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City go further ahead

- 04/10/2008

Oakwood 0 City 4

Patience was a virtue for the City team and the travelling supporters today. Only an own goal by Oakwood separated the sides after a first half in which City had most of the possession but not turned it into the more substantial lead they deserved.

Oakwood had clung on and missed a few chances of their own. Yet there was always the strong feeling that one more goal would lead to another high scoring City victory. In the end the result was a fair reflection of City's hold over the entire game and it took them further ahead in the league. It just took a long time to make it happen.

For the second successive match Dave Fairclough decided to leave last season's top scorers, Royston Gough and Wayne Fittall, on the bench and let Dave Read, Scott Lawford and Harry Gower begin the game at the head of a 4-3-3 formation. What luxury! The only difference this time was that when Fittall and Gough came on, Read stayed in the attack and scored a superb second goal, only to be upstaged by Calum McGeehan's thirty-yard screamer.

With regular right back Sam Baker ill, the defence had to be slightly reshuffled but Oakwood were not sufficiently dangerous in their finishing to cause more than the occasional moment of concern. They had several first half chances, none of which came to more than shots wide of the mark.

City's early performance was patchy - certainly not as impressive as at Bridge the previous Saturday. Even so, they were never under prolonged pressure. Ashley Tuite stabbed at a chance in the seventh minute, narrowly failing to make good contact. Oakwood's Jarrett sliced a shot wide, but that was one of a slim number of real opportunities over the whole game.

When Scott Lawford powered his way into the Oakwood penalty area he was well marshalled out of possession by the home defence, leaving the referee to dismiss calls for a penalty as the City player fell. However, at the end of another attack Lawford was hauled down and this time a penalty would have been justified.

Oakwood's defeat was instigated by themselves when, after seventeen minutes, Lawford again put their defence into difficulties as he drove the ball across the penalty area. Talbot turned the ball into his own net. It must be hard to concede an og then finish a game in a well beaten side knowing that you (and all the other Oakwood players) had each paid ten pounds into club funds simply for the privilege of turning out. Such is the precarious financial situation of so many clubs at this level of football.

Harry Gower began more quietly than of late, partly because the pitch was wide, which seemed to give defenders more opportunities to back each other up and stop his progress. But as the game wore on, so he became more influential. He cracked a shot close by the near post and sent an almost perfect cross to Lawford who could not quite get a foot to it. He was also hard done by to be among the City players to have his name taken.

Towards the end of the first half City's passing improved, communication worked well and Jamie Brooke had the ball whipped off his feet in front of goal. Even so, there was some relief when the outstanding Tony Jackson jumped astonishingly high to clear a dangerous ball into the penalty area.

A couple of heavy tackles could have ended Gower and Read's participation in the game but they battled on. McGeehan, Gough and Fittall came on midway through the second half and that brought the feeling amongst the City followers that it would only be a matter of time before the game was put far beyond Oakwood's reach.

Read's contribution over the whole game was again inspiring. The Oakwood 'keeper managed to block one of his shots at the near post and was relieved to see a header scrape over the bar. In the 82nd minute, however, Dan Smith sent the ball across the penalty area. When it reached Read it was difficult to bring down, but he did s