April 21, 2024
Oxford City’s first ever season in the National League ended as many people expected with a last placed finish and relegation, having reportedly by far the lowest budget in the division. With Banbury United, Gloucester City and Bishop’s Stortford all being relegated from National League North, and two other “Southern” sides being relegated from the National League, there is a high risk that Oxford City may be heading North rather than South next season.
The Hoops had punched far above the weight to get promotion from National League South, with allegedly one of the lower budgets in that league too. Third place in the regular season gave them a home play-off semi-final against Worthing and first half goals from Zac McEachran and Alfie Potter in front of a record-breaking crowd of 2,017 and the BT Sport cameras took Oxford City to a home play-off final against St Albans City.
Somehow, an incredible 3,100 packed into Court Place Farm, and they and BT Sports viewers were treated to a scintillating first half performance as goals from Reece Fleet, McEachran, Josh Ashby and Josh Parker all but wrapped up promotion by half-time. The final score remained 4-0.
Oxford City were able to hold onto virtually all of the squad that earned promotion, with the only significant departure being striker Klaidi Lolos, who joined League 2 Crawley Town.
The fixture computer wasn’t too kind to Oxford City, with their opening 4 matches being against former Football League clubs. An opening day 2-5 defeat at Aldershot Town brought home the reality of playing at this level as although The Hoops looking capable of scoring, every small defensive mistake was punished.
A close fought encounter at home to Rochdale ended in a 0-1 loss, then title favourites Chesterfield were pushed all the way and only triumphed with a goal in the 87th minute. Late goals conceded were to become a recurring theme as the season progressed.
After zero points from three losses from three games, City’s first point arrived in a welcome draw at Halifax, when Pierre Fonkeu’s equaliser earned a share of the spoils, but City felt aggrieved when Canice Carroll’s late header appeared to cross the line, but the officials were unsighted and failed to award a winning goal.
Another point was earned on the road with a battling 0-0 draw at Maidenhead, which was most notable for striker Olly Sanderson returning on loan from Fulham, and a great performance from referee Kirsty Dowle, who wasn’t fooled by all the play acting and let the game flow to such an extent that the trainers never needed to come onto the pitch.
The Hoops first win of the season then arrived on August Bank Holiday Monday in remarkable circumstances at home to Boreham Wood. After being outplayed for 65 minutes, Nya Kirby, who had been part of the England Under 17 squad that won the 2017 World Cup, drilled home from 20 yards and the floodgates opened as City romped to an unlikely 4-0 victory. The icing on the cake was McEachran scoring less than a minute after coming on for a cameo in his first appearance of the season after illness.
A visit to top of the table Solihull Moors was next, and an opportunist late finish from Josh Ashby gave City a highly respectable 3-3 draw, after which Hartlepool were embarrassed by a 5-2 thumping. Two more draws followed, 0-0 at home to Dagenham & Redbridge and 2-2 at Eastleigh after being 0-2 down, which took the unbeaten run to 7 matches, and mid-table safety of 14th.
Unfortunately, that was as good as it got as the influential Josh Ashby was injured and four consecutive losses followed, two of them 0-4 ( at Oldham and at home to Gateshead ), and another late defeat, 1-2 at the hands of Altrincham was screened by TNT Sports. A comfortable 3-0 win over bottom of the table Fylde though again took the Hoops out of the bottom 4.
Injuries to a small squad were starting to mount up, and three more losses were suffered but a 3-2 win over Woking, and a first away victory, 4-0 at Ebbsfleet took Oxford City out of the relegation places again, and with a run of fixtures against sides around them in the lower region of the division, hopes were high that a few wins could be secured to stay away from the danger zone.
Eight defeats in ten matches against relegation rivals showed this to be wishful thinking as the only points accrued were a 2-2 home draw with Kidderminster Harriers, after being 2-0 up, and a Boxing Day 2-0 win at Dorking Wanderers.
A double was achieved over Ebbsfleet with a 1-0 home win at the end of January, but the only other points in 2024 came from a 0-0 home draw with Southend United, a 2-2 draw at Rochdale, a 1-0 home win over Wealdstone and a 0-0 home draw with Oldham Athletic ( who 30 years earlier had been 9 levels higher than City ! ). Since the win at Ebbsfleet in November, City lost 18 out of 26 matches.
Overall, City won only 33 points from 46 games, and although they found the net 54 times, they let in 94 goals.
Antiguan International Josh Parker was the top scorer with 14 league goals, whilst Olly Sanderson contributed 9 from 23 appearances before being recalled from loan by Fulham.
As an indication of the injuries affecting their squad, plus international call-ups for Josh Parker and Andre Burley, 38 players were used in league games during the season and no-one came close to playing in all 46 league games. Lewis Coyle and Reece Fleet lead the way with 40 appearances, whilst Josh Parker featured in 39 matches, followed by Andre Burley on 37 appearances.
