April 6, 2024
Today’s Easter Monday afternoon entertainment was the crucial National League North relegation battle between Oxford City and Peterborough Sports, whereby 20th played host to 23rd.
This was a re-match between the two sides, having met in the FA Trophy in November when two minutes after Oxford City had missed a penalty to take the lead, Peterborough Sports scored a late winner to grab a 2-1 victory in a game watched by Fatbear.
https://fatbearssportingdiaries.blogspot.com/2025/11/oxford-city-1-2-peterborough-sports-att.html
Oxford City Update
These diaries last featured Oxford City in mid-February when they fell to a limp 0-2 home defeat at the hands of Marine. However, since then they battled to a 0-0 draw at home to mid-table AFC Telford, and then recorded an important 2-1 victory at King’s Lynn. Another lame 0-2 home defeat followed, this time to Scarborough Athletic, but since then The Hoops were unbeaten in 5 games to move clear of the relegation zone. A 2-2 draw was achieved at Curzon Ashton and Southport were vanquished 3-1 in Lancashire. Chorley ( 2-0 ) and Kidderminster Harriers ( 3-2 ) were beaten at Court Place Farm, then Oxford City came back from Wales on Good Friday with a point after a 1-1 draw at play-off contenders Merthyr Tydfil.
Consequently, Oxford City were now five points clear of the relegation zone with 5 games to play, and 5 or 6 points from their remaining games would probably be enough to avoid the drop. However, they still had to play three of the four sides below them in the table so there was no room for complacency, but today’s game was a huge opportunity to take another step towards safety.
The Hoops had been active in the transfer market. Ex-Oxford United, Bristol Rovers, Bristol City Forest Green Rovers and Cheltenham striker Matty Taylor had signed after taking a job as an academy coach at Oxford United. Taylor had scored nearly 200 goals in just over 600 appearances.
Also joining was 34-year-old striker Ashley Hemmings on loan for the rest of the season from Dagenham & Redbridge. Hemmings had scored 30 goals in NLN last season for Kidderminster Harriers to win the Golden Boot, and according to Wikipedia had scored 141 goals in 575 matches. His former clubs included Wolverhampton Wanderers, Plymouth Argyle, Walsall, Mansfield Town and Boston United, in addition to Kidderminster and Dagenham & Redbridge.
Last week saw the return to Marsh Lane of iconic defender Canice Carroll for his third spell with the club. The Irish centre-back had been a key member of the Hoops side that won promotion to the National League at the end of the 2022/23, and after leaving the club following relegation, he re-joined towards the end of last season to help steer Oxford City away from relegation. Having left again in the summer to join Chippenham Town, Carroll had returned to again help avoid relegation from National League North.
On the debit side, striker Callum McFarlane had been recalled by his parent club, having been on loan from Solihull Moors.
Previous Meetings
As mentioned above, Peterborough Sports won the meeting in the FA Trophy, but the league game at Sport’s Lincoln Road in December was a drab 0-0 draw.
Peterborough Sports did the double over Oxford City last season, winning 2-1 at home and 3-1 at Court Place Farm so The Hoops were yet to beat Sports in the league, but had won an earlier FA Trophy tie, when they won 2-0 in February 2021.
Peterborough Sports Update
Peterborough Sports arrived today second from bottom with a 10-8-24 record and were 8 points adrift of Oxford City having played one game more. Away from home they were 4-2-14. Realistically, Sports needed to win all four of the final games, and then hope 50 points would be enough. They also had a much inferior goal difference to the sides they needed to climb above in the table.
The chances of Sports going on such a winning run looked bleak as they had only won one of the last 14 games, 2-0 at fellow strugglers Alfreton, with 9 defeats and 4 draws. However, clutching at straws, they did have a 2-2 home draw with Kings Lynn on Good Friday.
In between beating Oxford City in the FA Trophy and the start of this disastrous run from the beginning of February, Sports had won 5 and drawn 2 of their 12 league matches and had peaked at 17th in the table. A 0-5 defeat had been suffered in the FA Trophy at National League Scunthorpe United.
Recent signings since the FA Trophy game included ex-Wycombe Wanderers centre-back Anthony Stewart, who featured in these diaries’ first ever report in January 2020 ! Centre-back Ian Kamga was on loan from Watford.
In early March, ex-Hull City manager Phil Brown moved up to become Director of Football, and after being sacked as joint manager in September, former player Colin Gash returned as head coach.
Midfielder Luca Miller was the top scorer with 13 goals, followed by midfielder Max Booth with 7 goals.
