Didcot Town

Posted by ChrisB on February 9, 2008, 10:10 pm

A fantastic early spring day heralded the arrival of the biggest crowd (517) at Court Place Farm for a league match for more than 10 years, with scarves very definitely being worn for effect rather than warmth.
City had a splendid chance to go ahead almost before the stragglers had left the clubhouse. Yashwa Romeo broke speedily onto a Woodruffe pass on the left and managed to keep control of the ball as Didcot keeper Michael Watkins raced out to tackle him outside the area. A pinpoint cross was met by the head of Darren Pond but the ball passed just outside the post with Watkins racing to regain his ground.
The next ten minutes or so saw Didcot taking control of midfield and pushing up onto the City back four. Josh Mulvany’s shot failed to trouble Steve Smith, and a well-crafted move involving Mulvany and Liam Hope ended with Andy Williams needing too long to line up a shot from a very dangerous position around the penalty spot.
Errol Tellemaque was proving lively for City, and a fine cross-field pass found Mark Bell whose cross was headed just too high by Yashwa Romeo.
Mark Avery needed to put in an important chance-stopping clearance from a dangerous cross from Jamie Heapy, but City were coming into the game a little more, though with a large gap developing sometimes between the midfield and the front-runners. George Redknap held the ball up well and fed Romeo, but his snap-shot lacked the necessary power to beat Watkins. Romeo was into action again almost immediately when he chased down a bouncing through pass from Liam Malone but went down with two defenders in close attendance before he could get his shot away. Half-hearted appeals for a penalty were (correctly, I think) rejected by Mr Bird.
Tellemaque again did well to reach Bell with a raking pass, and his low drive across the box just needed a touch to edge City in front: but none came.
Ashley Vine battled well to win a corner for the visitors, but, from the resulting kick Witt failed to hit the target. Heapy surged forward on the Didcot right, but his cross was marginally too high for his target-men.
Tellemaque twice caused problems in the Didcot defence as time ran out. Firstly with a powerful drive across Watkins and beyond the far post; and then with a volleyed shot that Watkins held cleanly.
In the final minute of the half Avery, again, recovered well to break down a Didcot attack at the expense of a corner, which Andy Parrott headed firmly into the stand.

HALF-TIME: City 0-0 Didcot

City started the second period strongly and seemed determined to get forward in greater numbers.
Mark Bell twice within as many minutes nutmegged his marker and put testing balls into the danger area; George Redknap’s cross-cum-shot crept just past the far post; and Mark Avery’s centre saw Watkins needing to use his height and reach to deny Tellemaque.
With the home defence backing away Jack King unleashed a great shot on 55 minutes which looked as though it might break the deadlock, but, with Steve Smith scrambling across his goal, it faded just past his left-hand post. And, in the next attack, a long throw from Witt eventually reached Jack unmarked near the far post, but his header missed the mark.
Just past the hour Didcot made the first substitution of the afternoon, with youngster Michael Hopkins replacing Mulvany, and promptly edged themselves into the lead when a shot from Vine was only partially stopped by Smith diving to his left, and Liam Hope, following up, swept the ball home to the delight of the travelling fans.
City needed to come back quickly from this setback, but the Didcot defence seemed to grow in stature after the goal and the home side, despite the introduction of three pairs of fresh legs over the next ten minutes, made little headway against resolute defending.
As the home side necessarily pushed men forward Didcot were finding more space in which to operate and a second goal looked possible as Odihambo broke clear, but shot wide; Vine tested Smith with a shot that bounced worryingly just in front of Smith; Odihambo chose to shoot unsuccessfully from a very narrow angle with Vine waiting patiently by the penalty spot for a pass; and Jack set up Vine for a shot that was very close to counting.
City worked industriously to fashion a clear chance, but the confident Didcot defence was equal to everything, and the nearest the home side came to restoring parity was a half-chance from a diving header from Pond, and a powerful shot from Bell that was blocked by a lunging defender.

FULL-TIME: Oxford City 0-1 Didcot Town

City: Smith, Saulsbury (Janes 69), Woodruffe (Davis 72), Avery, Pond, Gunn, Bell, Malone, Romeo, Tellemaque, Redknap (Jones 75).

Didcot: Watkins, Heapy, Jack, Williams, Parrott, Witt, Mulvany (Hopkins 61), King, Odihambo (Gooding 86), Vine, Hope.

It was always going to be close and it came as no great surprise that, despite the history of two high scoring games earlier in the year, a single goal separated the teams at the end.
Still there’s plenty of time left in the season and it would be wrong to read too much into this narrow defeat: and if we can’t win the league then a City/Didcot play-off would certainly be a great crowd-puller!
And let’s hope that all those extra fans who were backing the team this afternoon will continue their support for the remaining nine home league matches.