Posted by Hugh on October 7, 2009, 9:56 pm
Zamaretto Premier Division
Tuesday 6th October 2009
Evesham United (0) 0
Oxford City (0) 0
City travelled to Worcester (Evesham’s temporary home now into a fourth year of tenancy) looking to extend a recent run of unbeaten games and good performances. Stephen Davis, after impressing as substitute on Saturday, started on the left in place of Mark Bell, who was on the bench, as was the fit-again Andy Gunn.
Evesham manager Paul West exhorted his players in the programme to ‘get back to basics.’ Anyone who has seen his Evesham side would be forgiven for wondering how much more basic it is possible to get; perhaps he had been forced to fine a player for attempting to pass the ball. His team certainly took him at his word with a performance that would have had Wing Commander Reep or Charles Hughes asking for a little more variety. Nine times out of ten the ball was passed back to keeper Vaughan, who would hammer it as hard and high as he could. Occasionally, to retain the element of surprise, he would throw it to a defender, who would then hammer it as hard and high as he could. With James Clarke and Andy Baird standing firm at the back, Evesham could only rely on an occasional set piece, such the corner from which Cole had their only shot of note in the first half, Richard Knight saving smartly.
For much of the first 30 minutes City, despite at least trying to pass the ball, were not very much better, with the final ball into the box not being up to standard. However, as the half wore on, the City midfield started to dominate more and more. First a firm Dave Savage shot from distance was well held by Vaughan, who then saved well from Davis. Clarke made a run from his own area to the edge of Evesham’s but was unable to get his shot away, then Lee Steele thumped a shot against the junction of post and bar with Vaughan beaten, before the same player headed inches over from an Andy Ballard cross.
Half-Time: Evesham 0 City 0
Evesham brought on Clarke up front and half-time (and brought him on again five minutes into the half when the officials decided the substitution had not been properly completed) but this made no difference to the pattern of the play. Mark Janes had a couple of driving runs and Liam Malone shot just over, before Darren Pond just failed to connect with a Steele cross.
On the hour Steele was through on goal and the tackle ten yards out appeared to take man rather than ball, but the referee looked to his assistant rather than making the decision himself and the chance was lost. Mr Knapp was much more decisive three minutes later when Malone, booked for a something-and-nothing clash in the first half, received a second yellow for what looked a 50-50 challenge.
Being a man up in midfield, an area which they had studiously avoided up to now, made no difference to Evesham, who continued down Route One on their way to a third consecutive 0-0. Despite being a man up at home, and not surprisingly seeing more of the ball than previously, they had only one shot on target in the remainder of the game (and that from an offside position), a situation which Evesham’s sparse support seemed to accept with little more than a resigned shrug. There was at least one burst football removed from the scene – perhaps it was finally belted one time too many, or maybe it just gave up.
Rather than the home side scoring their first league goal for over a month, it should have been City who took the points. Pond shot over from close in, then the game’s most controversial moment came in injury time. Steele, turning brilliantly on half-way, ran into the area despite the attentions of four defenders and saw his shot excellently saved. Pond, in trying to reach the rebound, appeared to be pulled down, but instead a free-kick was given to Evesham.
Full-Time: Evesham 0 City 0
Definitely two points dropped rather than one gained in the context of recent results, but the unbeaten run continues. There were several plus points for City – some good individual performances, some new chants from the choir which ranged from the inspired to the insane, and best of all, relief that none of us had been forced to watch Evesham’s 0-0 draw with Stourbridge. Sometimes there just has to be more to life than being ‘difficult to beat.’
Man of the Match – it could even have been the tireless Steele again, but for strength in the face of bombardment, it goes to Andy Baird.
City: Knight, Clarke, Perpetuini, Savage (c), Pond, Ballard, Janes (Alexis 64), Malone, Baird, Steele, Davis (Brooks 62). Unused subs: Bell, Gunn.
Evesham: Vaughan, Watson, Woodley, Hodnett, Luckett, Lutz (c), Fitter, Cole, Ball, Gardner (Clarke 46), Cooper.
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