Burnham

We welcomed Burnham to Court Place Farm this afternoon for the final match of an eventful season that seems to have flown by. The visitors were top of the division after fourteen games but, in the second half of the season, lacked a little consistency and before today’s game had only a mathematical chance of a play-off position remaining.

The visitors adopted the ‘defend in depth and hit them on the break’ approach from the outset and seemed quite prepared to allow the City possession in mid-field.

Certainly City made all the early running and with Michael Lyon looking very lively on the right and Yashwa Romeo relishing a place in the starting line-up, a number of opportunities were created in the first ten minutes. Lyon made great strides down the flank, having nutmegged his marker, but couldn’t pick out a City player with his cross; a neat reverse pass from Darren Pond gave Romeo a chance to get away a strike that flew just wide; a delicate one-two between Romeo and Lyon saw Romeo break away only to halted by a good tackle from Chris Owens; and Romeo became provider as he charged down a clearance on the left and then produced a precise cross which Pond left for a vocal Lyon to have a go, but his first-time attempt flew well wide.

With fifteen minutes gone the visitors had their first real chance when the bounce of a steepling kick from Burnham keeper Max Aneke was misjudged by Andy Gunn and top-scorer Leon Yarnie was denied a clear chance as Mark Avery covered well and conceded a corner. Burnham then went close when James Saulsbury flicked a leg at James Suarez’s shot and Gareth Tucker, between the posts for the injured Steve Smith, had to adjust quickly to hold the ball, and, a minute later, Suarez was off-target from distance.

At the start of the second quarter renewed City pressure raised supporters’ hopes. Romeo’s cross brought an acrobatic strike from George Redknap which was blocked and as he stabbed a foot at the rebound the ball looped to Darren Pond whose header was parried, and then just held, by Aneke – though a raised flag would have ruled out a goal anyway.

As Burnham’s defensive tackling passed the boundary of acceptability City won three free-kicks in quick succession on the right with Jon Gardner’s accurate delivery producing three headers under pressure, two from Gunn and one from Redknap, that passed close to, but outside, the posts.

In the final ten minutes of the session Burnham put the City defence under more concerted pressure than in the previous thirty-five. Tucker needed to be quick off his line to clear from Yarnie, and then got good distance with his punch as Owens lifted a free-kick into the City box. Pond and then Gunn threw their bodies in the way of shots from Suarez and Jordan Dowdican. Andy Gunn recovered well from a stumble to relieve the pressure as Dowdican raced clear; and right on the whistle, Pond headed clear from right under the bar as the flight of Owens’ curling free-kick deceived Tucker.

HALF-TIME: Oxford City 0-0 Burnham

The home side had the better of the exchanges leading up to the hour and Yashwa Romeo’s header from Gardner’s cross came close to edging City ahead. Darren Pond, breaking in from wide on the right, couldn’t quite pick out a blue shirt and the moment passed; and Gunn, arriving late at the far post, just failed to convert Mark Bell’s free-kick.

Michael Lyon lay injured for a while near the sideline after a tussle with Yarnie, and his exit from the match heralded the arrival of substitutes Alex Stewart and Errol Telemaque.

On seventy-five minutes City finally snatched the goal that was to win the game for them. A prodded through ball from midfield was missed by the back-four and Romeo sped onto it, with defenders in hot pursuit and looking accusingly at the assistant referee’s flag. He took a couple of touches, and then shot neatly through Aneke’s legs and into the net.

Almost immediately after the restart Mark Bell wriggled his way close to the goal-line but his shot was beaten behind, and from his corner-kick the ball almost curled straight under the bar, but was clasped by Aneke with Gunn in close attendance.

Burnham sought something from the game and Tucker was well placed to hold a long-range free-kick from Dan Willment. But their best chance came as Pond and Malone both left the ball for the other to allow substitute Daryl Jones to close on goal: but his finish was well wide of the target.
There were no more major alarms for the home side, and the final whistle went with City back in command and good value for a hard-earned victory.

FULL-TIME: Oxford City 1-0 Burnham

City: Tucker, Saulsbury, Woodruffe, Gunn, Pond, Avery, Gardner (Bell 64), Malone, Romeo, Redknap (Stewart 73), Lyon (Telemaque 73).
Burnham: Aneke, Jeffrey, Owens, Bird (Willment T. 56), Canavan, Willment D., Brown, Suarez, Dowdican (Feaver 60), Yarnie, Lewis (Jones 70).

Bridgewater

Bridgwater paid their first ever visit to Court Place Farm on yet another windy afternoon looking for the three points that would keep them in contention for a play-off place. City were, of course, looking for three points to cement their position as one of the home sides in the play-offs: so plenty to play for.