Performances in the Cup competitions were disappointing. A late equaliser was required to obtain a 2-2 draw at National League North Scarborough Athletic in the FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round, but a 2-3 home loss in the replay, after fighting back from 0-2 down only to concede in the 91st minute, meant it was Scarborough who proceeded to meet Forest Green in the First Round Proper.
A dismal display at home to Chelmsford City resulted in a 0-1 loss and an exit at the first hurdle in the FA Trophy.
Further embarrassment followed in the Oxfordshire Senior Cup when a side including 10 players who had featured in National League fixtures lost 1-2 to Thame United, who were bottom of Southern League Division One Central at the time ie three divisions below Oxford City.
Player Performances
Goalkeepers
Chris Haigh – 6 : Re-signed on loan from Ebbsfleet after some solid performances at the end of the 2022/23 season. Started the season the number one keeper until being dropped for new loan signing Bycroft. Mysteriously made just one appearance after Bycroft departed and ended the season playing for Ebbsfleet in the Kent Senior Cup.
Jack Bycroft – 4 : Signed on loan from Southampton and immediately replaced Haigh as the number one keeper. Looked poor on crosses and didn’t always seem comfortable with the ball at his feet, so it was a huge surprise when his loan ended as Southampton sold him to Swindon, where he is their first choice keeper !
Marcin Brozozowski – 5 : Made his debut against Barnet as a stop-gap between Haigh and Bycroft and showed himself to be a decent shot-stopper. Possibly at fault for the two goals against Halifax but made up for it with a string of top saves to keep the score down. Odd that the management failed to show more confidence in him.
Tom Watson – 6 : Signed on loan from Wigan after the departure of Bycroft and the non-selection of Haigh. Made a number of outstanding saves but like Bycroft not the greatest on crosses or playing out from the back.
Defenders
Andre Burley – 7 : Consistently solid on the right-side of the defence and missed when on International duty for St Kitts and Nevis. Scored the winner against Ebbsfleet. One of the candidates for player of the season.
Canice Carroll – 7 : Prone to the occasional clanger but his defensive aerial ability and braveness in putting his body on the line was sorely missed after injury at Woking in early February which ended his season. Score the second equaliser in the fabulous 5-2 win over Hartlepool.
Tafari Moore – 5 : Signed from St Albans City in the summer after playing against The Hoops in the Promotion play-off final. Unavailable from Christmas to mid-March. Showed versatility when selected, capable of playing at right-back, right midfield as well as left-back.
Giles Phillips – 7 : Ex-Wycombe and Aldershot US born centre-back, joined in February from Irish side Waterford. Became a regular starter after the injury to Carroll, and after a slow start became an accomplished member of the defence. Scored in the home debacle against Eastleigh.
Mitchell Roberts – 5 : Joined in early October after being released by Birmingham City and looked very useful on debut at left-back in the comfortable victory over Fylde. Subsequently moved to centre-back, but rarely played after the defeat at Woking in early February.
Jacob Roddy – 6 : Signed on loan from Charlton Athletic in December for one month, which was subsequently extended to the end of the season. Played at left-back, centre-back and left midfield and looked lively going forward. Scored the consolation goal in the 1-7 mauling the threadbare side received at Dagenham & Redbridge.
Midfielders
Josh Ashby – 7 : Was in superb form at the start of the season which coincided with the unbeaten run. Out injured from mid-September to the end of January and was badly missed. Back to his best in the last month of the season.
Lewis Coyle – 6 : Hard working and energetic performances, making up for a slight lack of quality for this level with effort. One of the few players to remain injury free, and scored twice during the season, including a fabulous finish at home to Aldershot. Topped the yellow card table with 13.
Reece Fleet – 7 : Mr Dependable, although without Ashby & McEachran, and even Kirby alongside him in midfield, naturally failed to make as much of an impact going forward than in previous seasons. Was usually the fulcrum for starting the build-up play.
Latrell Humphrey-Ewers – 7 : A revelation ! Loaned out to North Leigh last season, he took his opportunity with all the injuries to first choice midfielders and was often was the standout player. Probably should have scored more than the one goal against Maidenhead.
Nya Kirby – 6 : Signed in the pre-season after being released by Crystal Palace. Was in impressive form early in the season when City were on their good run and his ability to retain possession and his willingness to shoot from distance were ideal for City’s blueprint. Struggled to regain those levels after returning from injury.
