Oxford City 3-1 Chelmsford City

[clive]

A deserved victory over tough opposition today

After going 1-0 down early on I had a sinking feeling of here we go again, as I hadn't seen City win so far this season, and perhaps I should be paid to stay away !

Chelmsford's pressing tactics were successful at times, but I don't think they were fit enough to do this over 90 minutes, and City looked dangerous on the counter attack, with two goals after winning possession in their own half.

I thought McEachran was outstanding to-day, and even the one-eyed Chelmsford fan in front of me admitted he ran the show today.

A full report is attached for anyone interested

fatbearssportingdiaries.blogspot.com/2023/04/oxford-city-3-1-chelmsford-city-att-578.html

[Rijs]

Thank you for another excellent and detailed report on the match, Clive. My only query would be as to who was fouled for our penalty - from where I was it looked like Lewis Miccio. If Alfie had put away what was probably the best chance of the match in the final minute, we would have gained a 4-1 win which looked highly unlikely for most of the previous minutes and would have been harsh on a decent Clarets team which dominated possession for long periods, particularly in the first and third quarters of the match. To be fair to Alfie, he had played very well up to that point. It was, you might say, a professional performance all-round by the Hoops, who were able to absorb a lot of pressure without looking unduly uncomfortable; Kanuric did not have many saves to make, because the defence again worked hard putting in the blocks and tackles to deny Chelmsford clearcut chances or applying pressure on the man with the ball so that half chances were squandered.

What was pleasing was that at the other end, we looked the more dangerous team despite not having the ball in their half very much, and we might have had a couple more goals - e.g when Ashby shot over or Sanderson just let the ball get too far ahead and the keeper was out quickly to whip it away. Olly's goal was against the run of play but clinically taken; Zac's was a great run and shot after Alfie won the ball and fed him. Josh had a very good game too, as did Canice once again, and Aaron put in a big shift with a lot of running.

So, the team third from the bottom of the attendance table (578 today, about 450 supporting the Hoops) remains third from the top on points, arguably the best example in the pyramind of a team punching above their weight. It could so easily have gone wrong today and then we are fourth after two consecutive defeats, and under pressure from below (e.g. Braintree, who beat Ebbsfleet today) and facing a nervy trip to Dover wondering whether we are going down to the wire for our play-off place. Instead, we should stay above Chelmsford on goal difference even if they win their game in hand, which they should do on Thursday this week.

[clive]

I was on the other side of the ground for the penalty and thought it was Sanderson who was fouled. I'll update the blog, thank you !

Chelmsford were very good for 20 minutes at the start of the first half, and 10-15 at the start of the second half. But that is not enough to win games ! I thought they simply didn't have the energy to play their high press for 90 minutes.

Whilst I thought their attacking players were decent, I didn't think much of their back three or defensive midfielders. In comparison, Ashby, Fleet, McEachran were different class. Canice continues to improve as the season progresses. Last season I thought he was a bit of a liability, with a huge clanger likely to happen at any moment, but this season has been vastly different !

Third place will be significant, as it gives home advantage for the semi, and I would back us to beat anyone at home. I'm not so confident away from home.

[Rijs]

Agreed!

[ChrisB]

Always good to read detailed reports/summaries etc. Thanks Clive/rijs. I wonder how many who read your report, Clive, will wonder about the 'Jimmy Hill lookalike'? (Worryingly) I even saw him play for Fulham in 1960(?) at Craven Cottage along with one of my most-admired players, Johnny Haynes!

Anyway, 3rd place is in our own hands if we win all three: quite some task, but do-able.

[Padz]

It was another of those games that makes me question the quality of this season's division

Obviously form is measured over the course of a season so Chelmsford are up at the top with us on merit, but based on the two games against us i've struggled to see any real quality in their side, they were alot better yesterday than the game at their place where we lost a game we dominated. Obviously Ebbsfleet have walked the division and that is in no small part down to the goals of Poleon but it just seems that most sides we play seem to have ranged from half decent or functional to awful, maybe its a credit to the way we play that we are nullifying sides but not many we come up against have a player you think 'He looks a real handful' aside from Poleon at Ebbsfleet and Ade Azeez at the away game at Welling.

