Oadby v Gedling MW

OADBY TOWN 1-2 GEDLING MINERS WELFARE
Saturday 24th March 2012
East Midlands Counties League
Greene King Park


No report today but photos of the game can be viewed below:

OT v Ellistown

OADBY TOWN 1-0 ELLISTOWN

Saturday 26th November 2011

East Midlands Counties League

Greene King Park

Following four consecutive Saturday's watching other clubs in the East Midlands I am back at GKP for the second in a run of four Saturday home games for the Poachers. After last weeks tough victory against local rival St. Andrews in the FA Vase, Oadby are back in league duty against Ellistown. After Monday's 3rd round draw in the Vase, Tipton Town will be the visitors next Saturday while Bardon Hill come to town the week after. Also pencilled in is another home match against St. Andrews, this time in the 2nd round of the Leicestershire Senior League which will be played this coming Tuesday on the 29th November.


At the start of play Oadby currently find themselves in 5th place in the EMCL but have games in hand over all of the other teams above them. Ellistown meanwhile sit third from bottom but spirits were lifted last week with a 3-1 victory over Nottingham side Radford.

The game was one that Oadby struggled to get going in during the early exchanges and Ellistown belied their lowly position and took the game to their high flying hosts. Both keepers were called into action during the 1st period with Oadby keeper Elliot Shilliam producing three excellent saves from the Ellistown forward line. Matt Piper was the dangerman for Oadby and was a reliable outlet on the left hand side of midfield. Chances side Jon Stevenson had a volley saved at the near post and drilled a shot wide, Michael Reeve dragged a shot wide and Jake Duffy had his chip tipped over. The second half saw Oadby come out with a lot more purpose and vigor and played the game higher up the field, putting pressure on the visitors right from the off. Substitute Callum Ross who came on for Reeve caused numerous problems for the Ellistown defence during the half and had some good chances. It was a case of if not when Oadby would score the opening goal and it duly came eight minutes into the half. A Ross effort was cleared off the line for a corner, and from the resulting kick captain Joe Latham headed home from five yards out at the far post. Despite the game opening up Ellistown caused few problems in the second half for Oadby but they themselves could not find the crucial second goal to kill off their plucky visitors. Towards the end of the game Emit Wann had a shot tipped over and further efforts (created by Piper) from Stevenson and Ross went wide or were blocked.  


Admission: Free for yours truly 
Programme: £1
Attendance: 138 (official)


The win keeps Oadby in touch with games in hand in what is proving to be a very competitive league. In form Anstey Nomads had the result of the day when they record a 3-2 victory @ leaders Heanor Town. 

Hard fought derby in the Vase

OADBY TOWN 1-0 ST. ANDREWS
Saturday 19th November 2011
FA Vase 2nd Round
Greene King Park

After a five week break I am back at GKP for what on paper should be a cracking tie in the FA Vase. Both teams currently sit in the top six in the East Midlands Counties League (EMCL), and they played each other at the end of August with Oadby running out 3-1 winners.

Since I was last here Oadby have had mixed fortunes in three competitions - two wins (v Radford 1-0 and Radcliffe Olympic 5-1) and one defeat (v 2-0 @ Borrowash Victoria) in the EMCL, a 2-1 victory at Lutterworth Athletic in the last round of the Vase and finally a 3-2 defeat at home to Holbrook Sports in the ECML Cup 2nd Round. 

On a personal note before the draw was made I was hoping for an away tie at a ground that I had not previously visited. The options were limited to five due to visiting quite a number of grounds in the Midlands over the years. They five were Bloxwich United AFC, Brocton, Ellesmere Rangers, Norton United and Wisbech Town. Alas it was not to be and this is as good as tie as any. Hopefully with Leicester City not playing until tomorrow this tie might catch the attention of some of their fans looking for their Saturday football fix. Looking at the Vase draw at the start of play there is only one other Leicestershire side still involved in the competition, and they are Bardon Hill who have a tough away tie at Midland Alliance side Tipton Town. One other tie did catch my attention and that was Leverstock Green v Enfield 1893. Why you may ask? Well these two teams played in the 1st round of last years competition and Leverstock won a nine goal thriller with the winning goal coming in the last minute. It was a game that yours truly attended and was the best game I saw last season. Click on the Leverstock Green link on the right hand side of the page for more details.