Much of the early play saw both sides, perhaps aware of the implications of a defeat, fairly tentative in their approach, with little or no goalmouth action at either end to bring the fair-sized crowd to life.

Gradually City began to gain the upper hand but the Bridgwater defence, third strongest away from home in the league this season, marked tightly and covered well. Darren Pond took advantage of a momentary hesitation by a Red defender on ten minutes and took the chance for a shot from distance that passed none too far over the bar. Errol Telemaque was finding a little extra room on the right flank and on two or three occasions had promising runs at the defence, the best of which led to a slick one-two with Michael Lyon but the shot was just wide of the post.

City came closest to scoring on twenty minutes when a long centre from Leon Woodruffe, making good ground down the left, was well controlled and held up by Lyon. His pass into Pond’s path was well-timed and his crisp shot had many home supporters already applauding the goal as the ball flashed just the wrong side of Tom Manley’s right-hand post.
Bridgwater seemed content to bide their time, defend in numbers and break when the opportunities, which were not numerous, arose. Nat Pepperell delivered a testing free-kick into the box, but Steve Smith stood his ground well and claimed the ball; and a quick break on the visitors’ left, engineered by Brett Trowbridge and Tom Clarke, led to back-to-back corners that produced difficulties in the box that needed Mark Avery at his coolest to resolve.
Telemaque produced another incisive run for the Blues and only a very timely intervention from Jamie Laird stopped Lyon having a free run on goal from Telemaque’s pass.

The visitors had their best spell as the clock was running down. Chris Young set up a promising run for Pepperell, but the Bridgwater top-scorer was eased off the ball by Avery as he looked set to cut into the box. Pepperell then delivered another testing free-kick but Young, near the penalty spot, directed his header straight into Smith’s hands. But the best chance for the Reds came with two minutes left as Steve Orchard exchanged passes with Trowbridge and then hit a low shot that Smith got down to well by his right-hand post.

HALF-TIME: Oxford City 0-0 Bridgwater Town

Michael Lyon started the second half with a powerful run on the left and again Bridgwater had to thank Laird as he covered well to snuff out the danger.

At the other end Bridgwater were beginning to increase the pressure and Young and Clarke both tried their luck with shots from some distance, but neither troubled Smith. Young then found himself with room to manoeuvre on the right and his firm shot took a slight deflection and slid past the far post for a corner, from which Smith did well though under considerable pressure.

While the visitors were pressing for the lead a long clearance from the City defence eventually led to a throw-in from which James Saulsbury picked out Alex Stewart in the box who worked his way round two tackles, and into a great position, to shoot hard, but waywardly.

The visitors crept in front on 58 minutes when a free-kick close to the touchline on the City right was hit hard and low into the danger area by Nat Pepperell from more than 25 yards, evaded absolutely everybody and nestled in the far corner of the goal. And the same player nearly increased the lead two minutes later when his corner-kick was clutched right beneath the bar by Steve Smith.

City promptly rang the changes with Jon Gardner and Yashwa Romeo replacing Telemaque and Bell, and Romeo was quickly into his stride finding Woodruffe with a well-struck pass to the far angle of the penalty box, and his shot was scrambled away by Martin.

A fine cross-field pass from Liam Malone picked out Lyon’s run and his curling centre was headed just wide by Stewart rising well above the defence.

Pushing forward in search of that equaliser was leaving spaces at the back for Bridgwater to utilise and Smith saved well at Young’s feet as the striker broke through; there were more worries at the back as Young charged down Saulsbury’s clearance and the ball spun to Pepperell who, off-balance, struck his attempt wide; and then Young, in the thick of the action again, set up Ben Kirk for a shot that Smith gathered well.

As the game reached the 80 minute mark Romeo picked out Gardner in the box and his shot was nudged just round the post by a defender, and Lyon did exceptionally well to keep in an over-hit pass and deliver a telling cross, and another well-timed/last-ditch tackle was needed from a defender to whisk the ball off Andy Gunn’s toes as he prepared to shoot.

Entering added time and City threw men forward in a final attempt to claw back a point, but, despite two or three corners and a free-kick or two, Bridgwater’s eleven-man defence kept their nerve and denied the home side any really clear-cut opportunities, and will travel back down the motorway knowing their play-off chances are still very much alive.

For City, slipping to fourth will heighten the realisation that, with only one point covering Fleet, Didcot and themselves, the importance of the last two games of the season has just increased a notch or two.

