Horspath

Oxford City Colts 4 – Horspath 1

Following away wins at Benson and Didcot, this was our first home league match of the season. A lunchtime start ensured nobody was late and everyone was wide awake on a blustery late summer’s day. Still new to 11-a-side football, Colts were full of confidence after their recent away success and so Coach Roger Cherry continued with the boys playing in positions which had worked well in previous matches.

Colts started strongly and immediately threatened the Horspath goal. After only four minutes they took the lead through Liam Williams. Following a cross from the left the chance to shoot appeared to have gone when Liam picked up the ball on the right hand edge of the box, beat a defender and drilled it into the far corner. Rather than sitting back on their lead, Colts continued to press, winning numerous corners and after 10 minutes they scored again. A well worked corner from the left was turned in by Harvey Comely to double the lead.

The rest of the first half was dominated by the Colts as Horspath, playing into a strong wind, struggled to get the ball out of their own half. When they did, the Colts defence, who worked well together, ensured the ball went straight back. The pressure was converted into a third goal just before the break when a poor clearance came to the feet of Adam Martin just outside the penalty area. With no-one to pass to he struck a crisp shot into the top right hand corner past the helpless Horspath keeper. Another excellent goal to thrill the home supporters.

At half time the team was rotated with Roger bringing on all the substitutes. Horspath, now playing with the wind, looked more dangerous but were still unable to breach the solid Colts defence. With Horspath coming more into the game the Colts midfield had to work hard to win possession and it was encouraging to see the boys fighting to get first to the ball. A number of fine passing moves helped restore Colts dominance and once again pin Horspath back in their own half.

Half way through the second period Colts were awarded a free kick 25 yards from the Horspath goal on the left hand side. A clean strike from Bradley Rowbotham was too good for both the onrushing Colts attack and the Horspath defence ending up in the back of the net. Another fantastic goal and yet another candidate for goal of the season.

In the last five minutes a tiring Colts defence lost concentration. A cross from the right flicked Bradley’s boot and gave Reece Horwood no chance to stop Horspath scoring a consolation goal. Overall this was another impressive performance from the boys who are learning quickly how to play this new style of football. Finally many thanks to Tony Beeches for refereeing and Andy and Jason for running the line in another excellent game played in the right spirit by both teams.

Team: J Russell, A Martin, B Rowbotham, M White B Muinami, W Beechers, L Williams, H Comley, C Wood, D Dennis T Walker subs R Horwood, G Cherry, J Roberson, C Adams
Man of the Match: 1st half T Walker, 2nd half W Beeches

Didcot Boys Emeralds

Result: Didcot Boys Emeralds 0 – 2 Oxford City Colts

Oxford City Colts won the toss and took the kick-off but were immediately pinned back in their own half by Didcot who eventually broke through the midfield to get the first shot on goal. A rattled Oxford City took a couple of minutes to settle and eventually clear their lines. After five minutes a long ball through midfield found Daniel Denis in space and he managed to out run the defence and lift the ball over the Didcot keeper for the first goal. The goal seemed to knock Didcot back and was followed by further pressure from Oxford City but they were unable to break through the Didcot defence and secure a second. On twenty minutes Didcot managed to break through the midfield and put further pressure on Oxford but Bradley Rowbotham held secure in central defence and cleared the ball deep into the Didcot half. This was quickly followed by further pressure from Oxford and a second goal by Tyler Walker to make it 2 nil to Oxford on 25 minutes.

The second half saw both sides come out strongly and an early shot by Didcot was saved by Joe Russell. Didcot continued to put the pressure on Oxford but were caught offside on a number of occasions giving the advantage back to Oxford. After a very evenly balanced second half where neither team were able to make a breakthrough, the game ended Didcot Boys Emeralds 0, Oxford City Colts 2.

Oxford City Colts wore their new black and white away kit sponsored by Amber Wealth Creation. With two away wins out of two the team have had a great start to the season.

Both teams played excellent end to end football and it was a great game to watch on a sunny but blustery day.

Goal Scorers: Daniel Denis, Tyler Walker
Oxford City Colts Captain: Adam Martin
Man of the match (Oxford City Colts): Daniel Denis (first half), Bradley Rowbotham (second half)

Benson Merlins 2 – Oxford City Colts 3

Our first match since changing from 7-a-side to a full size pitch with 11 players was a great success. Pre-season training and friendlies had been at best mixed, with the boys finding it difficult to adjust to the new format. Coach Roger Cherry was lucky to have virtually the same squad who finished last season and the boys, who have now played together as a team for over three years, were determined to do their best. So we travelled south to Benson for the opening game of the season with a sense of optimism mixed with some apprehension about how we would fare with this new style of football.

The match proved to be an excellent contest between two evenly matched teams. Sporting the new away strip kindly sponsored by Shepherd & Woodward and Amberwealth Creations, the Colts team lined up with some of the boys playing in unfamiliar positions. Bradley Rowbotham moved into the heart of the defence with great effect, reading the game well and stifling the Benson attack. It was City who opened the scoring after just five minutes. Tyler Walker raced into the Benson Box only to be fouled by one of the defenders and there were no complaints when the referee pointed to the spot. Adam Martin slotted the ball past the diving keeper’s right hand to give the Colts a well earned lead.

However, it was not long before Benson were back on level terms. City failed to clear a corner and after a number of blocked shots, Benson forced the ball home at the near post. Worse was to follow as with the next attack Benson earned a penalty for handball and despite an excellent attempt by Colts’ goalkeeper Reece Horwood, the well-struck penalty hit the back of the net. The rest of the first half was an even contest with both defences playing well, limiting the number of shooting chances.

At half time Roger Cherry made some changes bringing on Joe Russell in goal, Brian Muiami in defence and Joe Roberson in midfield. The substitutes settled in well, giving Bradley the opportunity to link up with the attack and it was during one of these moves that Colts equalised after 42 minutes. Bradley’s fiercely struck long shot gave the excellent Benson keeper no chance. In the final 20 minutes the Colts lifted their game creating a number a scoring chances. Their endeavour was rewarded in the last two minutes when Tyler Walker finished off an excellent passing move to give Colts a 3-2 win.

Not only was this an excellent way to start the new season, it was very encouraging to see the boys come back after being behind, something that has not been our strength in previous seasons. The spirit shown by all the team was obvious and will hopefully lead to a successful season.

Team: R Horwood (J Russell H/T), A Martin, B Rowbotham, M White (B Muinami H/T), W Beechers, L Williams, H Comley, G Cherry, C Wood (J Roberson H/T), D Dennis (R Horwood 45) T Walker
Man of the Match: B Rowbotham