Since I was last down here Oadby have set up their club shop which is located adjacent to the entrance on the clubhouse side of the ground. They currently have a small range of merchandise for sale which include badges (£3), mugs (£5) and key rings (£2.50) plus several boxes of old programmes. 

The game was like the heading says a hard fought victory for their hosts against their local rivals. Clear cut chances were at a premium but the visitors should have opened the scoring early on, but their #9 shot straight at Oadby keeper Elliot Shilliam's legs. Oadby then felt they should have had a penalty when Michael Reeve went down but the referee waved away their calls. The only goal of the game was came midway through the half and was to be honest the only real bright spark in the game. Jon Stevenson connected sweetly on the volley and it flew past Warren Butlin in the Andrews goal. Matt Piper nearly doubled Oadby's advantage but his free kick was saved by Butlin. At the other end the afore mentioned St. Andrews number 9 headed a corner wide. Just before half time the floodlights went out and the start of the second half was delayed ten minutes while the problem was rectified. Only five of the six sets came back to life but the referee was happy for the game to go on, despite a second of the pitch being in darkness. The second half was again similar to the first with few clear cut chances being created by either side. There were two that fell to Oadby that I can recall - the first from Matt Piper who turned his marker inside out, cut inside but his shot was saved at his near post by Butlin. The second came in stoppage time but having created space for himself in the penalty area Michael Reeve dragged his shot wide. 


Joy and relief at the final whistle and now all eyes will be on the draw for the 3rd round on Monday. These two sides will be sick of the sight of each other shortly as they were paired together in the 2nd round of the Leicestershire Senior Cup, which will be played @ Oadby on Tuesday 29th November with a 7.30pm kick-off.

Admission: Free for me 

Programme: £1

Attendance: 158 (official) - nearer 250

Match rating: 4 out of 10


A final note is that the game was attended by members of the Oadby Owls Under-9's who were mascots for the day. 

Oadby v Heanor

OADBY TOWN 1-2 HEANOR TOWN
Saturday 15th October 2011
East Midlands Counties League
Greene King Park

Again yours truly is down at Oadby for the second consecutive Saturday for this top of the table clash against the free scoring league leaders from Derbyshire. Oadby come into the game unbeaten from their eight games played, while Heanor have won eight on the bounce having lost their opening game. Last Saturday Oadby recorded their biggest league victory of the season when they put five past Graham Street Prims here at Greene King Park. Heanor meanwhile were putting eight past Gedling Miners Welfare and in midweek scored seven against Ellistown. This game was originally scheduled for the last game of the season but had been rearranged due to Barrow Town still being involved in the FA Cup. 

Top 4 at the start of play:
                   Pl W D L For Aga Pts
1. Heanor Town......9 8 0 1  45  17  24
2. Blackwell MW....11 7 1 3  22  17  22
3. St. Andrews.....10 7 0 3  28  12  21
4. OADBY TOWN.......8 6 2 0  24   6  20

To put simply Heanor deservedly took the three points on the balance of play, and at times especially during the first half showed why they are top of the table and without doubt will be the team to beat this season. Oadby in the second half made a game of it and caused Heanor a number of problems - why couldn't they have played like that during the opening forty five minutes? If they had this game could have had a different outcome.

Like stated Heanor were quick out of the blocks and had Oadby on the back foot right from the start. They are a big, quick side that play the game at pace. A succession of corners resulted in the opening goal as it came from a Nico Degirolamo header on 14 minutes. The corner from which the goal came about apparently should have not been awarded but in fact a goal kick should have been given. To be honest yours truly was at the other end of the ground. Heanor continued to cause Oadby all sorts of problems and it was no surprise that they doubled their lead around the half hour mark. The ball was fed to Jake Vernon who smashed the ball past Oadby keeper Danny Hanley to make it 0-2. The whistle to end the half came as a relief to the home supporters and would hopefully give the Oadby the chance to regroup and make a game of it in the second half.

The second half was a more even affair with Steve Fenton forcing Heanor keeper Mark Frost save low at his near post in the opening minutes. Oadby made two early substitutions which saw their two debutants Callum Ross and Jermaine Gordon replaced by Danny Wilson and Andy Tiday. Former Leicester City and Sunderland midfielder Matt Piper got into the game more and had two efforts on goal - the first was deflected for a corner and the second went wide of Frost's upright. Hanley was also kept busy at other end making two or three good saves during the second half as the game ebbed and flowed. With around twenty minutes left Oadby got a way back into the game with the help of the referee as he awarded a penalty for handball. Jon Stevenson stepped up and made it 1-2. Michael Reeves had a couple of close efforts as Oadby pushed for an equaliser. They then should have been awarded another penalty for handball which seemed more clear cut that the first but the referee waved away Oadby's protests. 

