Godalming

Posted by ChrisB on March 8, 2008, 8:47 pm

Not for the first time in recent weeks a gusting wind made the high ball something of a lottery and as early as the first minute the visitors benefited as a bouncing ball spun loose to a yellow shirt but Andy Gunn was alive to the problem and made a good saving tackle on Chris Wales.
As City moved into attack they were often faced with line of five across the back of the Godalming defence, and it was Steve Davis who tested keeper Matt Mann first for the home side from a free-kick.
It was Godalming who were getting the better chances in the first quarter, though. Wales pushed a shot wideas the ball fell to him in the area; Mark Avery got in a good block as Graeme Purdy teed up his shot; Steve Smith beat away a well-struck effort from Brahim Elouhmani; and the same player held his head in his hands after an aggressive run at a retreating defence ended with his low drive crashing back into play off Smith’s left-hand post.
City were finding themselves closed down quickly in midfield but at the end of the first quarter Michael Lyon spun well off his marker and slid a pass through to Yashwa Romeo who was fouled on the edge of the box. Steve Davis’ free-kick was parried upwards and onto the bar by Mann and eventually behind for a corner.
The visitors, belying their unremarkable record of only two wins on their travels this season, continued to test the City defence and on the half-hour Elouhmani was again given too much space, but chose to shoot from distance when he might have done better to have taken the ball on further. Five minutes later though Town moved in front when a sliced clearance was returned from the City left to the far post and Purdy’s leap just beat Smith and his header found the far corner of the net.
Godalming had their tails up and twice went close in the next five minutes. Purdy released Elouhmani and just failed to get on the end of the return pass; and then Haddad picked out Elouhmani whose headed pass was struck straight at Smith by James Mariner from ten yards.
City gave themselves a lifeline with five minutes of the half remaining when Lyon won a tackle in midfield and Romeo raced onto his pass to finish well with a precise shot across Mann and into the net.
Just as the queue for the bacon rolls was beginning to form Godalming pulled themselves back in front as captain Richard Taylor stole a few yards for a throw-in on City’s left flank and his long throw seemed to catch the home defence flat-footed as Purdy jumped and back-headed the ball over Smith and beneath the bar.
And matters almost got even worse as another projectile from Taylor found Elouhmani in the area and his shot on the turn was only just smothered at the base of the post by Smith.

HALF-TIME: Oxford City 1-2 Godalming Town

A long cross from James Saulsbury gave Lyon a chance soon after the break, but his shot was scrambled away quickly and worked to Elouhmani whose run on goal was stopped at the last moment by a fine tackle from Mark Avery; and Andy Gunn had to time his tackle to perfection five minutes later as Purdy broke through.
Jon Gardner, on in place of Steve Davis for his first game for several weeks, hit a long pass that Lyon controlled well on the run and sprinted on to play the ball in for Romeo by the near post, but his strike span up and was eventually cleared to safety.
Darren Pond battled hard around the top of the Town box and got Mark Bell in to win a corner, and Andy Gunn was only a few inches away at the far post from converting the subsequent cross.
And Gunn was in action at the other end moments later when he and Elouhmani battled for a high, bouncing ball, but, having won the tussle, the striker cleared the stand from close range.
The final ten minutes saw City press hard for an equaliser, but attacks foundered on a very solid and uncompromising defence, and the closest that they came to a breakthrough was from two Gardner free-kicks. The first gave Bell a chance, but his strike cannoned of a defender to safety, and the second found Mann well positioned to save.

FULL-TIME: Oxford City 1-2 Godalming Town

City: Smith, Saulsbury, Woodruffe, Gunn, Pond, Avery, Bell (Carbon 85), Malone (Redknap 70), Romeo, Lyon, Davis (Gardner 60).

City came up against an experienced and well-drilled defence today, and found it difficult to create any really clear-cut opportunities and could probably have no real complaints about the outcome.
An interesting match in prospect on Tuesday in the Senior Cup, before a break of ten days and then three home league games in seven days that could go a long way towards shaping the final appearance of the division.