Hanwell Town

ALLIED COUNTIES SUBSIDIARY CUP QUARTER-FINAL
Monday 14th April 2008

Hanwell Town (3) 4 aet 4
Oxford City (3) 4 aet 4 (Forbes 3, 37, 71, Veal 6)
Hanwell won 6-5 on penalties

Oxford City bowed out of the Subsidiary Cup at the quarter-final stage at the end of a long evening at Hanwell.

Anyone seeing that the game ended 4-4 and was only decided on the 9th penalty of the shoot-out will imagine that this was a classic. In fact, the ball spent far too long up in the air, and the whistle sounded far too often, for this to be the case. There was no shortage of effort from all of the players on view but quality was at a premium throughout.

City looked to have sewn the game up in the first six minutes – first Corey Forbes slotted home from Lawrence El-Kassir’s pass, then Forbes set up Rhys Veal for the second. However, City relaxed and Hanwell pulled a goal back in the 12th minute after a good passing move, and were on level terms just after the half-hour from a free-kick.

City restored their lead within a minute as Forbes ran on to a long clearance to finish coolly, but two minutes later Hanwell equalised again from a corner.

City were on top for much of the second half but could not translate their pressure into a goal until Forbes completed his hat-trick with an excellent free-kick from the edge of the penalty area in the 71st minute. Hanwell were content to play long balls and shoot from long range and it looked like City would hold on, until a right-wing cross found a Hanwell substitute unmarked in the 84th minute.

Forbes hit the bar twice in extra time and Kyle Harris seemed to be denied a clear penalty, but there was no addition to the score.

Alex Williams saved two of the first five penalties (as well as managing to score one later on), but City also missed two of theirs. The two teams continued to match each other goal for goal and miss for miss until Hanwell won it on the 9th penalty.

Team: Alex Williams (capt) – James Harris, Simon Reeves, Mitchell Meredith, Craig Duncan – Kyle Harris, Lawrence El-Kassir (sub Richard Higgs 50 min), Luke Carnell, Kieran Collins (sub Alex Eadle 85 min) – Rhys Veal, Corey Forbes

Thame Utd

Allied Counties Subsidiary Cup 2nd Round Monday 7 April 2008
THAME UTD YOUTH (1) 1
OXFORD CITY YOUTH (1) 3 (Craig Duncan 21, Tom Holmes 49, 72)

City progressed in the Subsidiary Cup after running out comfortable winners over Thame United.

The first half was a largely scrappy affair with few clear-cut chances created. The nearest either side came to scoring in the early stages was when Kyle Harris, who was full of energy throughout, charged down a clearance only to see the ball loop over the bar.

City took the lead halfway through the first period when Craig Duncan’s cross-cum-shot from wide left 25 yards out deceived the keeper and sailed into the top corner.

Thame equalised ten minutes later when a right-wing cross was touched in from close range. City’s stand-in front pairing of Tom Holmes and Rhys Veal both saw shots saved towards the end of the half but neither side really created enough to deserve a half-time lead.

The second 45 minutes was a different story. Holmes could have put City ahead before he did make the breakthrough, racing on to a Veal through ball and forcing home the rebound from a tight angle after the keeper had saved well.

Holmes capped an excellent display with his second and City’s third in the 72nd minute, knocking in another rebound after the keeper had failed to gather a Luke Carnell header cleanly.

This was just reward for City who had dominated the midfield in the second half, with Carnell prominent as always, and Kyle Harris and Joe Bull looking dangerous in wide positions. Simon Reeves and Mitchell Meredith were as solid as ever at the back and Thame’s only real chance of the second period came in injury time, when Alex Williams tipped a free-kick over the bar.

The was a good team performance by a hard-working City side, particularly in the second half. They will need to repeat it when they visit title contenders Edgware in the league on Wednesday.

Team: Alex Williams – James Harris, Simon Reeves, Mitchell Meredith, Craig Duncan – Kyle Harris, Luke Carnell, Lawrence El – Kassir (sub Kieran Collins ht), Joe Bull – Tom Holmes, Rhys Veal.

ReadingTown

Allied Counties League Premier Division Tuesday 4th March 2008

Reading Town (1)2
Oxford City (2)3 (Denton 7, Holmes 11, Forbes 47)

City picked up an excellent three points away to Reading Town.

Town had won at City in January but, like City, found themselves at the wrong end of a table which is so tight (5 points between second top and second bottom) that one postponed game is enough to see a side tumble into the relegation zone.