FULL-TIME: Oxford City 0-1 Bridgwater Town

Oxford City: Smith, Saulsbury, Woodruffe, Gunn, Pond, Avery, Telemaque (Romeo 62), Malone, Stewart (Faulconbridge 72), Lyon, Bell (Gardner 62).

Bridgwater Town: Manley, Price, Laird, Orchard, Martin, Trowbridge, Kirk, Forward, Young (Mackay 80), Clarke (Monks 85), Pepperell (Lamacraft 90).

Hillingdon

Posted by ChrisB on April 2, 2008, 11:01 am

Hillingdon Borough visited Court Place Farm tonight for a match, that if history was any guide, City might have found a tricky hurdle, not having beaten them at home in a league encounter for some time.
City, with a couple of injury-enforced changes, started in energetic fashion with no apparent signs of any hangover from Saturday’s late disappointment against Fleet and Michael Lyon was into action quickly with some incisive running. Josias Carbon’s deep cross was just too high for Mark Bell rising at the far post, and excellent work by George Redknap won him the ball by the corner flag and Barclay Lawrenson in the Hillingdon goal had to stretch to deny Errol Telemaque from his cross.
The visitors’ first chance came on ten minutes when a misplaced pass in the City midfield allowed Leon Nelson time to release Sam Byfield on the left wing whose cross was not far from Blaise O’Brien arriving at the back post.
City, though, were playing tidy football and limiting the opposition with their single front-man to relatively few chances.
Telemaque struck a firm shot just wide of Lawrenson’s post; sharp interpassing between Bell and Redknap produced a cross that Telemaque almost got his head to; Bell worked hard to get himself in a good position but took, perhaps, one too many touches, and then had the ball plucked off his head by the hard-worked and reliable Lawrenson as Telemaque’s centre tested the defense.
Lawrence had a free-kick in a promising position for Hillingdon and found Mark Kirby alone near the penalty spot, but the captain’s header was straight at Steve Smith.
Around the half-hour City were pushing forward convincingly. Telemaque’s run took him behind the defence and his delicate pass into Darren Pond’s path was hit hard and low, but well covered by Lawrenson. Then Bell set off on a run on the left that took him through two solid tackles, but, just as he seemed clear, a third reduced his momentum sufficiently for the ball to be scrambled away.
On 32 minutes, however, the home side’s pressure was rewarded when Telemaque’s persistence near the line won City a corner. Mark Bell’s corner was successfully headed clear of the box by Williams and then returned, perhaps rather hopefully, high into the box, where the only person not convinced a goal-kick would be the outcome was Darren Pond who chased the lost cause and somehow hooked the ball back from the goal-line to Andy Gunn fifteen yards out who made no mistake with his finish.
The visitors came very close to cancelling out the lead five minutes later when a piece of persistent running by Nick Salatatas gave him a chance for a shot which Smith just gathered at the second attempt with O’Brien only inches from connecting.
City had more opportunities to extend their advantage in the last ten minutes of the half. Bell worked a good opening, but his shot lacked power; Lawrenson saved well from a Telemaque drive; and Leon Woodruffe’s huge pass into the box found Michael Lyon ghosting in behind the defence but just unable to control the bouncing ball.
Right on time Hillingdon were denied as George Redknap rose the highest to make an important saving header at the expense of a corner as Byfield’s free-kick caused problems in the City goalmouth.

HALF-TIME: Oxford City 1-0 Hillingdon Borough

Though generally having the upper hand, 1-0 is never a particularly comfortable position and City were showing no sign of trying to sit on the lead. Pond’s first-time shot from Telemaque’s pass was off-target and Lawrenson, never long out of the action, was just first to a through pass intended for Bell.
Salatatas’ pass gave Lucas Williams a chance to run at the City defence, but his cross eluded everyone, before a Bell corner kick was headed on by Gunn into a yawning gap, but no City player was available to apply the final touch.
Yashwa Romeo, on for Redknap, fought hard for a ball in a tight position to free Bell whose shot crashed back off the post, and when Pond’s shot was deflected wide it began to look as though City’s luck was out.
With ten minutes left, though, another Bell run was halted by Williams and, having taken a moment or two to convince himself of the whereabouts of the offence, Mr Eaton pointed to the spot. And Alex Stewart did what he does so well and thumped the ball beneath Lawrenson’s dive.
The last passages of play saw Bell strike the post again, and then almost catch out Lawrenson at his near post with a rasping shot from an acute angle; while Romeo nearly made the most of a good pass from new-boy Craig Falconbridge. Meanwhile George Mapes made sure that Steve Smith was kept on his toes at the other end with a solid shot after a long run on goal.

