it should be pointed out that Hailsham had themselves not played since the 26^th October.

There was a clear lack of confidence in the hosts’ play, particularly in the opening period where the defence at times had a centre so soft that the middle of a marshmallow would seem crunchy by comparison. Too often, they lost out on first and second balls, and when Hailsham’s forwards ran at them, incoming tackles were too soft. In short, it was all too easy for Hailsham.

Conner Townsend scored the first of a personal tally four, in the eighth minute, taking advantage of sloppy defending to open the scoring. Just two minutes later, Jack Findon easily got ahead of his marker at a corner to flick home and double the visitors’ advantage.

The hosts who, for all their poor defending, actually proved themselves capable on a few occasions of being able to play some decent football, then spurned a great chance to get back into the game; their number ten somehow heading over when completely unmarked inside the six-yard box. Who knows, had that gone in then maybe the game could have panned out very differently.

As it was, seconds later, the game was effectively over. A great spell of passing football (albeit with no real defensive pressure being applied) ended with Townsend firing home his second and Hailsham’s third.

At this point, my mind flashed back to the last time that I’d seen Hailsham in action. On that day almost exactly a year ago, they’d won 9-0 at home to St Francis Rangers. A repeat of this scoreline – possibly even an improvement – certainly looked to be on the cards. Seriously, the Stringers need to think about getting me a season ticket. I’m obviously their good luck charm!

Although the one-way traffic continued, it took until the 35^th minute for the fourth goal to arrive. Townsend once again ruthlessly dispatching the ball past Oakwood’s increasingly frustrated goalkeeper.

Hailsham were really starting to enjoy themselves now. At one point, centre back Findon went on a marauding run upfield, waltzing past four or five (half) challenges before eventually losing control of the ball. I get the feeling this is a sight not seen too often by the Hailsham faithful.

However, the hosts survived until half-time without leaking any more goals.

At this point, I have to pay credit to the home side's manager. A half-time switch around, and a change in formation to three at the back, had me fearing that the visitors would run amok in the second-half.

Far from it. For the first 20 minutes of the second half, Oakwood were arguably the better side. They looked far more combative and committed than they had in the opening 45, and really took the game to the visitors (who possibly had taken their collective feet of the gas somewhat).

Had it not been for a fine save from the visiting goalkeeper from a free-kick (see video below) they may have found an unlikely way back into the game.

However, when Hailsham scored a fifth in the 65^th minute normal service was promptly resumed. Townsend turned provider this time, lofting the ball into Joey Pout who collected and turned before arrowing a shot into the far corner of the net.

Substitute Callum Holles added a sixth with ten minutes remaining as the hosts twice spurned opportunities to clear the ball, before Townsend notched another with time almost up to complete Oakwood’s misery.

So, it wasn’t quite the nine that I’d seen Hailsham score last season, but it was still a commanding performance from the visitors nevertheless.

On this evidence, it looks like it could be a long, hard season for the Oaks, but there were signs during this match that there is a decent team there somewhere. Confidence is undoubtedly the key, but until they manage put an end to the abysmal run they’re on, confidence is likely to remain elusive.

Enjoyed this blog post? Then you may be interested in reading my kindle book which recounts my 2018/19 groundhopping journey (take a look, it’s only 99p).