Nine men Rovers: Bite worse than their bark

At times, it was difficult to see exactly which team it was that had only the nine men.

Oakley had a lively start but as soon as the only goal of the game was scored, panic seem to set in. Ballingry then laid siege to a goalmouth that, OK, looked like it would ward off all invaders, but from a medical point of view, made extremely hard going on the heart.

The players may have carried out all of the physical exertions but it was the management and fans who looked the worst for wear.

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The game ended with a goal scored by Lee Celantano (surely a front runner in the players' player of the year award) from the penalty spot. A sweetly struck shot which, had it been any more perfectly placed, would have missed. You always like to see it hit the side netting in penalties, it shows the player has a bit of quality, but to do so via the inside of the post was just a little too much of a nerve tingler for my liking.

This game was the preverbial game of two halves. Oakley the first and by a glory mile, Ballingry the second. Oakley did have several close chances in the first, most memorable the superb strike from Mark Conners which must have stung the hands of the visiting keeper.

The first half may have been to the Os but Ballingry seem to adapted the soak up the pressure tactics becaus they caused some problems in the defensive areas when hitting on the break. Ballingry utilized their quick forwards (Smart and Adams) to good effect, using the flacnks at every opportunity. Had it not been for a well disiplined and workman like approach from the ever improving back 5, the result may have turned out different.

some silly back chat and a few niggling fouls saw Ballingry go down to 9 men with still over 30 minutes to play. One may have excused them for laying down and losing a few goals: this was not the case. As if fired up by the loss of their players, Ballingry began to play some clever, ball retention, attacking football. truth be told, the visitors defence held the ball well and seem to, at will, deliver ball after ball, deep into the heart of the Oakley defence. A defence, I may add, which appeared to step further back and back until they were camped almost on top of their keeper.

The pressure of the game, more importantly the point required, merely added to the suspence and nerves began to tingle.

Without a shadow of a doubt, Oakley brought Ballingry onto them. At one stage, every outfield player was in the Oakley half for nearly a minute. This did not kill the spirit that Oakley has steadilly built up over the past few months. It merely strenghthend their resolve and on a few occasions, the Os could have scored a few breakaway goals of their owm.

the game was never going to be a classic - the need for points saw to that, but as a spectacle, the healthy number of fans within the park most certainly got their money's worth.

Memorable appearances on the night came from the constanlty mobile Mark Conners. A player whose confidence has steadily grown throughout the season and as such, so has his abilty, strength and probably most of all, his desire to help his team mates. Brian Ritchie, in the middle of the park, produced another fine display, proving he has settled in and is looking to the future with Oakley.The whole of the defensive lineup yet again, gave the fans a display that must have other Junior teams green with envy. Not only do they work hard for each other, their different skill sets and actions on the pitch compliment one another. One player that has to get a mention; Willie Campbell. This man gives nothing but his all. He could, physically, have given no more by the time he walked off the pitch. Word has it, he was so exhausted after this game, he couldn't speak for 20 minutes...no bad thing some may say, but this merely highlights the commitment and energy he is prepared to put into his football.

MOM. there were a few candidates that could have been selected and no discussion would have been nessasry. The gentleman, however, that won this week's award has, since joining midway through the season, produced an extremely high level of consistancy, for yet another very young player. He has made his position his own and has seen off his more experienced opposite number more times than not. This game was no different. He was up against an established striker and carried out his duties superbly well. He is always willing to join in attacking moves but always remembers, he is there to defend first. For all of these reasons:

Oakley United Man of the Match: Chris Hughes

Blair Wood