Posted by ChrisB on September 25, 2007, 11:42 pm HALF-TIME: City 3-1 Fleet Town The visitors had the better of the early exchanges in the second period and Matty Lewis should have done better when in space and with time. At the clubhouse end City had two free-kicks from useful positions but neither produced anything positive. FULL-TIME: Oxford City 4-2 Fleet Town City: Farrow, Janes, Weirich, Avery, Cattell, Merritt (Redknap 66), Jones, Williams (Malone 75), Stewart, Anya, Bell (Davis 79). With both sides fielding markedly changed teams it’s hard to know how much to read into the result, but, nonetheless, it was City who maintained their unbeaten record at the end of the evening. What several termed the ‘Itchy and Stretchy Show’ (!) at the front caused more than a few problems for the Fleet defence, and it was good to see just how much strength in depth there is at the club at the moment: depth that will undoubtedly be needed as the months go by.
City and Fleet met in a competitive match for only the second time ever on a rather damp autumnal evening with both clubs fielding sides that varied considerably from the printed programme - which came as no surprise to the disappointingly sparse crowd given the FA Cup challenges that both will face on Saturday.
The visitors started very strongly with James Field putting in two testing crosses and two well-flighted corner kicks within the first five minutes, but it was City who had the first good chance when Alex Stewart headed down a Pete Weirich free-kick for Ikechi Anya to see his delicate lob beat Paul Smith in the Fleet goal only to land on the top of the net.
This chance triggered twenty minutes of play in which City pressed forward in numbers and had the league’s meanest defence looking very uncertain. Anya had a great run to and along the goal-line and his pass gave Mark Jones a chance for a shot which was scrambled clear, but in the next attack the home side opened their account. Stewart saw his powerfully driven free-kick rebound off the base of the post to Anya whose pass found Weirich who rolled the ball in for Mark Bell to make no mistake with his shot from just inside the area. A minute later a good run and cross by Bell saw Mark Jones’ cushioned header plucked off Stewart’s foot by Smith. Amid this City pressure Eddie Smith extracted a good save from Lee Farrow at the other end.
City doubled their lead on nineteen minutes when an alert Mark Jones dispossessed a hesitant Fleet defender and promptly put Stewart in with plenty of time to hit a firm shot beyond Smith’s right hand.
Five minutes later and the visitors conceded another after a Jones shot had been scrambled behind for a corner. An outswinging Bell corner was headed goalward by Mark Avery and, though saved initially, bounced back to the horizontal Avery who was still able to hook home City’s third.
Fleet pulled themselves together now and, after a couple of attacks had been repulsed, clawed a goal back when Stewart lost the ball in midfield and Michael Douglas outpaced Avery and rounded Farrow to shoot into an empty net on the half-hour.
Anya and Bell both went close again for City after penetrating runs and, right on the whistle, Martin Girling shot high over the bar for Fleet.
Fleet pulled themselves right back into the game after 54 minutes. Eddie Smith scooped the ball over from close range after a run on City’s right from ex-City player Jason Miletti had produced a good chance. However, the resulting goal-kick was mis-hit straight to a lurking forward and he made no mistake with a clean shot high to Farrow’s right.
Fleet now had the bit between their teeth and pushed men forward looking for the equaliser, and City were finding it harder and harder to keep the ball for any length of time. A mixture of hefty clearances, timely tackling and some slightly wayward shooting allowed City to hold their slim advantage until the 81st minute when a quick break and neat pass from Anya put in Stewart again to score his second of the night with a shot under Smith and allow management, players and supporters to breathe rather more easily.
The visitors still came forward and Farrow did well to smother one chance at the feet of several waiting Fleet players, but he could only watch as Field’s cross-shot flew back into play off the far post with just three minutes left.
Mr Shilston managed to find six minutes of injury time from somewhere but City held on to book a place in the Second Round.
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