January 15, 2022
Since these diaries
reported on Oxford City’s Boxing Day win over Slough, which took them to the
top of the National League One South table, they have played two further
matches, drawing the return fixture with Slough on New Year’s Day before
slumping to a 0-2 home loss to mid-table Eastbourne Borough. They now sat 4th
in the table.
With just one win in
their previous 5 matches, the visit of bottom of the table Billericay looked on
paper a good opportunity to get back to winning ways. However, despite a 2-5-13
record, Billericay had drawn 4 of their last 5 matches ( Maidstone H 1-1, Concord
A 0-0, Ebbsfleet A 0-0 & Chelmsford H 0-0 ) and had recently signed several
new players, so could be difficult to overcome. Their two wins came back in
October, when they beat Slough 2-1 at home and by the same score away at
Dulwich Hamlet.
One of the recent
additions to the Billericay squad is 32 year old Josh Wright, who joined the
club in November after his release from Crawley. He has made nearly 400
appearances in the Football League in his career, with Scunthorpe, Millwall,
Leyton Orient, Southend and Gillingham amongst his clubs. Another November
signing was Shaq Coulthirst from Conference Side Boreham Wood, and who has
nearly 150 Football League appearances on his record, including spells for
Southend, Peterborough and Barnet.
Defender Toby Stevenson
joined on loan from Bromley in October and ex-Stevanage striker Femi Akinwande
re-joined in December, having previously been with the club in 2019/20. Keeper
Rhys Lovett was signed in December from Maidenhead, from whom Jake Smile has
joined on loan. Billericay are 26 year old defender Marvel Ekpiteta’s 14th club
in his short career, and is a name I recognise from his time at Hungerford.
The two sides have not
played each other yet this season but in the truncated 2020/21 season Oxford
City won 3-1 at the New Lodge, whilst both matches in 2019/20 were drawn. The
2018/19 season yield 3-2 away wins in both matches.
The visitors faced a
90 mile journey from Essex, around the M25 and along the M40, to get to Court
Place Farm. They are frequently referred to as ‘Ricay, which is probably best
not said in the accent of Eastenders character Bianca ! The town was also made
famous by Ian Drury via his song “Billericay Dickie”.
Between 2016 and 2019,
Billericay were owned by “controversial” entrepreneur Glenn Tamplin who installed
himself as the manager, sacked himself, then reinstated himself, and whose
antics frequently did the rounds on social media, rarely painting the club in a
favourable way. Since Tamplin left and took over Romford instead, Billericay
appear to be on a much calmer footing.
At kick-off the
weather was dry, and the temperature was around 6 degrees but steadily dropping
and it must have been close to freezing by the finish. The start of the match
was lively and Oxford City nearly took the lead in the 3rd minute. George
Harmon’s cross from the left was flicked on by Eliot Benyon and striker Joe
Iaciofano was quickest to the loose ball, but his stabbed effort rolled against
the base of the post and was cleared. A couple of minutes later Owusu’s
stinging shot was parried by ‘Ricay
keeper Lovett and cleared for a throw-in.
For Billericay,
Akinwande caught the eye with a couple of dangerous runs, and the visitors
stunned the home crowd by taking the lead in the 9th minute, when
Coulthirst impressively curled a shot from the left hand side of the penalty
area into the opposite corner of the goal.
Soon after, Oxford
City were awarded a free-kick just outside the Billericay area after Benyon was
fouled, but the free-kick deflected off the wall, and Lovett was able to adjust
and safely gather. At the other end, Ochieng’s long range shot skidded a few
feet wide.
Whilst Billericay’s
front two were causing a number of problems for the Oxford City defence, their
defence were struggling in an open game, with the Billericay bench in
particular being concerned by right back Hinds being dragged out of position,
and not being adequately supported by Ochieng who they felt was pushing too far
forward.
