Behind the Goal Line: Early kick-off, late heartbreak

Twelve-thirty kick-off on a Saturday - because apparently someone thought, “You know what football fans need? Less time to mentally prepare for potential disappointment.” But the sun was shining over Boundary Park, 6,995 souls had gathered (including 500+ brave away fans who made the journey up), and optimism was cautiously bubbling.

Lovely to see Woods back after that knock last week that saw him hobble off at half-time. And get this - Caprice and Charsley warming up! Not match fit yet, but seeing them out there gives you that little flutter of hope that reinforcements are coming. Soon, hopefully. Very soon.

When Your Team Forgets Football Starts at Kick-Off

Right, so apparently someone forgot to tell our lads that the game actually starts when the referee blows his whistle, not when they fancy joining in. Four minutes - FOUR MINUTES - and we’re 1-0 down. I’m still settling into my seat thinking about whether I should’ve grabbed a pie first, and suddenly I’m wondering if this is going to be one of those afternoons where you question all your life choices.

Then, just to really set the tone for the day, they get their second at 19 minutes. At this point, I’m looking around Boundary Park thinking, “Well, this is going to be a long 70 minutes.” You know that sinking feeling when you realize your Saturday afternoon is about to become an exercise in character building rather than celebration.

The Art of Passing (To Nobody In Particular)

Our passing today was… how do I put this diplomatically? Absolute chaos. We were passing the ball alright - just not necessarily to anyone wearing an Oldham shirt. It was like watching a very expensive game of pinball where nobody quite knew where the flippers were.

Aimless passing that seemed to have no destination in mind, followed by the odd moment where two passes actually connected and suddenly you remember, “Oh right, we can actually play football!”

Then magic happened - Josh Quigley at 34 minutes, and suddenly we’re back in this thing! One goal back, positive end to the first half, and that familiar surge of hope that maybe, just maybe, we can turn this around.

Second Half: The Great Disappearance Act

The second half arrived, and so did our greatest trick - making ourselves completely invisible on the football pitch. Second to every ball, like we were all running through treacle while the opposition were on roller skates.

This is where I start getting properly wound up, because we’re not talking about being outclassed by Premier League superstars here. This is League Two, and we should be competing for every single ball like our lives depend on it. We can’t just think we’ll survive in this league - we want to be moving UP it, don’t we?

The Final Ten: Walking It In (Literally)

The last ten minutes perfectly summed up our afternoon. We finally decided to press, to show some urgency, but then proceeded to try and walk the ball into the back of the net like we were practicing passing drills at training. Nobody getting a shot off, everyone wanting that perfect moment instead of just having a go.

Seven minutes of added time - SEVEN! - and we still couldn’t get the ball over the line. At some point, you just have to shoot, don’t you? But no, we’re still trying to thread impossible passes when what we needed was someone to just leather it goalward and see what happens.

The Harsh Reality Check

2-1 defeat at home, and it feels like we’re still desperately crying out for a proper striker. Someone who can put the ball in the back of the net when chances present themselves, rather than trying to walk it in like they’re worried about damaging the goalposts.

What Went Wrong:

- ❌ Asleep for the first 20 minutes

- ❌ Passing to imaginary players

- ❌ Second to every ball in the second half

- ❌ Trying to walk goals in rather than shoot

What Gives Hope:

- ✅ Woods back and looking solid

- ✅ Caprice and Charsley warming up (reinforcements coming!)

- ✅ Quigley’s goal showed we can create chances

- ✅ Nearly 7,000 home supporters still believing

The Bottom Line

Look, I’m not asking for Barcelona-level football here. I’m asking for players who want it more than the opposition, who compete for every ball, and who understand that sometimes you need to shoot rather than pass. We’ve got the crowd, we’ve got Boundary Park looking lovely in the sunshine, and we’ve got players coming back from injury.

What we need now is that killer instinct - the difference between surviving in League Two and pushing for promotion. Because settling for survival is not what any of those 6,995 people came to watch today.

Next week, we go again. But please, lads, let’s start the game when it actually kicks off, not 20 minutes later.

Come On You Blues! 💙

*P.S. - If anyone knows a striker who’s available and likes early kick-offs, Oldham Athletic would like a word…*