Oakley 2 vs 6 NW Phantoms

Return game against a team that finished 3rd in Phyl prem. Lovely setting for football despite the arctic conditions before kickoff..

Phantoms were full of endeavour but lacking in football as we struggled to play with any intelligence, giving away possession and losing focus out of possession.

Phantoms scored first. 1 nearly became 2 after a slick move ended with a very good save from keeper. Not keeping the ball puts pressure on the team that eventually resulted in an equaliser for Oakley. Before half time phantoms scored twice more, one from a great corner and one a really good move from midfield, that went right, leading to a cross and an eventual volley at the back post. Oakley were committing a lot of players forward and playing some lovely possession football, but a were open to the counter. 3-1 half time.

Better second half from phantoms. More effort to keep the ball, be a passing option and support. Out of possession we were much improved and setup to intercept as oppo looked to play the switch ball. An exchange of light penalties made it 4-2. Fifth and sixth goals followed, phantoms scoring a header from a corner and specifically the skipper getting his first goal since under 10. In the last few minutes we swapped around, got Owen up front etc, but the game fizzled out. Oakley are a really good team in possession, so any ball watching or poor shape was exposed by them. Enjoyable to play in a friendly environment against a nice team.