December 26, 2021
Boxing Day saw the meeting of Oxford City and Slough
Town, being considered the local derby in the division for both sides, with the
return fixture being played on New Year’s Day. The distance between the two towns
is about 40 miles.
Since these diaries covered Oxford City’s home match
against Hampton and Richmond Borough in September,
https://fatbearssportingdiaries.blogspot.com/2021/09/oxford-city-1-1-hampton-and-richmond.html
the Hoops went on a run of 6 wins and two draws in 8
games, conceding just one goal in the process to top the table. They did though
crash out of the FA Trophy during this spell, going down 1-4 at home to St
Albans. Subsequently a 1-1 home draw with Chippenham and a 2-4 home loss to
Dorking Wanderers has seen them slip down to third, albeit only one point
behind leaders Dartford. Ex-St Albans striker Joe Iaciofano is their top scorer
with 8 goals, whilst Harvey Bradbury has 5 goals.
Attendances have been booming during this good run with
a cold December evening attracting over 500 from the Dorking game, whereas in
recent seasons 225 would have been decent turnout for such a fixture. Indeed,
today’s attendance of 1,208 was a record for a league match at Court Place
Farm, beaten only by Pre-Season Friendlies against Oxford United.
Tickets for the
match were £12 for adults, £6 for NHS Key Workers and Over 65s, whilst holders of
tickets for the Portsmouth vs Oxford United could watch this match for £3.
Under 18s and Student got in free. However, it was an extra £2 to pay at the
turnstile, and programmes were £3.
Slough started
the season badly. Although they won their first match, a 1-0 home win over
Chelmsford City, they then picked up just two points from the next 7 matches.
However, The Rebels have had a remarkable transformation since, and were on a
run of one defeat in their last 8 matches, with the loss being a 1-3 defeat at
Eastbourne Borough. However, Slough avenged that defeat in the last matched
they played, eliminating Eastbourne from the FA Trophy after a 3-1 home win.
Slough went into
today’s encounter in 13th position in the table, with a 6-4-6
record, and 2-3-3 away from home. Their top scorer is ex Reading and Dundee
United forward/midfielder Adrian Kuhl, who had notched 5 goals so far this
season. Other notable players in their squad are talented ex Reading, Crawley,
Wealdstone and Oxford City ( amongst others ) midfielder Scott Davies, who
these days is perhaps more well known for his public appearances in the media
on his experiences with gambling addiction and the effect it had on his career.
Full-back Freddie Grant had a spell at Oxford City after being released by Oxford
United, playing over 50 matches for the Hoops.
These diaries
reported on a meeting between these two sides in April 2019, when Slough
emerged victorious at Court Place Farm by a 3-1 margin.
https://fatbearssportingdiaries.blogspot.com/2020/01/oxford-city-1-3-slough-att-530.html
Since then
Oxford City won both encounters between the two sides in 2019/20, 2-1 at home
and 1-0 at Arbour Park, but neither matches were played between the sides in
the curtailed 2020/21 season
Bet365.com had
Oxford City 3/4 favourites, with Slough 11/4 outsiders, and the draw at 13/5. It
was 9 degrees at the 1pm kick-off, and the early morning light drizzled had
ceased. The floodlights were on from the beginning.
For some reason
both sides were in their away strips. Oxford City appeared in all green rather
than their traditional blue and white Hoops, whilst Slough wore a kit of grey
shirts and black shorts rather than their usual amber and blue.
The home side
started strongly, with Owusu have a shot partially blocked, enabling Slough keeper
Edegbe to fall onto the ball. Owusu then fed McEachran whose cross was glanced
across goal and wide by Benyon, then Iaciofano wriggled his way into the 6 yard
box but was crowded out at the expense of a corner. From the corner Ashby had a
shot deflected for another corner.
After 10 minutes
of being under pressure, Slough broke quickly with Tyler Goodrham, making his
debut on a one month loan from Oxford United, crossing to the far post where
Worsfold headed meekly over the bar.
The deadlock was
broken in the 13th minute. Slough lost possession on half-way, and McEachran threaded the ball for Joe Iaciofano to go clear and smash a shot
across the face of the corner into the far corner for his 9th league
goal of the season.
The lead only
lasted 6 minutes though. There didn’t appear to be an immediate danger as
Slough had possession on the left-hand side of the field, but the ball was laid
back to Grant who whipped in a terrific cross to the near post and Alfonso Tenkoni’s
bullet header gave Dudzinski no chance. The Slough striker was indeed wearing
the number 10 shirt !
