Posted by Hugh on October 3, 2009, 9:59 pm
Zamaretto Premier Division
Saturday 3rd October 2009
Oxford City (3) 4 (Steele 25, 30, 42, 59)
Bedford Town (0) 1 (Lewis 68)
This was a convincing win and a dominant display by City to take their unbeaten run to eight games. Lee Steele was the hero with four goals for the first time in his senior career but his was only one of several excellent displays in the City team.
Bedford, mid-table but with a couple of decent cup results behind them, could have been behind in the second minute as Darren Pond latched on to a poor Armitt clearance but his shot from twenty yards just cleared the bar. Bedford had their best chance of the first half four minutes later when Draycott found himself in space but took too long to shoot, with the result that Dave Savage was able to get a challenge in, and Wall’s shot sailed harmlessly over.
City began to dominate the game, with Steele linking up the play well, Mark Janes full of running out wide and Pond pushing up to help out up front. Savage and Liam Malone were starting to run the midfield and City forced a series of corners.
Savage tested Armitt twice from distance before City got the lead their play deserved. Lee Steele capitalized on an error from Lawley on the edge of the area, cut inside, made space for himself and smashed the ball home from 10 yards out. Five minutes later the lead was doubled. Mark Bell crossed from the left, Janes headed back across goal and Steele was once again in the right place to hammer home from 6 yards out. A clash of heads left Janes lying on the pitch but he was soon able to resume his all-action performance.
City were well on top now and any Bedford attack was repulsed long before it became a threat. Janes went on a tremendous run capped by an outrageous dummy which had Darby sliding right off the pitch, and deserved better than to see his cross headed away, but the next goal was only delayed by a minute. An excellent Malone tackle was the start of a move which saw Pond and Bell set up Steele, who rifled home from 15 yards for a magnificent hat-trick.
James Clarke, whose positioning and awareness at the back were superb throughout, ran nearly the full length of the pitch in injury time, picking up the ball in his own area and only being denied by a foul just outside the opposition area. Bedford looked shell-shocked and glad of the break.
Half-Time: City 3 Bedford 0.
Bedford tried hard to get themselves back into the game and made two early substitutions, but it was City who were still by far the more dangerous and Steele added a fourth with an almost nonchalant flick from close-in, just making contact with a Janes cross that had looked to be going behind him.
City made three substitutions but were still on top, Stephen Davis and Jamie Brooks adding fresh energy down the flanks and Michael Alexis impressing behind Steele as Pond went to right-back. Bedford, to their credit, did not stop trying, and Lewis scored a consolation from close range following a corner.
This did not stop City from going forward, and further goals could have followed. Davis produced some more dangerous crosses and Alexis was perhaps unlucky to be penalized when it looked like he had been fouled inside the area.
Full-Time: City 4 Bedford 1
This was another excellent 90 minutes from City, who were as dominant as at VT. This time they reinforced their superiority with goals. All of the City team can be proud of their efforts, but it would be perverse indeed not to award the Man Of The Match to the scorer of four goals, so it has to be Lee Steele once again.
City: Knight, Clarke, Perpetuini, Savage (c), Pond, Ballard (Alexis 59), Bell (Brooks 63), Malone, Baird, Steele, Janes (Davis 63).
Bedford: Armitt, Clark, Lawley (c), Miller, Darby, Wall, Daniel, Cavill, Battersby, Draycott, Lewis.
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