Yeovil-Away

FA YOUTH CUP sponsored by e.on FIRST ROUND PROPER
Wednesday 15 November 2006

Yeovil Town (3)6 (Bowles 2, Horder 12, 89, Clarke 41, 68, Morgan 86)
Oxford City (0)1 (Bell 57)

Oxford’s last remaining representatives bowed out of the FA Youth Cup on Wednesday night with a disappointing 6-1 reverse at Yeovil Town. On an occasion spoiled by the weather, the scoreline failed to reflect accurately the skill and commitment City had shown throughout their cup run.

Five levels of the pyramid separate Town’s League One first team from BSB South and West Division side City, and while the Under 18 sides are not so far apart in class, it will always be the case that the smaller side will need to be on top of their game and benefit from a healthy share of luck to cause an upset. This was certainly not the way it turned out as City, playing into a howling wind and driving rain in the first period, found themselves two down within 12 minutes. Having played only one game in over a month, City were understandably slow to start and two headers from set-pieces benefited from uncertain marking and the ball holding up in the wind.

City could have crumbled, but this side have already shown great spirit this season and played themselves back into the game, with Steven Davis always looking to create chances. Their best chance of the first period came after 20 minutes; first Mark Bell forced a fingertip save from Burridge with an excellent curling shot from 25 yards, then Joel Meade headed just wide from the resultant corner.

2-0 at half-time would not have been a bad score given the conditions, but Town scored a third just before the break with a lovely 25 yard lob from Clark after the ball had again been held up in the wind. This might have put the game beyond City even without the wind and rain slackening off at the interval, as the pessimistic among the City followers predicted they would.

Once again, however, City refused to give up and deservedly pulled a goal back when Mark Bell, excellent throughout, showed great persistence to fire home. Yeovil, protesting that a hand had been used, looked rattled briefly and four Town bookings for dissent or encroachment at free-kicks followed in a matter of minutes.

However, City were caught by a sucker punch when Clark forced home from close range to the obvious delight of the Town crowd. Thereafter Town’s greater professionalism and match fitness told and they scored twice more in the closing minutes as City, heads never dropping, continued to push forward.

Yeovil were the better side, and certainly made better use of the conditions, but were undoubtedly not five goals better than a City side who never really showed their full potential. In the aftermath of the game, City’s players and management were understandably dejected, but they achieved great things even getting this far – the first team in a decade to get to the First Round Proper. Moreover, they have acquitted themselves excellently both on and off the field during their cup run and last night showed they are young men who can lose with good grace as well as win games. There should be plenty more victories this season for a group with great talent and great team spirit. The large number of parents and other family members who travel to the games should be very proud of them.

Yeovil: Burridge – Taafe, Bowles, Sherwood – O’Brien, Gundry, Ormrod, Concliffe, Wake – Horder, Clarke. Subs used Morgan, Hatcher, Turnock.

City: Alex Williams – Michael Betnay (Kassim Abdillahi 74), Joel Meade, Kieron Lewis, Lewis Colwell – Jetmir Kamberi, Jamie Coleman, Mark Bell, Steven Davis – Ben Hepburn (Simon Reeves 84), Jack Griffiths (Ajay Lloyd 74). Unused subs Lawrence El-Kassir, Russell Colwell (gk)