OCFC 4 - 3 Lymington & New Milton

After three matches on the road, three losses and no goals scored, City were back at home for the first ever visit of Lymington & New Milton to Court Place Farm looking to see if they could reverse this disappointing run. There were some new names for the home side in the programme, with Jimmy Griffin, recently signed from Swindon Supermarine, and Steve Davis, who has performed so well in the Youth XI this season, making starting debuts. Mark Janes, also from the Youth XI was on the bench.
The first chance fell to City on nine minutes when a flick on from Kevin Chakaodza found Harry Burnley beyond the far post and his sharp shot was pushed over by Mark Watson. At the other end the visitors' captain Kevin James found himself the recipient of a deflected cross and his shot was well held by Kieron Drake. Debutant Davis then had a good run into the box but shot into the side-netting as the angle narrowed.
City took the lead on thirteen minutes when a good run on the left from Chakaodza set up Malone who put a good pass into the box which was taken well by Alex Stewart who turned and shot through the narrowest gap between keeper and post from close in.
Four minutes later and the home side doubled their advantage as Chakaodza switched wings and delivered an inch-perfect cross as Mark Jones arrived by the penalty spot to power a header over Watson.
The Linnets were stung into action and firstly James drew a good save from Drake and then Sam Lockyer put in a curling cross that was eventually scrambled clear. The visitors had raised the tempo and were having the lion’s share of possession and pressure around the half-hour mark, but the City were the next to score. A run by Chakaodza was brought to an abrupt end by a foul on the edge of the area, Alex Stewart took the kick quickly as the wall was getting itself in position, but Watson managed to scramble the ball behind. The resultant corner was hit long to the far post and, with Watson in a tangle with his defenders, Lewis Craker, as has been so often the case from such positions, got his head to the ball first and City had three after 31 minutes.
The visitors came back again and a well placed free-kick from Saadi was just past the angle of bar and post, while, with half-time approaching, Stewart put in a good shot from a narrow angle that Watson was glad to put behind.
Then, in the last move of the half, Malone was dispossessed in midfield by James Stokoe who ran on to give the Linnets a lifeline.

HALF-TIME: City 3-1 Lymington & New Milton

After a long break James raced through to put the ball in the net but an offside flag had been raised belatedly much to the relief of the City players. Alex Stewart was sent to change his incorrectly coloured ‘undershorts’ (!?) by the referee and was replaced by Anthony Alleyne, and almost immediately Steve Davis shot just too high when put in by Chakaodza.
With nine minutes of the half gone City conceded an unnecessary free-kick wide on their right and Sammy Carter delivered an awkward cross into a crowd of players for Ross Carmichael to score from close range and narrow the gap further.
Lee Rendell had replaced Davis on the left and after 64 minutes he fed Chris Harper who moved the ball on to Anthony Alleyne to strike his shot across the keeper and just inside the left-hand post for his first goal of 2007 ... and he went close again five minutes later, but Watson was down quickly to make the save.
Kevin James was proving a lively attacker for the Linnets and with quarter of an hour to go the defence backed off and allowed him a shot on the run, but it cleared the bar. Two minutes later, though, the same player took advantage of more indecision and took the ball on a few paces before hitting a great shot beyond Drake and into the top corner.
The visitors threw players forward to try to claim a point, and City’s cause was not helped when Mark Avery picked up a second yellow card with five minutes of normal time remaining, but the only point-retrieving chance of any note fell to defender Adam Lang on the edge of the box and his shot comfortably cleared the bar.

FULL-TIME: City 4-3 Lymington & New MIlton

City: Drake, Lane, Avery, Griffin, Craker, Malone, Burnley, Jones, Stewart (Alleyne 48), Chakaodza (Harper 54), Davis (Rendell 60).