I honestly don't think it is even our rose tinted City glasses now when we say that Zac McEachran is the best footballer in the division, yesterday again showed that to be the case , he glided through Chelmsford on several occasions scoring a lovely goal in the process. Our quick attacking play at times is just fantastic.

The thought of promotion is an odd one, as a realist i look at the financial element, can we realistically do it, our crowds are poor, the added travel expenses on top of that and the added recruitment in some areas to bring us up to the standard, It would be great to be at that level but not if it turns us to a Hyde/Droylden/Histon scenario

I always said i was happy to be where we are punching above our weight in the NLS, but if the other option is going North, which seems a real posibility between ourselves and Stortford (Not again!!!) then i'm taking promotion!

[ChrisB]

I can't comment on the first part of Padz's posting as I've not seen them play for nearly 10 years now, but the later parts of the posting do point out some serious concerns about the possible future(s).

Like him, I've always thought that ILP or SLP and now NLS were just about right for City's standard. Promotion to Step 1 would be a remarkable achievement but the recent histories of Droylsden, Hyde and Histon etc. do show that the 'smaller' clubs find it extremely difficult to stay at that level for long, and can then plummet down the Pyramid.

The 'Northern Question' could certainly arise again if City stay at Step 2, as it's looking quite possible that 3 of the 4 relegated from Step 1 will be southern clubs. Stortford, if they win promotion, are geographically just further north than City, but I think the FA do sometimes take 'ease of travelling' into account........

Anyway, there's still a few weeks of football to play before those knotty problems really need facing!

[City Gent]

Well, I for one would love to see City playing in the National League. I am also realistic and think it may stretch us on and off the pitch. However,I feel that as long as the club is run within its means we would be ok. Though the attendances this season are slightly disappointing, we could expect them to be significantly higher if promoted with more locals attending and increased away followings. Sponsorship revenue should increase sharply and other matchday takings would increase.

It's always been a mystery to me that Zac McEachran isn't playing at a higher level - hopefully next season he will be!

We are certainly capable of winning the play-offs. Good luck City.

[Rijs]

Interesting debate. I am torn between wanting my team to be the best they can be, and seeing a vast gulf between the friendly little club we are now and the big boys of the National League who are really EFL teams. Just watching Wrexham v Notts County in front of 10,000 spectators, it was like seeing Fulham, Mullery, Moore et. al. (not Jimmy Hill, unfortunately - he played just before my time, but I did see the Maestro Haynes) playing in the 70s Second Division. Surely, City could not survive at that level without major new investment in both players and ground, yet we are struggling to afford a new pitch. So we go back into major debt and the Histon-type experience becomes a serious possibility. Maidstone had gates over 2000 at our level but are still coming straight back down. Our attendances are inferior to those of a number of teams in leagues below the NLS.

Well, it might be good just to have one year at a higher level if we don't expect much, but the dynamic would actually lead to disappointment if we failed. And if we came back with debts but without the likes of Zac, would we then be able to put together a good enough squad to stay at our current level? So many unknowns. Of course, we may lose our best players if we don't go up, as we lost Harmon and Clark last year - and all our talk of Zac will no doubt draw even more attention his way. I actually think he might not be as good in a different set-up. He is happy at City, has a regular place, links up well with the players he has been with for years now such as Fleet, Ashby and Coyle, and it all gives him security and confidence; plus our style of play suits him, but other approaches may not.

On the quality of the division, I don't know. I think there are plenty of competent teams, but with a larger division now the tail is longer. With the exception of City, the poorly-supported sides (Concord, Hungerford, Cheshunt) are struggling; why Dulwich are down there too is a mystery to me, but it's clear the others cannot buy themselves out of trouble. It's astonishing that a side with our attendance average is doing so well and finishing in the play-off places for the fourth year in a row, so no fluke about it. At the top end, Ebbsfleet are excellent and we are GOOD, but not quite at their level. The others have their various strengths and weaknesses but are not as consistent, it seems.