OCFC 2-1 Witney Utd

So, with the pitch as dry and sandy as it was a quagmire a week ago, the last Senior Cup Quarter-Final was decided on Tuesday night. The team-sheet read as though it might be a meeting of old friends, only Mark McMeeking of the Witney starters had not worn the blue-and-white hoops of City, but there the old-pals act ceased and the match was competitive and well-fought!
A good long throw from Christian Perkins gave the City defence a few headaches in the first minute, and after five minutes a precise corner from Steve Davis was headed just over the bar by Alex Stewart. Harry Burnley cut in from the right flank but the ball was taken off his toes as he lined up a shot and then, twice within the space of a minute, Mark Simms was put through by Nando Perna to get away a shot but from marginally offside positions.
Steve Davis was being well-served on the left and making good use of the ball. One cross just cleared the leap of Paul Tassell and two goal-bound shots were cleared off the line by the massed defence, whilst another saw Anthony Alleyne flash a header just the wrong side of the post.
At the Clubhouse End Stuart Douglas hit a shot just wide, and on the half-hour a shot on the run from a somewhat subdued Lee Keyes had to be pushed behind by Drake with the subsequent corner leading to heavy pressure for some time.
On 35 minutes Tom Butler put in Mark Simms on the City right and he took the ball on to finish well into the far corner.
As half-time approached a City corner led to some head-tennis in the area before Lewis Craker was flagged offside when well placed; and Stuart Douglas again went close with a low shot right on the whistle.

HALF-TIME: City 0-1 Witney

Lee Rendell replaced Harry Burnley at the break with Mark Jones sitting wide on the right and this, with the combination of Rendell and Davis on the left, gave the home side plenty of opportunities for getting crosses into the box. Many seemed to elude attackers, though, or be picked off by the excellent Tassell.
City were certainly coming more into the game, although Witney were breaking quickly, and from one such attack Rob Cruse brought a good save from Drake.
A Lewis Craker header clipped the outside of the post; a rasping shot from Lee Rendell hit the angle of post and bar; and several crosses from the flanks looked promising but were cleared by a solid visitors’ defence. Until the 72nd minute when a curling ball in from the left finally found Alex Stewart in sufficient space and he hooked the bouncing ball high into the top corner past Tassell’s fingertips: a good finish.
Witney responded well and increased the pressure: Keyes was fouled on the edge of the area and Nando Perna came close to restoring the lead from the free-kick, but it was scrambled away, whilst at the other end Rendell almost grabbed the lead for City but was denied by a tremendous save from Tassell.

FULL-TIME: City 1-1 Witney

The first fifteen minutes of extra-time saw a shot by Harper touched round but was otherwise mainly restricted to mid-field.
Harper drew another good fingertip save from Tassell after 106 minutes; and Alex Stewart turned and shot from a Jones centre only to see the ball clip the outside of the post. Then with four minutes remaining another teasing free-kick from Davis looked as though it would probably run behind for a goal-kick but Stewart just chased it down in time and lifted a cross back to where Chris Harper on the edge of the six-yard box, and surrounded by defenders, got his head to the ball first to claim his first City goal since his return from his long-term recuperation.

OXFORD CITY 2-1 WITNEY UNITED.

City: Drake, Durrant, Davis, Avery, Craker, Merritt, Jones, Malone, Stewart, Alleyne (Harper 60), Burnley (Rendell 45)

Witney: Tassell, McMeeking, Border (Maskell 90), McMahon, Perkins, Douglas, Cruse, Keyes, Simms, Perna, Butler.

A good battle that could, for much of the game, have gone either way. City now through to play Ardley in the Semi-Final on a date yet to be arranged.