11th March 2017 - FC Oswestry Town 2 v 1 Carlisle City - And I quote 'Time, time, time, regard it as a crime, the one we should commit, and never regret it' - 3 Black Dwarfs - a punk band I used to promote. Yes, indeed, old Father Time is a crooked old git and due to my crammed and passionate lifestyle I am always juggling this ever ticking element we all fall victim to. The match today was planned, the kick-off time not noted and being 1 hour earlier than deemed we were up against the tick-tocking wall. My wife did her tasks, I did mine, options were considered and we hit the road and took our chance. The match chosen was do-able after a busy morn, and we headed down hoping for an abundance of goals and a highly competitive kick-about. Prior to the game it was chocolate brownie and tea for my good lady and lemon drizzle cake and tea for me - oh yes, yum ruddy yum. As a bonus the year's first Harlequin Ladybird joined us on our lofted seats but I moved him to a safer position to avoid a potential 'squashing' incident.
And so the hallowed hour came and on the emerald 3G baize at The Venue the two competing crews got to the task at hand with Carlisle pushing high up the park and winning the first corner that was swung in with curving pace and surprisingly struck the crossbar. The rebound was dealt with and Oswestry worked up the other end and had a brace of testing shots blocked but which made sure, that after only a few minutes on the clock, the game was truly alive. A booking and a penalty shout added further sizzle to proceedings but no side were actually grabbing the game by the goolies. The footballing surface promised much and Oswestry seemed determined to play on the deck and build slowly and steadily from the back and hopefully work an opening. Their No 2 was a constant release valve and their No 14 was eager and industrious but when the final quarter was entered shy shooting boots manifested themselves and lackadaisical reactions allowed chances to go begging. Threats did come at both ends and when Carlisle's No 10 put in some nifty touchline work and pumped in a cross the final touch was too weak and easily blocked. A Greater Spotted Woodpecker called at this point and distracted my attention as did a fellow scribe and club official who enthused about his footballing duties.
Back to the game and Carlisle now came again, with their No 11 jinking through and producing a quality assist to the No 10 who tapped forth with no conviction and allowed the goalie to pick up the ball and re-assess his teams position. The home chaps should have paid heed to this polite warning but didn't and moments later Carlisle once more had a break which resulted in a swift cross that was connected with by the inside peg of the generously constructed Simon Tucker who was in the right place at the right time and put a real fly in the O's ointment. The town dug in, a low cross nearly brought an own goal when a low defensive header just crept wide of the upright and spared the committed player any blushes. 2 corners followed, shots aplenty ensued but they were easily blocked and the breakaway that came was controversially ruled offside and kept Oswestry still in this one - oh ye lucky buggers. The wind down to half time was a messy affair with a sparsity of fluidity and with no team taking any real risks. As the green caterpillar tunnel metamorphed ready to devour the 22 perspiring players the ref's whistle was imminent but just prior to the final peeps Oswestry hit the post from a free-kick. When the ball bounced out and was knocked forth to the open net it was cleared at the last from off the line and let Carlisle go into the break 1 goal to the good. Phew!
Tea and crisps for half-time and we were soon back at it, hopefully for a better half with impetus and quality rising.
Initially the 2nd period was all Oswestry, with good scampering earning several crosses and a corner that just lacked that finishing gloss. The team were putting themselves about with more focus, direct application and dogmatic desire. The persistent pressure was defied by the Sky Blues and the away team made sure that their opponents worked hard and didn't get too lax at the rear (a bit like a sloth with the shits don't ya know). No matter how hard the O's pushed it just wasn't happening so a triple substitution indicated drastic measures and was a blatant attempt to shake up the scenario. Incredibly, it was Carlisle who came closest again when their goalscorer Tucker showed some tidy feet in the box and released a low shot that was just blocked at the last by an alert mitt-man. The game would surely have been buried as a contest if this would have snuck in but it was not to be and when Oswestry responded with a rapid break that saw the flank raced along, a cross ball slapped in and No 9 (Daniel Tinsley) slap firmly home the game was well and truly back on. Well deserved the goal was too, as the pressure was building and the effort was noticeable.
The dark blue boys now came again with No 14 producing a lovely lob-pass that was just defended and avoided what could have been another major breakthrough. A free-kick followed, the header wayward but it was primarily one way traffic at this point and the next goal looked only moments away. Carlisle were reliant on the odd escape from their own half but threat was limited and the team seemed to be placing more and more emphasis on defensive duties due to their opponents constant surging. With 18 minutes on the clock Oswestry won a free-kick on the edge of the box and when the ball was placed time stood still. The wall organised itself but from our vantage point there seemed to be a flaw in the set up and when Jack Harris stepped up and curved the ball over and around and into the net applause rang out for his vision and perfect placement. More Oswestry pushing followed, a silky move involved No 16 who was a chief playmaker and forced an opportunity that should have been the 3rd strike of the session but the shot was high and we stayed as we were. The same player broke away again, he struck a pearling shot that made the keeper produce an impressive save unlike the No 2 who let fly an equally booming punt moments later but who was just shy of the target and allowed the keeper the luxury of some ball watching. The home birds were certainly a different side now and had a perpetual motion that held obvious promise. The work rate was high, the eagerness commendable and when their No 14 won a ball from nothing and crossed he was mighty unfortunate not to see one of his in-rushing colleagues connect and kill the game stone dead. The minutes now ticked down, at last Carlisle got a footing in the game but their threat was minimal and the game eventually slipped away completely and they were once again left...pointless. Man of the Match today must go to the home team's No 14 (Harrison Millington) who, throughout the game, always seemed to have that little bit of extra time on the ball and persistently displayed a good awareness of his colleagues whereabouts on the pitch. He put in a good stint too and produced many accurate passes in some tight situations.
FINAL THOUGHT - A lovely ground this and up on the balcony a good view of the match was granted. Again a friendly atmosphere and a decent match with two teams looking to see out the season and hopefully progress further next year. For me, Carlisle have a decent defense but just need a bit of pace up front whereas Oswestry are tidy throughout but just need a little more drive when in the final third and to believe in their ability to rattle the net more often than they do. It was a game of two halves today though and on another day the result could be completely different. Only 35 turned up to witness this one but a big up to each and every one of them and I have no doubt crowd's will improve with time as will the whole Oswestry and Carlisle footballing machines - this Fungalised Punker certainly hopes so!.
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