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).
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).
posted by Julian at Sunday, April 20, 2008
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