The game then
became end-to-end for the rest of the half. MaEachran produced a lovely defence
splitting ball to give Lewis Coyle a run on goal, but his shot was blocked by
the legs of Edegbe, and the linesman’s flag was raised anyway. A minute later a
teasing low cross from the left was well gathered low down by Edegbe, and then
almost immediately Tenkoni and Worsfold linked up for Slough, with Worsfold shooting
side-footed from the edge of the area but the ball rebounded back from the base
of the post. Worsfold could politely be described as “stocky”, although one wag
in the crowd remarked that had obviously had too much turkey at Christmas.
In the 31st
minute, Slough’s Scott Davies had a shot blocked, and on the counter-attack
Coyle forced a flying one handed safe from the Slough custodian, and although
Benyon was first to the loose ball, he chipped lamely into the Edegbe’s arms with
several team-mates calling for the pass.
The ball was
soon down the other end of the pitch. Slough fizzed a corner across the 6 yard box
but no-one could get onto the end of it, and a minute later, Worsfold played a
great ball in from the left but Tenkoni’s close range effort was superbly blocked
by the City keeper. The sizeable contingent of Slough fans were in good voice.
The light
drizzled reappeared as Benyon broke clear in the 38th minute, but frustratingly
for the home supporters the referee halted play for a head injury to Tenkoni,
who was also in the wars on the stroke of half-time was he was smacked in the
face at close range by a clearance
In-between
these injuries, Oxford City regained the lead with an amazing goal. Slough keeper
Edegbe’s clearance was poor and went straight to Elliot Benyon just inside the
Slough half, who looked up a sent a first time effort over the stranded keeper’s
head and into the top corner.
City probably
just about deserved their 2-1 lead at half-time, but it had been a cracking
half and top-class entertainment.
Slough make a
determined start to the second half, with Kuhl much more prominent than he had
been in the first period, immediately sending a long range shot skidding
narrowly past the post, and then he made a strong run down the right wing
before being flattened by left back Harmon. The free-kick came to nothing
though.
On 50 minutes,
Tenkoni charged down Asare’s attempted clearance, but was unable to capitalise
as centre back Jack Davies made a super sliding tackle to concede a corner.
Oxford City held
firm under the spell of pressure, and with 61 minutes on the clock, McEachran robbed
Hunt of possession close to half-way and Ashby played Iaciofano down the left.
The city forward cut the ball back to Coyle, who was again denied by another
one handed save by Edegbe, and Owusu wildly sent the rebound high over the bar
from 20 yards.
Iaciofano then received
Harmon’s pass and jinked past Hollis, but sliced his shot well wide, before
City added their third in the 72nd minute. McEachran switched the direction
of play with a superb raking cross field pass to Iaciofano who controlled the
ball, drew the covering defender before playing a killer pass for Harmon to
burst into the Slough and fire home for 3-1. City were rampant and Iaciofano
nearly added a fourth a couple of minutes later.
Slough though
grabbed a life-line with 12 minutes remaining. Davies’ free-kick sailed over
Dudzinski to find Tenkoni unmarked at the back post to head into the unguarded
net for his 4th goal in just 7 appearances for The Rebels. The home
side appealed for a foul on their goal-keeper but the goal stood.
With renewed
belief, Slough surged forward in search of the equaliser and with three minutes
remaining they had a golden opportunity. An attempt clearance fell kindly to
Tenkoni inside the Oxford City area but Dudzinski made the potentially
match-winning save to deny the Eton educated 18 year old. When the ball was
recycled, Goodrham’s effort clipped the top of the bar from a tight angle.
Tempers became
frayed as the home team attempted to wind down the clock by the corner flag,
and Grant was shown a yellow card for a brutal assault on Iaciofano, who then
made the most of it. In the final minute of added on time, Slough sent a corner
beyond the far post, where it was headed back across goal, but Dudzinski
bravely gathered.
In the end
Oxford City held on to a hard fought 3-2 win but Slough came close to taking a
point with Dudzinski in the City goal making some outstanding save. It was a
tremendous match which was a credit to both sides.
With this
victory and the Dartford vs Ebbsfleet match being postponed, Oxford City returned
to the top of the National League South table. Slough slipped to 14th.
Oxford City
: Dudzinski – Owusu,
Asare, Davies, Harmon – McEachran, Ashby, Carroll, Coyle ( Potter ) – Benyon,
Iaciofano
Slough Town : Edegbe - Fraser, Hollis, Togwell ( Lawal ), Grant – Goodrham, Kuhl, Davies, Hunt ( Lench ) – Worsfold ( Harris ), Tenkoni
Highlights : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6dwm07EsEY
No comments:
Post a Comment