August 24, 2024
This weekend saw the fourth round of fixtures in National League North, with Oxford City hosting South Shields, who made the trip from Tyne & Wear to Oxfordshire for probably the longest journey in the division !
Oxford City Latest
After last week’s exciting home draw with Darlington, Oxford City fell to a 0-1 defeat in midweek to Curzon Ashton in Manchester. As a result, they were still without a win in three games and sat in 18th place at the start of the day.
International call-ups for Kai McKenzie-Lyle, Jalen James, Sam Cox ( Guyana ) and Andre Burley ( St Kitts ) for the CONCACAF Nations League early in September has meant City’s League matches against Peterborough Sports and Leamington have been postponed.
South Shields History
South Shields FC were originally founded in 1888 but were reformed in 1974. Known as the Mariners, and sometimes the Sand Dancers, they play at the 4,000 capacity Mariners Park in Jarrow.
Although most of sides in the Northern League have no ambition to move up the non-league pyramid, being content to stay in a regional league with very little travel and decent crowds due to the local nature of most fixtures, South Shields have recently been a notable exception.
The club achieved three consecutive promotions from 2015/16, rising from Division Two of the Northern League to the Northern Premier League Premier Division. They then spent five seasons in the NPL Premier Division, finishing runners up on two occasions, when both times they lost to Warrington Town in the play-offs, and two seasons were cancelled due to Covid, but they won the title in 2022/23 to go up to National League North.
With a reputation for being the best footballing side in the division, South Shields narrowly missed out on a play-off place in 2023/24 as they finished in 8th place, one point behind Curzon Ashton. They were the third best supported side in the league with an average of 2,221, with only Scunthorpe and Hereford having higher averages.
South Shields won the 2016/17 FA Vase, when they beat Cleethorpes Town 4-0 in the final at Wembley, with former Sunderland and Middlesborough Argentinian Julio Arca as their captain.
South Shields This Season
South Shields started the season with a 0-3 thumping at Hereford and then fell to a 1-2 home defeat to Curzon Ashton. Although Will Jenkins equalised in the fourth minute of added time, they conceded a penalty in the 97th minute to lose the match.
However, despite falling behind at home to Warrington in their third match they recovered to record their first victory of the season thanks to goals from Jenkins and Ashton Mee, who is on loan from Stockport County. They started the day two places above Oxford City, in 16th place.
The Mariners squad for this season featured keeper Myles Boney, who played twice for Blackpool and German full-back Jidi Okele, who was on loan from Stockport. Centre-back Tom Broadbent made 80 appearances in the Football League for Bristol Rovers and Swindon whilst fellow central defender Jamie Bramwell was on loan from Gateshead.
Twenty-six year old centre-forward Paul Blackett was the division’s leading goal scorer last season with 30 goals but was still to open his account for this season.
Matchday Information
South Shields’s journey to Oxford was just over 265 miles via the A1(M), M1 and M40, which would normally take close to nearly five hours, so they faced a round trip of potentially ten hours ! Around 60 supporters made the journey to support The Mariners.
Unsurprisingly this was the first meeting between the two sides.
After a morning of heavy rain, the weather had relented by the 15.00 kick-off time and the temperature was 16 degrees, although more rain was forecast for later.
The match was not segregated and the matchday programme was £3.50, and this week, team sheets were available.
Oxford City made one change from their midweek line-up with Corie Andrews replacing Brad Stretton, who was on the bench. South Shields included midfielder Ben Middlemas, who signed on loan during the week from Sunderland and replaced Ben Ward
South Shields took to the field in a kit of yellow shirts, burgundy shorts and yellow socks, with Oxford City’s in their usual blue and white hoops.
Match Report
South Shields seemed content to play the ball around the back in the early stages, but the game suddenly burst into life when Crossley exchanged passes with Blackett to tee up Middlemas to drill across goal into the far corner from the angle of the penalty area as the Oxford City defenders and keeper were dozing. 0-1 after 1 minute
The drama continued as two minutes later, Coyle crossed from the left, and Andrews nipped ahead of Bramwell at the near post to flick the ball with the outside of his foot into the far corner. 1-1 after 3 minutes !
The breathless pace of the game was maintained as Crossley ran onto a long ball from Jenkins, but his fierce cross could only be headed high and wide by Heaney. Ashby’s pass into the South Shields area was then dummied by Fleet who ran onto the return pass from Andrews but his shot across goal was blocked for a corner.
