Posted by ChrisB on September 8, 2007, 7:41 pm HALF TIME: CITY 1-1 GOSPORT After a slightly delayed start, while one of the assistant referees was replaced, there was an early chance for City as Jon Gardner squirmed past a couple of defenders and rolled a pass to the far post where Stewart just failed to connect, but for the next ten minutes Gosport began to increase the pressure and to look the team more likely to score. Firstly Bennett curled a free-kick from a dangerous position near the edge of the area just over the bar; Webber crashed a free-kick from a similar position into the wall; and then Bennett raced to the goal-line and held his head as Jarvis’ shot from his perfect pass cleared the bar (and clubhouse). And then City scored at the other end. A hopeful ball out of defence bounced erratically and Alex Stewart reacted the quickest of those around the ball, found McSporran with a neat pass and he took two touches and shot precisely beyond Brown’s not inconsiderable reach as the hour came up on the clock. FULL TIME: OXFORD CITY 2-2 GOSPORT BOROUGH Oxford City: Tucker, Redknap, Weirich, Saulsbury, Pond, Avery, Gardner, Malone, McSporran, Stewart (Faulkner 61), Jones (Bell 77). Though City might see this as two points dropped the result seemed a very fair outcome for an absorbing match between two sides that, on this showing, ought to be challenging for play-off positions or better in seven months’ time.
Back to league action again today after the nail-biting excitement of last week’s cup encounter at Andover. The injury worries in the wake of that game were not as serious as first thought and Mark Jones and James Faulkner both figured in today’s squad and, apparently, the prospects of Anya and Gunn being fit for next Saturday are good.
City started well and forced a few early corners from one of which Mark Avery couldn’t quite capitalise with Gosport keeper Mark Brown grounded, while Jermaine McSporran flashed a good shot just too high after a run. Gosport’s best chances in the early exchanges fell to Danny Gibbon, who pulled a shot wide, and Justin Bennett, this week’s loan-signing from Eastleigh, who shot straight at Gareth Tucker after dispossessing Mark Jones in midfield.
City took the lead after 14 minutes when McSporran was put in, with the visitors’ back line pleading for an offside flag from an unsympathetic assistant, and he finished well beneath the onrushing keeper.
The home side continued to press and Alex Stewart headed neatly into McSporran’s path, but the shot lacked power, and then Pond’s drive from the edge of the area certainly had power, but lacked direction.
Though City looked fairly comfortable with their lead, Gosport were breaking incisively and on 24 minutes a simple and direct run by Kevin Gill on the City left, where he caused problems all afternoon, and a measured cross saw Justin Bennett outjump the defence to head neatly inside Tucker’s right-hand post. Two minutes later and in an almost identical move Bennett shot straight at Tucker.
This led to another good passage of City play with McSporran playing a key role in much of what was happening. His speed took him right to the goal-line but his pass was behind his colleagues and, on the half-hour, a fine pass into the area found Mark Jones unmarked, but the awkward bounce denied him a shot though he had time to slide the ball wider to Liam Malone whose low shot was pushed along the line and behind by the diving Brown. Jon Gardner aimed a curling shot for the top corner and Brown caught it beneath the bar, but the half finished with Gibbon and then Webber shooting high and/or wide at the other end.
Gosport lifted their game again and Jarvis had one shot well saved at the expense of a corner before he levelled the scores on seventy minutes with a shot past Tucker’s right hand and off the inside of the post after Bennett had slid an accurate pass through the defence.
Both sides had chances in the latter parts of the game, but George Redknap must have thought he’d won the match for City when he hit a tremendous swerving shot that was looking a goal of the season contender all the way until Brown used his height to advantage and pulled off a terrific save high and to his right. From the ensuing corner Redknap was out of luck again as his header scraped the bar. Gosport’s best chance in the final ten minutes came when Gill put in Sturman but his final shot was easily held by Tucker.
Gosport Borough: Brown, Puckett, Birmingham, Sturman, White, Jones, Webber, Gill, Gibbon (Way 75), Jarvis, Bennett.
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