Matchday Information
According to AA Route Planner, the journey from Peterborough to Oxford is 88 miles down the A45 and M40 and should normally take around 2 hours. Around 20 Turbine fans gathered behind the goal their side was attacking during the second half, with a handful more dotted around the ground.
Tickets for today’s match were £13 online or £16 at the gate. There were a whole range of reductions depending on ages, from seniors to children.
An online programme was available and a cup of tea cost £2.50.
The weather at the 15.00 kick-off was sunny and 14 degrees.
Bet365 made Oxford City 4/5 favourites, with Peterborough Sports at 27/10 and the draw at 5/2.
The Turbines made just one changes from the side that drew with King’s Lynn with the return of veteran striker and captain Mark Jones replacing Shaq Coulthirst.
Oxford City made three changes to the side that drew at Merthyr with Zac McEachran, DJ Sturridge and Ewan Clark coming into the side with Tom Scott, Jack Bearne and Josh Parker dropping to the bench.
Sports were playing in their usual kit of orange shirts, with black shorts and socks whilst Oxford City were in their usual blue and white hoops.
Match Report :
Peterborough Sports kicked off towards the Clubhouse End, sending the ball into touch for what would have been a 22-metre line-out in Rugby Union.
The early stages were quiet, with Hemmings and O’Shea Ellis showing nice touches for Oxford City whilst Sam McLintock was impressively spraying cross-field passes for Sports.
Miller hit the deck far too easily whilst running towards the home area and the referee waved away appeals for a free-kick and gave a goal-kick to Oxford City.
Oxford City won the first corner of the match in the 5th minute after Sturridge had a shot blocked and the loose ball was scrambled to safety. Centre-back Aaron Harper-Bailey rose the highest but his header went a few feet wide, although the Sports defender on the back post had it covered.
It was then Clark’s turn to go down too easily following a challenge by Stewart after inter-changing passes with McEachran to run down the left-wing.
The first effort on goal arrived in the 14th minute, but Josh Ashby’s lofted 20 yarder was a routine catch to his left for Sports keeper Peter Crook.
Oxford City then enjoyed a spell of possession without putting the visitors under any pressure, although a through pass from McEachran needed a timely interception from right-back Marcel Oakley to prevent Sturridge going clear.
In the 19th minute Peterborough Sports looked threatening for the first time as Booth skipped past Byron Wilson on the left and his pass reached Dan Jarvis just inside the penalty area, but the midfielder was crowded out by the City defence. Sports recycled possession and McLintock threaded a ball between the Oxford City right-back and centre-back, but the marauding left-back Connor Wood saw his low ball cut-out. Wood was played in again but this time his cross was headed clear.
The influential Hemmings released Sturridge to the byline, but the cross was headed high in the air by Kamga, and Ashby fouled Stewart in his effort to get to the bouncing ball.
With 25 minutes played, McLintock tried his luck from long range but his shot bounced through to Oxford City keeper Max Metcalfe, who made a comfortable save.
A couple of flowing moves from the home side were ended by the linesman’s raised flag for offside, before Sports created the best chance of the game so far in the 30th minute. A low 20-yard shot from Jones looked to be creeping into the keeper’s bottom left hand corner, but Metcalfe dived to push the ball away. Kaine Felix pounced onto the loose ball, but Metcalfe was able to recover and block his effort from a tight angle at the expense of a corner.
The game’s comedy moment came a couple of minutes later as Hemmings and McEachran combined to play in Wilson near to the Sports corner flag, but The Hoops full-back was bundled over. Thinking he had won a free-kick, Wilson put his hands on the ball, only for the referee to award the free-kick to the visitors for hand-ball !
Sturridge took a knock to his ankle and was unable to continue, so Oxford City were forced into making an early change, with Parker coming on as his replacement.
A piece of head tennis ensued around the Oxford City area until Wilson was fouled in the act of escorting the ball off the pitch for a goal-kick.
Peterborough Sports then had a spell of possession, passing the ball around nicely until Booth had a cross blocked by Wilson, shortly after which Miller fell to the floor in search of a free-kick on the edge of the Oxford City, with the referee again unimpressed.
Oxford City’s best chance to-date came on the stroke of half-time as after Kamga clearly poorly, Hemmings played an inviting ball into the danger zone for Clark to slide in, but the ball went just wide. The home side appealed for a corner but goal-kick was the decision.
The game was still goal-less at the interval, which seemed to be a fair reflection. Both sides had played some pretty football at times, but there had been little goal-mouth action. Oxford City had enjoyed more of the possession, but The Turbines had created the best chance of the game.
The half-time announcements and music over the tannoy were far too loud, making it virtually impossible to make a phone call. Clearly, the time to do this is during the football !