McEachran then tried his luck from 25 yards, but his effort flew a few feet over the South Shields crossbar.
The visitors should have regained the lead in the 12th minute. Hoops full-back Andre Burley allowed a long ball to go over his head expecting it to go out for a throw-in, but Heaney kept the ball in play and ran away from Burley. The low ball across the area evaded Blackett sliding in but found Crossley, who was twice denied by goal-line clearances by Siddik and Jones.
After South Shields had failed to take a great chance, Oxford City did the same three minutes later. South Shields keeper Boney’s dreadful pass out from the back went straight to Andrews, who squared to Parker who eight yards from goal only had the keeper to beat, but unfortunately for the home supporters, his effort lacked power and Boney was able to redeem himself by pushing the shot away.
Blackett was sent on a run down the right-hand channel but a good tackle by Jones ended the danger.
In what would become a recurring feature of the game, a poor clearance from Oxford City keeper McKenzie-Lyle went to Shields’ midfielder Jenkins who was unable to capitalise.
Andrews was looking lively for the hosts, but after a strong run down the left wing, Parker was unable to control his inside pass, and the ball rolled through to the keeper. As Oxford City kept the pressure up, McEachran beat several defenders with a weaving run then his pass to Andrews was played on to Elliott-Wheeler, who step inside Shepherd, but his shot was blocked by the legs of the keeper for a corner.
Heaney found space on the left, but his ball into the area was partially blocked by Burley, and McKenzie-Lyle gathered the loose ball just ahead of Blackett.
McKenzie-Lyle’s dreadful distribution continued when he kicked the ball to Jenkins, but when South Shields worked the ball back to Jenkins, the effort was at the keeper, who made a regulation save.
At the other end, Elliott-Wheeler’s cross was partially cleared only as far as Ashby, but his effort was blocked. A minute later, a delightful back-heel by McEachran gave Ashby another chance, but this time his attempt curled narrowly.
After 34 minutes, a free kick from the left for Oxford City needed a good defensive header from Broadbent to concede a corner before Siddik could head home. The corner from Coyle was over-hit and went off for a goal-kick.
The game’s moment of potential controversy came a minute later. Blackett ran onto a long ball down the right, but Siddik covering, put the ball out of ball for a corner. The home side could only clear as far as Briggs just outside the area, whose first-time effort hit the bar, bounced down and then away to safety a la Geoff Hurst in the 1966 World Cup Final. From 60 yards away it looked to be a goal, but the linesman was not in a good position, and the referee waved play on.
The Hoops then fashioned a nice move when Ashby’s return pass allowed McEachran to run at goal, but under pressure his shot went wide of the near post from 6 yards.
South Shields full-back Okeke then had a cross deflected off for a corner, from which the ball was cleared only as far as Broadbent, whose left-footed attempt was as deflected off for another corner.
With four minutes of the first half remaining, Fleet made a surging run from the half-way line and fed Elliott-Wheeler, whose low cross was put off for a corner. The delivery from Coyle found Jones, but the centre-back was unable to direct his header from 6 yards on target, and the ball went over the bar.
Two minutes later Middlemas released Blackett down the right, but his cross flashed across the face of the goal with no attacker able to get onto the end of it. Crossley then raced clear to shoot across the goalmouth but the flag was raised for off-side, after which Ashby sent a 20 yarder into the side netting for the home side.
As the clock ticked into added time, an extravagant back-heel by McEachran close to the half-way line failed to find Ashby, and South Shields quickly counter attacked, but Crossley’s ball from the left was well held by McKenzie-Lyle.
The half-time whistle blew shortly after to bring an open and entertaining half to an end, in which both sides may have felt they deserved to be leading, but the level scoreline was probably fair.
The clouds darkened during the break and the wind was getting up, and the heavens duly opened as the second half began. Crossley whipped in a right footed cross from the left which Blackett couldn’t get on the end off.
As the rain got even heavier, Blackett was released down the right, and although Siddik was covering, the Shields striker was able to get a shot across the goal and under the keeper's dive to give his side the lead. Frankly, both Siddik and McKenzie-Lyle could have done better to prevent the goal as the shot wasn’t exactly powerful. 1-2 after 49 minutes.