Zac McEachran – 5 : Missed the start of the season with a virus and then mostly played as a substitute whilst trying to regain full fitness. Appeared to be getting back to his best before getting injured in December and missed the rest of the season until the second to last game. Still manged to be third highest scorer despite a curtailed season with 4 goals, with the highlight being the goal against Boreham Wood in the closing stages of the match, and less than a minute after coming onto the pitch for his first appearance of the season.
Renny Smith – 5 : Signed in September after having played two seasons in the Austrian Bundesliga for WSG Tirol Innsbruck. Initially played as a forward but didn’t really look the part but was much more effective after being moved back to midfield. Scored the clinching second goal in the 2-0 win at Dorking. Didn’t feature in the last 8 matches of the season.
Aaron Williams-Bushell – 6 : City always looked a better side with AWB on the right-hand side of midfield but he was often left out of the starting line-up for new signings. He made just 17 starts but came off the bench on 14 occasions. Only scored once, at home to York, and probably should have scored more.
Forwards
Pierre Fonkeu – 3 : The Cameroonian scored three times in September but strangely rarely featured thereafter, playing just 5 minutes after the end of October, and ultimately joined Hemel Hempstead on loan late in February.
Harvey Greenslade – 4 : Signed on loan from Bristol Rovers at the start of February. Initially didn’t look ready for this level but worked hard. Improved as the season approached its conclusion and scored three goals and could be useful next season if Rovers agree to loan him out again.
Josh Parker – 7 : The veteran Antiguan was often left to plough a lonely furrow up-front, getting little support from referees as outnumbered and no-nonsense defenders pulled him from pillar to post. Had a short spell wasted on the left wing when Sanderson was played as the sole striker. Despite this still managed to find the back of the net 14 times to be the top scorer.
Alfie Potter – 4 : Was in and out of the side for most of the season, often being an unused substitute. Failed to make an impression at this level.
Olly Sanderson – 7 : Nine goals in 14 starts and 9 appearances from the bench before being recalled by Fulham and sent to Sutton United early in January. His direct, pacy running caused problems for all National League defences and he was sorely missed when he departed. Had he stayed until the end of the season there was a fair chance City might have stayed up.
Other
Harry Birtwistle – Young Singaporean born full-back signed on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers. Showed some promise in his 7 appearances.
Phil Croker – promising youngster drafted in for a full debut in the injury ravaged side that got hammered 1-7 at Dagenham & Rebridge but also made a substitute appearance in the win at Dorking. Made two starts in the Oxfordshire Senior Cup before going out on loan at Bracknell. One for the future.
Alex Fisher – returned on loan from Yeovil, having been a teenage goal scoring hero as an 18 year-old on loan from Oxford United in 2009. It was apparent why a National League South side were prepared to let him go out on loan. Made 3 league appearances without making any impression.
Tom Harrison – rugged, hard working centre-back made 9 league appearances before being allowed to leave and join Truro. Scored in the FA Cup replay against Scarborough.
Brooklyn Kabongolo – had played earlier in the season for Southend United and made an excellent debut in the 0-0 home draw against his former side. In and out of the side after that. 9 appearances.
Cole Kpekawa – 28 day loan signing from Bromley in November and looked a competent centre-back. Played 4 games in which City won two and drew one.
Ernaldo Krasniqi – signed in March after leaving Huddersfield. Had a very good performance in the win over Wealdstone but was in and out of the side. 6 appearances.
Levi Lumeka – pace winger signed in January after leaving French side Troyes. Scored a consolation goal against Eastleigh but wasn’t given a decent run in the side. 6 appearances
Alex McQueen – signed in November after returning from playing in the USA and with 14 caps for Grenada. Scored in the 4-0 win at Ebbsfleet on debut but only made 5 appearances before disappearing.
Lewis Miccio – made 12 starts in the first part of the season, including most of the unbeaten run, before being allowed to join Braintree on a permanent basis.
Charlie O’Connell – defender signed on loan from Peterborough United towards the end of the season and was appalling at left-back against Halifax, but looked a much better player at right-back against Wealdstone. 10 appearances
Claudio Ofusu – made two starts and came off the bench twice in November as a pacy but headless winger, having signed after playing for Hungerford Town last season. Then disappeared, but Transfermrkt shows he is now playing for FK Alfa Modrica in the Bosnian second division.
Rafferty Pedder – made an immediate favourable impression after signing on loan from Queens Park Rangers as an attacking left-sided midfielder. Made just 4 appearances before being recalled by his parent club.
Seydil Toure – Signed on loan from Charlton Athletic at the start of January and looked to be a very promising right-back. Strangely recalled by Charlton after two games but didn’t seem to go anywhere else or play for their first team.
Joe Wilson – signed at the end of the previous season from Ilkeston and made just one start and a handful of appearances from the bench before being shipped out on loan to Bracknell in December. No idea if this has been made permanent or whether Joe will return next season.
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