City, as they have often done this season, started at a high tempo and, after an early scare when Town hit the outside of he post, went two goals up early on. First Rhys Denton smashed in a rebound from the edge of the penalty area after Corey Forbes’s free-kick had been blocked; then Tom Holmes scored a candidate for goal of the season, picking up a loose clearance from the goalkeeper and, seeing him still off his line, lobbing the ball into the net from over 40 yards out.

The first half featured some excellent football from both sides, who were both passing the ball crisply and accurately and looking to attack at every opportunity. Both sides had chances, but it was Town who pulled a goal back in the 37th minute when City failed to clear a corner.

The second period began with one of these 60-second periods which can decide games. Town attacked and should probably have equalised, but Alex Williams made an excellent save. The ball broke upfield and Denton flicked the ball on intelligently for Forbes, who outpaced the defender from halfway, rounded the keeper and slotted home coolly.

Town refused to give up and pulled a goal back once again in the 55th minute when a right-wing cross was turned in from close range.

The second half was more frantic than the first, if no less exciting, with only the ever-impressive Luke Carnell looking like he had any time on the ball. City might have had a penalty when Forbes appeared to have been brought down in the area after another excellent run, but the referee waved play on. Town proceeded to throw everything at City in the search for an equaliser, but Simon Reeves and Mitchell Meredith held firm in defence and Alex Williams made two tremendous saves.

City held out for the win to the obvious delight of the players. This was a real team effort in a game played in a marvellous spirit by both teams.

Team: Alex Williams (capt) – Kieran Collins (sub James Harris 65 min), Simon Reeves, Mitchell Meredith, Craig Duncan – Tom Holmes, Laurence El Kassir, Luke Connell, Richard Norris - Rhys Denton, Corey Forbes. Unused sub: Aaron Davies.

Farnborough

Allied Counties League Premier Division Wednesday 13th January 2008

Farnborough (1)1
Oxford City (3)4 (Norris 16, 42, Denton 30, Holmes 55)

City’s up-and-down season continued with another convincing win over Farnborough.

Farnborough, despite losing 5-1 at City last month, were still second, with City near the foot of an increasingly congested table, but there was little doubt who was the better side on the night.

Farnborough, desperate to avenge their recent convincing defeat, started at a frantic pace on a freezing evening against a City side whose warm-up time had been cut short after motorway hold-ups, and took advantage of defensive indecision to go a goal up in the 8th minute.

The reaction of the Farnborough players to this goal showed how much this game meant to them, but it was City who were spurred into action and totally dominated the rest of the first half. The whole team put in a tremendous effort, with Mitchell Meredith and Simon Reeves commanding at the back, Alex Williams dealing confidently with everything that came his way, the full-backs and wide midfielders providing real width, Lawrence El Kassir solid in front of the back four, the front two challenging for everything and Luke Carnell showing real class in the middle of the park.

The equaliser came when Tom Holmes’s perfectly-weighted free-kick was met by an unstoppable header from Richard Norris which saw the ball bullet into the corner.

City added two further goals before half-time, both created by the excellent Carnell. First a through ball split the defence and Rhys Denton smashed the ball into the top corner from 18 yards; then Norris was set free down the right. His cross was cut out by a last-ditch challenge which prevented Denton scoring, but the ball merely rebounded to the advancing Norris, who netted from the corner of the six-yard box. Kyle Harris and El Kassir could also have scored for a City side who were well on top.

Farnborough attempted to get back into the game after the break, but it was City who went further ahead, with Denton making a great run on the left and firing in a cross which the keeper could only palm out to Holmes, who netted coolly.

Farnborough never looked likely to retrieve the situation, often wasting promising situations by shooting needlessly from distance. City’s best remaining chance fell to substitute Aaron Davies, who shot wide after a great run, unfortunately sustaining an injury in the process which meant he had to be replaced himself.

This was a great all-round team performance, particularly in the first half.

Team: Alex Williams (capt) – Zac Lafford, Simon Reeves (sub Aaron Davies 53 min) (sub James Harris 83 min), Mitchell Meredith, Joe Bull – Kyle Harris, Laurence El Kassir, Luke Connell, Tom Holmes – Richard Norris, Rhys Denton. Unused sub: Brett Freeman.

County Representatives

Posted by Duncan Colwell on February 7, 2008, 5:51 pm

5 of our young players have been chosen to represent the County U18's for their remaining fixtures this season. They are John Rixon, Mitchell Meredith, Lewis Colwell, Alex Williams & Corey Forbes.

Well done to these talented players & hopefully they will keep improving & push themselves through the Senior teams.

Duncan.