In the end it was a fair result, mainly due to the first half performance from Heanor. The referee meanwhile had a shocker and I believe a report / complaint will be going in about him. Oadby do not have to wait long to put this defeat behind them as Nottingham side Radford visit Greene King Park on Tuesday night and make the short trip to Lutterworth Athletic in the FA Vase on Saturday.

The final note goes to the "Oadby Choir" who stand behind the clubhouse goal. They were vocal throughout as per usual and in the second half, instead of the usual "you're shit aaahhh" chants to the opposition keeper it was a case of "your shit baaaaa".

Attendance: 211
Match rating: 3 1/2 out of 5


25 photos taken during game can be viewed below:



Websites:


East Midlands Counties League
Oadby Town
Heanor Town

Prims o'clock

OADBY TOWN 5-0 GRAHAM STREET PRIMS
Saturday 8th October 2011
East Midlands Counties League
Greene King Park

Following on from a disappointing 1-1 draw last Saturday against Ibstock United, Oadby are at home again for the third successive Saturday. For good measure Oadby will be at home again next Saturday as well in a rearranged game against high flying Heanor Town. This is due to Barrow Town still being involved in the FA Cup following their excellent 4-1 win at Northern Premier League side Mickleover Sports last Saturday.

Oadby still remain unbeaten in their 2011/12 league campaign with five wins and two draws from their opening seven games, with both draws coming against Ibstock United. Prims currently occupy 14th place with two wins coming from their ten games played so far. The two teams played each other just three weeks ago with Oadby recording a 3-1 victory at the Prims Asterdale Sports Centre ground in Borrowash.

Oadby warmed up for their top of the table clash against Heanor Town next Saturday with a comfortable victory. Prims started the brightest which was helped with Oadby giving away a few silly and needless free kicks. Only one was in striking range but Matt Freeman put in a few yards over the Oadby goal. Oadby eventually settled and a Jon Stevenson volley was deflected over. From the resulting corner the opening goal game as Harley Hollinshead turned the ball into his own net. Oadby's best spell of the half came either side of the half hour mark, as firstly following excellent work from Stevenson on the right his low cross was put agonisingly wide of the left upright. Then on 31 minutes Stevenson received the ball, ran at the Prims defence and finished well into the far corner. Just six minutes later and it was game over as Oadby scored their third of the afternoon. Steve Fenton played a ball over the Prims defence for Michael Reeves whose touch took it away from keeper Chris Dodlsey and he finished from a yard or two out. 

Jon Stevenson (far right) scoring Oadby's second goal.

HT: 3-0


The second half was a non event as a contest as Oadby did not have to get out of second gear. The home fans did not have to wait long for the fourth goal as it came within six minutes of the restart. Whether he meant it or not but Fenton hit a free kick that went into the top corner despite Dodsley getting a hand to it. It was then a case of how many but a combination of a): good goalkeeping from Dodsley who saved well from Stevenson and Piper and b): appearing to want to walk the ball into the net at time kept the score down. Oadby's 5th and final goal of the afternoon came with three minutes left, when Matt Piper crossed 1st time and found debutant Ash Palfreyman unmarked in the penalty area and he finished well into the bottom corner.
    

Attendance: 110

Match rating: 3 out of 5


A slideshow of photos taken before and during the game can be viewed below:

Oadby v St. Andrews

OADBY TOWN 3–1 ST. ANDREWS

Saturday 27^th August 2011

East Midlands Counties League

Greene King Park

A visit to Oadby Town Football Club was not on my agenda this afternoon at all, actually in fact six weeks ago it was not on my agenda all season!!!! Not because I have no interest in the club but because I was planning to spend the season, like previous ones ground hopping. A couple of weeks ago when driving up to Derby I lost a lot of interest in this hobby of mine and missed the buzz of supporting a club week in week out. This is when I offered my services to run a club shop that Oadby are planning to set up, but would only be on a Saturday due to work commitments.

