Lingers Lose Out to Oakwood

The game started with a touching display of Remembrance as captain Sam Cockerill laid a wreath of poppies in the centre circle and lead the teams in a minutes silence. The sides also wore poppies on their kits as a mark of respect to those who gave their lives.

Lingfield dominated in the opening stretches and indeed for a lot of the game, and it took less than 10 minutes for Kerran Boylan to tap in the first goal thanks to good work from Romaine Atkinson. Unfortunately, just a few minutes later it was even again as a fast Oakwood counter met the onrushing Daniel Smith, leading to the ball flicking into the air wildly and landing in the back of the home net.

The rest of the half followed a similar pattern with the Lingers enjoying large periods of chances and possession, and the visitors occasionally looking dangerous on the counter. Despite this, just 15 minutes into the second half it was the away side that took the lead, as their number 9 headed in at the near post. You could count the number of genuine Oakwood chances on one hand and yet just moments later they had a third, as Daniel Smith’s scuffed clearance in the wet allowed Oakwood to cross and tap in again.

Insult was added to injury as Christian Londoño, arguably Lingfield’s best creator in the second half had to limp off injured 20 minutes from the end. Oakwood’s confidence swelled and they began to create more and in the fourth minute of extra time the away number 7 (whose presence on the pitch was dubious considering some of the challenges he’d made throughout the game) found himself through. He calmly rolled in the fourth and final goal, leaving the Lingers feeling very hard done by indeed.

By Sam Freebody