December 2, 2023
After these diaries covered the first meeting between these two sides on the August Bank Holiday weekend, which ended in a 0-0 draw, Maidenhead were in 8th place in the National League Table with 8 points from 5 games, whilst Oxford City had just two points and were in 23rd place, or second from bottom.
https://fatbearssportingdiaries.blogspot.com/2023/08/maidenhead-united-0-0-oxford-city-att.html
Since then, Maidenhead embarked on an awful run of 12 matches without a win and at one point had scored just once in 8 games. However, the rot came to an end with three consecutive wins ( vs Eastleigh, Halifax and Solihull Moors ), and with two subsequent draws they were unbeaten in five matches. However, their last game was a 1-1 home draw with York City, who played 70 minutes with 10 men.
The Magpies had risen to 18th in the table but with only 23 goals scored, the second lowest in the division. Midfielder Reece Smith was the leading scorer with 6 goals.
Since Oxford City’s home loss to Barnet, which was covered here, The Hoops beat Woking at home and Ebbsfleet away before losing at York City. Last time out they squandered a 2-0 lead against back-markers Kidderminster Harriers to draw 2-2 and so slipped back down 22nd. However, a win today would take them above Maidenhead.
Oxford City have been decimated by injuries during the season so far, but some of wounded have slowly returned with cameo appearances from the bench so Hoops fans are hoping they will soon be at full strength and able pull away from the bottom of the table.
On-loan Fulham striker Olly Sanderson has been in good form with three goals in the last four matches to move to 8 league goals for the season, but Josh Parker was the side’s table scorer with 9 goals.
Matchday Information
Bet365 made Maidenhead 11/8 favourites, with Oxford City at 13/8 and the draw at 12/5.
The weather at the 15.00 kick-off time was misty and minus 1.5 degrees. The forecast was for blue skies and 1 degree but this didn’t materialise, and at the finish the temperature had dropped to minus 2.5. Unlike other games in the area and around the country, with the 4G pitch at Court Place Farm there was no little of the game being called off due to a frozen pitch.
With the relatively low crowd due to the cold weather and Oxford United playing at home at the same time, there was no segregation for this game.
Maidenhead announced an unchanged line-up from their draw with York City but there were four changes from the side that had faced Oxford City back in August with Clerima, Nathaniel-George, Barratt and Sho-Silva replacing Lokko, Mitchell-Lawson, Adams and Zimba. Sam Barratt had been a substitute for Barnet at Marsh Lane at the end of October but had returned on loan for a second spell with Maidenhead.
Oxford City made two changes from the side that started against Kidderminster, with Moore and McQueen replacing Roberts and Coyle. However, only Burley, Carroll, Moore and Parker had started at Maidenhead.
Maidenhead were in a change kit of what could be best described as patterned sky blue shirts with black shorts, whilst Oxford City were in their usual blue and white hoops.
The excellent Kirsty Dowle had been the referee for the reverse fixture, and another lady, Abigail Byrne, was in charge for today’s game. Perhaps a statistical oddity, but I don’t know if there has ever been both fixtures between two National League sides with women referees in the same season?
Match Report
The home side started brightly and in the first minute Burley’s ball down the right-wing channel put McQueen in space and his low cross reached McEachran who took a touch, but his short from just inside the Maidenhead area was at the keeper, who made a comfortable side.
Maidenhead soon took control though and Beckwith found Smith, who cut back inside, but his shot was blocked for the first corner of the match. In the 6th minute a Maidenhead free-kick was partially headed clear, but only as far as Barratt but his shot was into the ground and bounced over the bar.
Nathaniel-George then made a strong run into the Oxford City area but Carroll blocked his attempt on goal.
The first yellow card of the match was produced in the 11th minute after Petit scythed down McEachran 30 yards from goal, but the free-kick came to nothing.
Two minutes later Beckwith’s cross from the left was headed over the bar by Sho-Silva, and a minute later the same player blazed over the bar from a good position when he really ought to have at least hit the target.
The opening goal of the match arrived in the 18th
minute when Beckwith had the ball on the left-hand side of the area, and his fierce low
ball across the face of the goal sneaked inside the far post. 0-1
It got better for the visitors as they went on to score three times in 8 minutes. Oxford City midfielder Humphrey-Ewers was caught in possession inside his own half by Barratt, who ran clear to steer past keeper Bycroft and severely punish the home side for the mistake. 0-2
Shortly after, a long punt from the edge of the Maidenhead area
by Clerima was missed by Carroll, enabling Smith to run onto and lob Bycroft, who had come
outside of his area, and send the ball into the empty net. 0-3
Trailing by three goals with just over 25 minutes played, at this point it looked like The Hoops best hope was for the increasing fog to get worse and force the game to be abandoned !