Aylesbury Vale

Allied Counties League Subsidiary Cup Wednesday 23rd January 2008

Oxford City (1)3 (Connell 37, Forbes 66, Denton 79)
Aylesbury Vale (1)1 (Khan 12)

City battled through against Aylesbury Vale with what turned out to be a comfortable win in an entertaining game despite city being less than convincing at times.

Vale, mid-table in the Central Division, tried to take the game to City from the off. City, despite fielding the same team who had put in such a commanding performance against Farnborough, seemed to be unable to string more than two passes together. Too often players seemed to expect the ball to come to them rather than moving into space to receive it, which meant that team-mates were reduced to hitting speculative 60-yard passes inatesad of playing the simple ball.

Vale took advantage of defensive indecision in the 12th minute to go ahead when Khan nipped in between keeper and defender to score.

The visitors continued to look dangerous up front, but City started to exert more control over the game, with Corey Forbes prominent in attack. It was Forbes whose pace and control led to the equaliser – he was brought down on the edge of the area, and Andrew Smith’s free-kick was headed back across goal by Laurence El Kassir for Luke Connell to force the ball home from close range.

City, who were much more fluent after the break, were well on top in the second half, and scored two more goals. First Forbes beat the offside trap to run from wide and lash the ball home; then Rhys Denton killed the game off when he was on hand to finish from close range after good work by Forbes and Tom Holmes had put the Vale goal under pressure.

Vale continued to try to save the game and were unlucky to hit the bar from outside the area, but City continued to dominate and only a couple of good saves and a goal-line clearance prevented Forbes, Connell and El Kassir from adding to the lead.


Team: Alex Williams – Kyle Harris, Simon Reeves, Mitchell Meredith (sub Richard Higgs 85 min), Joe Bull (sub James Harris 78 min) – Tom Holmes, Luke Connell, Laurence El Kassir, Andrew Smith (sub Richard Norris 59 min) – Corey Forbes, Rhys Denton. Unused sub: Zac Lafford.

Farnborough

Allied Counties League Premier Division Wednesday 9th January 2008

Oxford City (5)5 (Forbes 14, 25, 30, Smith 28, Meredith 41)
Farnborough (1)1 (Forde-Small 39)

City turned in an excellent performance in outplaying Farnborough.

Farnborough came to Oxford second in the league, while recent reverses and a lack of games had seen City slump to bottom place, but there was no doubt that City were by far the better side on the night.

City took the game to Farnborough from the outset and had the ball in the net in the first minute, only to see Rhys Denton’s strike ruled out mysteriously for offside against a team-mate. City were not to be denied, however, and took the lead in the 14th minute. The inventive Luke Connell hit a pinpoint 40-yard pass to Andrew Smith, who beat the right-back and fired in an excellent low cross for Corey Forbes to hammer home.

City were passing the ball about superbly, and Denton. Laurence El Kassir, Tom Holmes and Forbes came close to adding to the lead, before the game was finished off as a contest with three goals inside five minutes. First Forbes chased down a seemingly lost cause in the corner, cut in past two defenders, drew the goalkeeper and slotted home; then Smith hit an unstoppable shot from fully 30 yards into the top corner; finally the irrepressible Forbes completed his hat-trick with a fierce 20-yard shot.

Farnborough’s highly-rated forward on work experience from Reading, Jamel Forde-Small, who has already featured several times for the Farnborough first team, was kept unusually quiet by the impressive central defensive partnership of Simon Reeves and Mitchell Meredith, but took his one chance in the 39th minute with a well-placed free kick.

Any hope that Farnborough had of a revival was killed off by Meredith’s well-placed header from a corner which restored the four-goal cushion.

Smith and Reeves missed chances to make an excellent first half even better, and only a desperate Farnborough clearance prevented an own goal; overall this was one of the best 45 minutes seen at Court Place Farm in years and 5-1 certainly did not flatter City.

As is often the case when the game is effectively over by the interval, the second period provided fewer thrills. Forbes and Smith, both superb throughout, both came close to scoring on more than one occasion, and Denton was twice denied by excellent saves. Farnborough only created one chance, but with the otherwise immaculate Alex Williams beaten, Meredith cleared off the line.

Aside from those previously mentioned, full-backs Kyle Harris and Joe Bull deserve credit for being faultless in defence and using the ball excellently; every City player should be congratulated for a magnificent all-round display.

Team: Alex Williams – Kyle Harris, Simon Reeves, Mitchell Meredith, Joe Bull – Tom Holmes (sub Richard Higgs 89 min), Laurence El Kassir, Luke Connell, Andrew Smith (sub James Harris 82 min) – Corey Forbes, Rhys Denton. Unused sub: Zac Lafford.