Oxhey Jets 4 Colliers Wood 2

Jets Bounce Back To Blow Woods Away

Oxhey Jets 4 Colliers Wood 2 Cherry Red Combined Counties Division One 21st December 2024 Despite the horrendous north wind blowing, Santa didn’t turn up, but this was definitely not a Christmas Cracker !! Jets are blowing hot and cold, and after the excellent midweek demolition of St Albans City Reserves, Jets went into a slumber mood. By half time, I was wishing I had my old photographic colour testing kits to see if we were red/blue colour blind going by the standard of the passing!! Colliers Wood are on a bad run after five defeats on the bounce but they were up for the fight after their difficult train journey to the Boundary.

Jets were getting chances, and George Rice was opening the defence with his direct runs, but Jets were wasteful, missing the, at times, tap-ins and almost paid the price. However, in goal, young Henry Ford was on hand to block and keep things level.

Good play by Rice again opened up the goal, and the ball was met perfectly by leading scorer Dom Mosca, who beat the keeper 1-0 ( 16 mins).

Straight from the kickoff, the visitors attacked the Jets’ flank, who were not concentrating or ready, and despite Ford’s sliding attempt, the gentle touch to one side left the keeper stranded, and the ball stroked in the net by Jordan Mobil within a minute 1-1 (16 mins).

Weirdly, as the light turned bright orange in a wicked sky, Owen Ayres thought he had finished off a superb move into the net but was denied by the strangest offside flag of the day. In the swirling wind and rain, the rest of the half was best forgotten and, at the break, it remained 1-1.

The second half started as always slow for the Jets, and again, we were caught out on the flank; from the resulting corner, the visitors took the lead with a back post finish by James Curren (49 min), so now this was going to be a big test for off-colour Jets.

The staff were quick to react, and the importance of the bench came to the rescue as three changes upped the tempo; although the passing quality did not improve as the pitch deteriorated, the effort was improving. Then the breakthrough when, after an impressive series of passes, came from the edge of the area as TJ shot and beat the keeper 2-2 ( 61 mins).

Now Jets were on the attack, but the finishing “kill” quality was lacking. Still, long-distance goals are becoming a feature, but with David Lopes missing ill, today it was substitute Malachi Bailey whose high dipper beat the keeper from the touchline 3-1 (75 mins).

The visitors were floored, the body language said that, and excellent graft by Dom Mosca robbed the skipper and keeper, and as he chased the loose ball to slot in the empty net, Elliott Harris nipped in to slot and killed the game 4-2 (90+4).

It was not a classic but points on the table, and no one demonstrated that work rate can earn points on a bad conditions day more than Dom Mosca, who battled and chased and battled some more to earn the solo nomination for the Carlsberg man of the match. It won’t be all good with around thirty matches already played in only eighteen weeks. As our staff builds and adds to the squad to increase depth, it is clear how vital that depth is. Today was visible proof, as the bench and the staff’s reaction to change things won the game. Merry Christmas everyone. With no midweek game, enjoy the festive mini-break; you’ve earned it well.