A minute later another shocking clearance from McKenzie-Lyle went off for a South Shields throw. However, The Hoops could have equalised almost immediately as McEachran sent Elliott-Wheeler clear down the right wing, and with Parker and Andrews unmarked in the area waiting for the pass, Elliott-Wheeler surprisingly decided to carry on running towards the South Shields goal, where Broadbent was able to usher the Oxford United loanee off for a goal-kick. It was a huge chance squandered.
The rain had by now eased off a little, but Oxford City were not helping themselves, particularly when Fleet passed to Blackett, who saw McKenzie-Lyle nowhere near his goal, but his 35 yard effort when narrowly wide with the keeper well beaten.
McKenzie-Lyle’s nightmare performance continued with a clearance straight to Jenkins, who fed Blackett into the area only for the ace marksman to shoot wide.
Oxford City were still looking dangerous on the attack and after flowing move involving Ashby, Elliott-Wheeler and Parker, Elliott-Wheeler had two shots from good positions blocked, then a cute chip from Parker from the edge of the area settled onto the top of the net.
Oxford City shot themselves in the foot a few minutes later when Siddik’s poor and unnecessary back-pass put McKenzie-Lyle under pressure, who predictably made a poor clearance. South Shields were able to work the ball to Blackett, and with the City defenders slow to close him down, he sent a fabulous chip into the far top corner of the net from the edge of the area. 1-3 after 62 minutes.
McEachran played a neat pass to put Andrews clear and he was brought down on the edge of the area, but the linesman’s flag was raised for offside. South Shields then saw Blackett find Crossley, who shot inches wide, but again offside was given.
The Hoops brought on Jacob Roddy for Coyle and with a minute he nearly got on to the end of Ashby’s free kick. Ashby’s smart through ball then required Boney to race out of his area to clear ahead of Parker.
South Shields were still looking a threat on the break, and Blackett sent an instinctive cross from the right which found Crossley out 8 yards out, but he could only put the ball over the stand.
The sun was now shining but it was still raining……
McKenzie-Lyle sent another clearance to a South Shields player, this time Briggs, but this time the attack came to nothing.
Oxford City now seemed to have little idea of how to cope with Blackett down the right-hand channel, and again he was put free in acres of space, and this time his low ball across the 6 yard box was met by substitute Rutledge, who unlike Crossley a few minutes earlier, applied a clinical finished. 1-4 after 78 minutes.
Stretton came close for Oxford City in the 82nd minute, but the substitute’s left-footed effort curled a foot or so wide, but Blackett continued to be a menace, and another ball in from the right needed a decent interception from Jones.
McEachran’s mazy run ended in zero end product when the final pass failed to reach Roddy, but the visitors had the chance to go nap when Blackett was sent clear, rounded Mckenzie-Lyle, but mis-kicked so that his shot was trickling wide before Jones put it off for a corner.
South Shield’s substitute Taylor then got to the right by-line, but his pull back was put out by a sliding home defender for a corner. It may have been handball, but the referee gave the benefit of the doubt to the home side.
The only yellow card of the game was shown in the 92nd minute when Briggs needlessly tripped Stretton near the half-way line.
The Hoops continued to huff and pull but to little avail. Carbon was crowded out by Mee and the impressive Broadbent after a dangerous run into the visitor’s area, and Roddy saw a cross from the left athletically caught above his head by keeper Boney.
The last piece of action suitably belonged to the visitors as Blackett broke in the penalty area to fire a low shot, which was unconvincingly saved by Mckenzie-Lyle at his near post.
At the final whistle, South Shields deservedly took the three points after an impressive second half performance. Although the first period was evenly matched, the Mariners looked much the better team in the second period as Blackett became increasingly influential and was by some distance the best player on the park, although there were several South Shields players, such as Broadbent, Crossley and Heaney who also impressed.
Oxford City need to go back to the drawing board and address their obvious weaknesses in defence.
Highlights : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=De_JPmiWPYU
Oxford City : McKenzie-Lyle – Burley, Jones, Siddik ( Kpekawa ) – Elliott-Wheeler ( Carbon ), Fleet, Ashby, McEachran, Coyle ( Roddy ) – Parker, Andrews ( Stretton )
South Shields : Boney - Okeke, Bramwell, Broadbent, Shepherd ( McGowan ) – Middlemas, Jenkins ( Mee ), Briggs – Crossley ( Rutledge ), Blackett, Heaney ( Taylor )
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