My interest in Oadby goes back to January 1997 when I first went down to watch them for an FA Vase tie against Tooting & Mitcham United. This game ended in a 2-2 draw after extra time and following this I went to watch them a couple more times during the season. In the summer I wrote to them offering to edit their match day programme and spent three years doing this around the turn of the century. I have always kept in an interest in the team despite not going down much over the past few years, in fact it is just over two years since I last saw a game here, though I did see them twice away from home last season @ Tividale in the FA Cup and Tipton Town for a Midland Alliance encounter.

Last season was probably the worst ever for Oadby on the field as they were relegated for the first time in their seventy four year history and this season find themselves in the East Midlands Counties League. Lee Harriman took over as manager in the summer with Jeff Stocking as his assistant. Oadby have started well this season picking up four points from their opening two league games (5-0 @ Holwell and 1-1@ Ibstock) plus a 6-1 thumping of United Counties League side Northampton Spencer in the FA Cup last Saturday. The reward for the Cup victory is a trip to local rivals Quorn next Saturday in the next round – and yes I will be there.

Today’s game against St. Andrews will be the first time that they have played each other in a competitive match since the 21^st January 2003 when Oadby recorded a 5-3 victory after extra-time in the 2^nd round of the Leicestershire “Westerby” Challenge Cup. The last league games between the two sides were in the 1998/99 season when they were both members of the Leicestershire Senior League (LSL). A 3-3 draw @ St. Andrews on the 3^rd October 1998 was followed by a 2-1 victory for Oadby in the reverse fixture on the 3^rd April 1999. Oadby went on to win the LSL title and gain promotion to the Midland Alliance. Oadby spent twelve years in the Alliance, winning the title at the first attempt finishing ten points ahead of runners-up Stratford Town. The nearest they came to winning a second title came in the 2000/01 and 2002/03 seasons when fourth place finishes was achieved.

Oadby’s ground is located on the B582 Wigston Road and is opposite the Leicester Tigers training ground and in front of Parklands Leisure Centre. Car parking is available inside the ground behind the goal at the Oadby end, while the clubhouse, changing rooms and burger bar all at the other end of the ground. There is only one section of cover at Greene King Park – a 200 seater stand that straddles the half way line on the Wigston Road side of the ground. The ground has gone through various names due to sponsorship over the years. When I first went down in 1998 it was called Invicta Park and this was followed by Events & Leisure Park and Topps Park (named after Topps Tiles) before Bury St. Edmunds brewers Greene King.

Oadby had to work hard for this victory against the early pacesetters and came through with a 3-1 victory. They should have made the perfect start as Michael Reeves was clean through after only twenty odd seconds but the ball ran away from him as he tried to control it. The opening ten minutes saw both sides evenly matched in the middle of the park as either side struggled to gain the upper hand. Following successive corners Oadby took the lead on twelve minutes when the ball was headed back into the penalty area and Reeves finished from close range. Former Leicester City and Sunderland midfielder Matt Piper was a constant threat all afternoon for Oadby and was he who created their second goal on fifteen minutes. Excellent work and cross on the left saw John Stevenson control the ball before finishing into the roof of the net. To be fair the visitors did not let their heads drop and were the better side for a short period leading up to their goal. A free kick on the left found Kris Stevenson unmarked in the penalty area and he headed home from a few yards out. The remainder of the half and the opening exchanges of the second half saw either keeper rarely tested as both sides were well organised in defence, in particular Joe Latham for Oadby giving the Andrews forward line very little all afternoon. The referee did not help matters as he seemed very quick to dish out yellow cards for what appeared to be for very little. I don’t think he took into account the conditions as the game was played in either heavy showers or bright sunshine. Just after the hour mark Oadby put the game to bed by making it 3-1. Stevenson smashed the ball home from fifteen yards out that gave Warren Butlin in the Andrews goal no chance. The final twenty minutes saw Oadby come close to adding to their goal tally on several occasions. The closest the visitors came to scoring in the latter stages came in stoppage time when a free kick was deflected wide.

Man of the match: Matt Piper (Oadby Town)

Overall a good performance from Oadby who remain unbeaten in the early stages of their 2011/12 campaign, and on a personal level I really enjoyed being back seeing old faces and meeting new ones.

Admission: £5

Programme: £1

Attendance: 120

Match rating: 3 out of 5

Greene King IPA: £2.70

Large Hot Dog: £1.80

Some photos of the ground and game taken inbetween the heavy showers can be viewed below: 

Websites:

Oadby Town: official - forum - twitter - facebook

East Midlands Counties League: official - mitoo
Greene King