Maidenhead came close to increasing their tally but Nathaniel-George had a shot blocked after a good run into the penalty area, and then Barratt had an effort blocked by Moore.
The home side were barely at the races and when McQueen managed to play a ball into the Magpies area from the right, Parker took the ball off McEachran’s toes and although he was able to set-up Smith for a shot from the edge of the area, the effort was blocked.
Maidenhead continued to dominate as the game approached half-time, with Sho-Silva again heading over the bar, before Beckwith intercepted a hopeful cross-field past to charge forward and threaten the City goal, but his shot was high and wide. The last action of the half saw Ferdinand send a left-footed shot narrowly over the bar.
At the interval Maidenhead’s lead could easily have been much greater and the home needed to make some changes if they were to have any change of getting back into the game. Indeed, two changes were made with Reece Fleet and Lewis Coyle being introduced.
Despite their side’s commanding lead, the Maidenhead fans had been quiet but shortly into the second half they started to find their voice.
The Hoops did look a better side following the changes and Coyle fired a long-range effort at keeper Ross who made a regulation save. However, Oxford City continued to make basic mistakes in defence and after Kpekawa carelessly gave the ball away, Barratt saw Bycroft off his line and shot from inside his own half. The back-pedalling keeper was able to dive and claw the ball away for a corner to prevent what would have been a sensational goal. From the in-swinging corner, Clerima should have scored but instead, meekly put his header wide from inside the 6 yard box.
Oxford City continued to fail to learn their lessons and sloppily gave the ball away trying to play out of the right hand side of their defence, and the ball was quickly fed to Barratt, who gleefully swept home left-footed from 18 yards into the bottom corner to make it 0-4 after 60 minutes.
Incredibly a smoke bomb was let-off from behind the goal where the Maidenhead supporters had congregated, forcing the restart to be delayed several minutes as together with the worsening fog, the visibility in that half was now zero. I overhead a Maidenhead fan say that nobody recognised the culprits and a few minutes later some young lads were escorted from the ground, probably some local trouble makers.
When play finally resumed, the home sided reduced the
deficit with the goal of the game. After Fleet’s cross from the left had been
headed away, Humphrey-Ewers flicked the ball over an on-rushing defender and
then sent a 20-yard low shot into the keeper’s bottom left-hand corner. 1-4
The Hoops had 23 minutes left to try and salvage something, and wing-back Williams-Bushell was sent on to replace defender Burley. However, straight away Carroll needed to make an outstanding tackle to prevent Barratt surging towards goal.
The home side though were finally making some impression on the game. Humphrey-Ewers attempt to repeat his glory went high and wide, and then he played a nice pass to find Moore whose control let himself down when clear inside the visitors’ area.
Coyle then made a dangerous run down the right wing, but his cross in the direction of Sanderson was intercepted. Afterwards, Carroll threaded a pin-point pass through the Maidenhead back four but Sanderson’s shot on the turn was blocked.
As a sign of the relatively increasing panic stations in the Maidenhead defence, Clerima under pressure headed past his advancing keeper and off for a corner, which was cleared.
A delightful cross-field ball from Fleece found Moore in space on the left, and the full-back managed to get to the by-line but his cross went straight to the keeper.
At the other-end, man-of-the-match Barratt had another pot-shot but the 20 yarder was at the keeper who made a routine save.
With time running out, Humphrey-Ewers chipped over the square back-line for Coyle to run onto and bring the ball down, but Ross make a brave close range save.
Coyle’ cross from the right then found Moore inside the visitors’ area but a Magpie defender was able to get a foot to the ball, which then deflected off the chest of Moore and over the bar.
With the temperatures continuing to drop, the referee added 5 unwelcome minutes but little of note occured as Maidenhead coasted to an emphatic victory which took them upto 13th in the National League table.
For Oxford City it was a stark reminder of how tough this league is, and gifting three goals to the opposition is not a recipe for staying in the division. They did actually play well in the final half-hour, but by then the result was a foregone conclusion. City probably need to have a re-think on their tactics, in particular their reluctance to play two up front at home, with Josh Parker wasted and ineffective wide on the left. At the risk of stating the obvious, they also need to vastly improve defensively.
Highlights : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B767znaU8PU
Oxford City : Bycroft – Burley ( Williams-Bushell ), Carroll, Kpekawa, Moore – McQuinn ( Coyle ), McEachran, Smith ( Fleet ), Humphrey-Ewers, Parker - Sanderson
Maidenhead United : Ross – Asare, Clerima, De Havilland ( Massey ), Beckwith ( Kinsella ) – Ferdinand, Petit, Nathaniel-George ( Keetch ), Smith – Barratt, Sho-Silva
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