Cold and wind of bluster should have made this a home from home for cup giant killers. Instead it was Spicer with sleight of foot that was first to threaten, clean through but beaten back by the keeper. Wade’s pace tantalized for the next 5 or so and O’Connor quickly took up the baton in a vibrant looking middle three.
Proceedings then settled to much more of an even contest with the outstanding Moss pulling off a couple of great saves, one involving a boomerang of a right hook that sent the ball flying off pitchside.
With concern mounting though Cherries took a marginally deserved lead. Elliott’s pinpoint cross to the centre spot left Fletch with the goal at his mercy, a powerful header settling in the bottom corner. Such was the precision of Elliott’s cross there were those of us left thinking “if only Homer were on the pitch to benefit from such service”.
HT: 1-0
So to the second half. Oldham, sensing then smelling the scent of an equaliser pressed forward. Maher was majestic in repelling, albeit that to my eyes he remains too gangly to really hit the heights. Several scares in the home box preceded what appeared to be the entire Oldham forward line contriving to miss from the goal line with Moss stranded. If the wind were a factor then this was blow football at its comedic best.
Cherries replaced the disappointing Stock who had continued his tendency to dwell on the ball against the poorer opposition of the division. He, of the 11, was perhaps the only one seemingly not “up for it”, whatever such term should mean.
On came Browning to settle things down with some midpaced trotting and incisive boots into touch. No, that’s unfair, he did calm things down and freed up the by now on fire O’Connor. A cross from the right, a towering inferno of a head down from the Fletch and Gareth thundered into the bottom corner for 2-0.
And with that Oldham seemed to give up the ghost. The annoying little number 25 only stirring to wind up the crowd with antics of a theatrical nature. Hayter missed out on a deserved goal following in-box trickery but was rewarded moments later when firing in from Cummings’ precisely driven cross.
We were by now looking at a hatful. The only question being which sort of hat it would be. Elliott was defeated by a bobble (hat) when through on goal before the strikeforce was replaced by Homer and Connell. Homer, not one to kick a man when he’s down, marked his first contribution with a gentle header back to the stranded Oldham keeper from 2 yards.
O’Connor smashed in his second in the last minute, the whistle blew and we all filed out reassured that we were back in the topsy part of the Cherries topsy turvy landscape.
O’Connor, closely followed by Hayter (how has he improved so much?) and Maher. Wooden spoon to Network South East. Diverted through engineering works and an additional half hour wait at Woking before arriving in Waterloo after three hours.
AFCB: Moss, Cummings, Howe, Maher, Purches, Elliott, O’Connor, Spicer, Stock (Browning 63), Hayter (Connell 84), Fletcher (Holmes 84).
Subs Not Used: Stewart, Rodrigues.
Jerry Tosswell, SE London