In the 29th
minute Akinwande tumbled to the floor inside the Oxford City penalty area, and
there were loud appeals for a penalty, but the referee waived play on. The
visitors were having a good period of play and the inappropriately named Smile,
who regularly complained to the referee during the match, then shot wide.
It was slightly
against the run of play when Oxford City equalized in the 33rd
minute. Owusu was played in behind the
left-back and his pull-back reached Canice Carroll on the edge of the area, who
sent a delicious shot over keeper Lovett and into the top corner for the second
stunning goal of the match. The Hoops then had a spell of pressure, and
Kyprianou delivered an inviting cross from the left but unfortunately for the
home side there was no-one at the far post for a tap-in.
The third goal of the
match arrived two minutes before the interval. Billericay full back Hinds got
to the byline and his pull back found Akinwande, who was given time and space
to turn and send a low shot across goal giving keeper Dudzinski now chance. The
goal meant Oxford City had conceded at least two goals in their last 5 matches.
At the half-time whistle,
Billericay still led 2-1, but after an entertaining first half it looked likely
that there would be more goals to come.
Oxford City made two
substitutions at the start of the second half, and switched from a 3-5-2
formation to 4-4-2, with Carroll and Ashby moving from midfield to be the centre-backs,
and Kyprianou and Asare becoming the full-backs. These changes looked to have initially
galvanized the home side, as Ashby shot narrowly over the bar and Iaciofano
slid onto Harmon’s left wing cross but was unable to hit the target.
By this stage Billericay
were already engaged in what is now euphemistically termed “game management”
and were slowing down the game at every opportunity, which successfully riled
the home side and its supporters. However, the visitors should have extended
their lead in the 57th minute when after a defensive mistake, the
ball fell kindly to Munns, but his shot from around 12 yards was well saved by
Dudzinski.
The game’s big moment controversy
occurred two minutes later. Harmon found space on the left to send in a cross
and it looked certain that Iaciofano would head home from close range but he
was bundled to the floor. The referee awarded the penalty but after a delay of
at least two minutes as the Billericay players protested and confusion reigned,
eventually the referee changed his mind and awarded a free-kick to Billericay,
presumably for off-side as the linesman then raised his flag !
Smile’s sense of
humour was presumably further tested when he was substituted, and increasingly
it looked like Oxford City were running out of ideas as the flow of play became
fragmented. With 10 minutes remaining, substitute Clark did well to send a
cross beyond the far post but Iaciofano mis-kicked.
With 6 minutes left on
the clock, the linesman intervened to inform the referee of a shirt pull by a
Billericay defender just outside the area, but Ashby’s free-kick was kept out
by Lovett’s spectacular flying save.
5 minutes of added on
time were announced, and City stirred themselves for a big finish. Coyle got to
the by-line to put in a fine cross but Bradbury’s first time shot nearly hit
the corner flag, another low cross was diverted for a corner by an outstretched
defender, the ball bobbled through a number of players to Iaciofano who was
able to turn but his shot was weak and Lovett was able to make an easy save and
then finally, Asare was found at the back-post but placed his header went straight
into the arms of Lovett.
The final whistle was
met with huge cheers from the 50 or so Billericay supporters who had made the
journey to Oxfordshire. Thanks to this victory, Billericay moved off the bottom
of the table, and with only one side being relegated this season, on this
showing they look too good to go down and they possess two forwards who should
score enough goals to move them up the table. Despite this defeat, Oxford City
remained in 4th place
Oxford City : Dudzinski – Azare, Matsuzaka ( Coyle ), Kyprianou –
Owusu ( Clark ), Ashby, Fleet, Carroll, Harmon – Benyon ( Bradbury ), Iaciofano
Billericay Town : Lovett – Hinds, Ekpeteta, Chambers, Stevenson – Ochieng, Munns ( Carvalho ), Wright, Smile ( Graham ) – Coulthirst ( Wabo ), Akinwande
Highlights : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1j_NiRuw_Q
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