FULL-TIME: Oxford City 2-0 Hillingdon Borough

City: Smith, Carbon, Woodruffe (Falconbridge 84), Gunn, Pond, Avery, Telemaque, Malone, Redknap (Romeo 76), Lyon (Stewart 72), Bell.

Hillingdon

Posted by ChrisB on April 2, 2008, 11:01 am

Hillingdon Borough visited Court Place Farm tonight for a match, that if history was any guide, City might have found a tricky hurdle, not having beaten them at home in a league encounter for some time.

City, with a couple of injury-enforced changes, started in energetic fashion with no apparent signs of any hangover from Saturday’s late disappointment against Fleet and Michael Lyon was into action quickly with some incisive running. Josias Carbon’s deep cross was just too high for Mark Bell rising at the far post, and excellent work by George Redknap won him the ball by the corner flag and Barclay Lawrenson in the Hillingdon goal had to stretch to deny Errol Telemaque from his cross.

The visitors’ first chance came on ten minutes when a misplaced pass in the City midfield allowed Leon Nelson time to release Sam Byfield on the left wing whose cross was not far from Blaise O’Brien arriving at the back post.

City, though, were playing tidy football and limiting the opposition with their single front-man to relatively few chances.

Telemaque struck a firm shot just wide of Lawrenson’s post; sharp interpassing between Bell and Redknap produced a cross that Telemaque almost got his head to; Bell worked hard to get himself in a good position but took, perhaps, one too many touches, and then had the ball plucked off his head by the hard-worked and reliable Lawrenson as Telemaque’s centre tested the defense.

Lawrence had a free-kick in a promising position for Hillingdon and found Mark Kirby alone near the penalty spot, but the captain’s header was straight at Steve Smith.
Around the half-hour City were pushing forward convincingly. Telemaque’s run took him behind the defence and his delicate pass into Darren Pond’s path was hit hard and low, but well covered by Lawrenson. Then Bell set off on a run on the left that took him through two solid tackles, but, just as he seemed clear, a third reduced his momentum sufficiently for the ball to be scrambled away.

On 32 minutes, however, the home side’s pressure was rewarded when Telemaque’s persistence near the line won City a corner. Mark Bell’s corner was successfully headed clear of the box by Williams and then returned, perhaps rather hopefully, high into the box, where the only person not convinced a goal-kick would be the outcome was Darren Pond who chased the lost cause and somehow hooked the ball back from the goal-line to Andy Gunn fifteen yards out who made no mistake with his finish.

The visitors came very close to cancelling out the lead five minutes later when a piece of persistent running by Nick Salatatas gave him a chance for a shot which Smith just gathered at the second attempt with O’Brien only inches from connecting.

City had more opportunities to extend their advantage in the last ten minutes of the half. Bell worked a good opening, but his shot lacked power; Lawrenson saved well from a Telemaque drive; and Leon Woodruffe’s huge pass into the box found Michael Lyon ghosting in behind the defence but just unable to control the bouncing ball.

Right on time Hillingdon were denied as George Redknap rose the highest to make an important saving header at the expense of a corner as Byfield’s free-kick caused problems in the City goalmouth.

HALF-TIME: Oxford City 1-0 Hillingdon Borough

Though generally having the upper hand, 1-0 is never a particularly comfortable position and City were showing no sign of trying to sit on the lead. Pond’s first-time shot from Telemaque’s pass was off-target and Lawrenson, never long out of the action, was just first to a through pass intended for Bell.

Salatatas’ pass gave Lucas Williams a chance to run at the City defence, but his cross eluded everyone, before a Bell corner kick was headed on by Gunn into a yawning gap, but no City player was available to apply the final touch.

Yashwa Romeo, on for Redknap, fought hard for a ball in a tight position to free Bell whose shot crashed back off the post, and when Pond’s shot was deflected wide it began to look as though City’s luck was out.

With ten minutes left, though, another Bell run was halted by Williams and, having taken a moment or two to convince himself of the whereabouts of the offence, Mr Eaton pointed to the spot. And Alex Stewart did what he does so well and thumped the ball beneath Lawrenson’s dive.

The last passages of play saw Bell strike the post again, and then almost catch out Lawrenson at his near post with a rasping shot from an acute angle; while Romeo nearly made the most of a good pass from new-boy Craig Falconbridge. Meanwhile George Mapes made sure that Steve Smith was kept on his toes at the other end with a solid shot after a long run on goal.

FULL-TIME: Oxford City 2-0 Hillingdon Borough

City: Smith, Carbon, Woodruffe (Falconbridge 84), Gunn, Pond, Avery, Telemaque, Malone, Redknap (Romeo 76), Lyon (Stewart 72), Bell.