The Hoops make a strange substitution at the start of the second half, as substitute Parker was replaced by Taylor. The veteran Antiguan had been on the pitch for just over 10 minutes, but had apparently picked up an injury just before the half-time whistle.
Taylor was immediately in the action, running on to a ball down the right-hand channel and winning a corner. After the set-piece was cleared, keeper Crook dived bravely to save at the feet of Taylor after Harper-Bailey had headed the ball back into the 6-yard box.
Ten minutes into the second period Clark’s cross intended for Taylor was headed away by Jarvis. City reworked possession for McEachran to lift the ball over the square Sports backline to Ashby, but the volley was mis-hit and was put off for a corner before it could fall to Hemmings.
Ellis was shown a yellow card for a hefty challenge on Miller and five minutes later again brought down Miller. It could have been a second yellow for the Oxford City midfielder, but the referee kept his cards in his pocket, and instead just had a word with the on-loan Birmingham City player.
In between, Miller had teed up Jarvis, who could only weakly put the ball over the bar from the edge of the Oxford City 18-yard line. A minute later McEachran had a shot from just outside the Sports penalty area heading towards the far corner blocked, which came after a flowing move involving Humphries, McEachran, Taylor and McEachran again had needed a return pass to be put out for a corner by Stewart.
The game was now going end to end as both sides searched for the opening goal, and after McLintock crossed to beyond the far post, Miller won a corner off Wilson. The corner was drilled low towards the near post but was cleared, and when Sports regained possession, McLintock’s 20-yard attempt deflected high over the bar for another corner.
The set-piece was cleared and Sports carelessly gave away possession mid-way inside the Oxford City half. Ellis quickly played for Clark to run down the left-wing, and his cross was pin-point perfect to find Taylor, who had escaped behind his marker, to volley from 10 yards into the bottom corner. It was a glorious finish not really in keeping with what had gone before, but it was now 1-0 after 64 minutes.
Peterborough nearly had a sniff of a chance immediately after the restart as the under-pressure Carroll under-hit a back pass, but Metcalfe came out of his area to hoof off for a throw before Felix could take advantage.
Taylor seemed to be determined to make his mark on the game, flattening keeper Crook in an effort to reach a high cross from Wilson. McEachran then wastefully shot high over the bar from an acute angle when a cross looked to be the better option.
Taylor showed good control to lay off a hoof from Carroll to Clark, who swopped passed with McEachran, but then went down easily again and failed to fool the referee.
The visitors appeared to be running out of ideas on how to get back in to game, and cross from Booth was meat and drink for Metcalfe to catch.
The inter-play between Clark and Taylor continued to catch the eye and after Taylor had played in Clark inside the Sports area, he received the return pass after the midfielder had run into a dead end, and a low left-footed shot from the edge of the area went inches wide.
With 12 minutes remaining, Ellis passed to Taylor just inside the Peterborough area, and a clever back-heel gave Ellis the opportunity to run on to the ball, but good defending by Stewart ended the danger.
Oakley complained after not being awarded a free-kick and stopped playing. The Hoops quickly took the throw-in and launched the ball forward for Clark to run into the gap vacated by Oakley. McLintock, covering back, chopped down Clark near the corner flag to allow his side to regroup. Ashby’s free-kick was dropped by Crook but Sports partially cleared as far as Clark on the edge of the area, but his drive was blocked.
With 8 minutes remaining, Sports made a last roll of the dice with a triple substitution, although it didn’t appear to have any impact as Oxford City dominated the closing stages. City appealed for handball when Clark’s cross struck a Sports defender, but play continued.
As the game moved into added time, Taylor lobbed a ball forward from the half-way line. Crook came outside of his area to play the ball, but Bearne got their first and nicked the ball past the stranded keeper, and then squared from close to the byline across the goal-mouth. The only player in the Sports penalty area was Clark who tapped into the empty net. 2-0 with 92 minutes played.
With results elsewhere, the final whistle signalled relegation for Peterborough Sports, whilst Oxford City moved up to 19th and extended their unbeaten run to 6 games. However, they are not safe yet, and have another relegation 6 pointer next Saturday at 21st placed Alfreton Town.
Highlights : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fItWdRMBEY
Oxford City : Metcalfe – Wilson, Carroll, Harper-Bailey, Humphries – Hemmings ( Bearne ), Ashby, Ellis, McEachran ( Scott ), Clark – Sturridge ( Parker, Taylor )
Peterborough Sports : Crook – Oakley, Stewart, Kamga, Wood ( Powell ) – Felix ( Cadogan ), McLintock ( Coulthirst ), Miller, Jarvis ( Whitehouse ), Booth – Jones ( Beresford )
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