Oxford
City recovered from defeat at Halifax in style with a magnificent
comeback victory over ex-League club Boston United in front of a
sparse crowd of just 203. The crowds will be a concern for City, with
attendance for the last two home games showing no increase over last
season, despite no United games on the same day.
City
started brightly and took the lead in the third minute of the game
when Andy Gunn rose to head in a looping free kick. The opening
exchanges were unsettled, and the game descended into an aerial
midfield battle.
Boston
equalised after ten minutes when the City defence failed to deal with
a long ball from Ian Ross and Spencer Weir-Daley was on-hand to nod
the ball in. It got worse for City moments later and it came from
another long ball. This one was nodded down to the feet of
Spencer-Daley, who struck a powerful shot from the edge of the area
which slipped past Warren Carter in the City goal.
City,
who had started the match well, soon found themselves edged out of
the game and were easily contained by a comfortable Boston side. Ian
Ross was particularly impressive for Boston, controlling the middle
of the field.
City
came out for the second half looking like a different side. Kynan
Isaac came off the bench and was a constant threat on the left wing
and it was his cross just two minutes after the restart which set up
Darren Pond to equalise for City. Minutes later City had retaken the
lead when a long free kick from Jack Mills missed everyone –
including the keeper! - and sailed into the far corner of the net.
Boston,
finding themselves behind again after looking so comfortable in the
first half, failed to find their way back into the match and offered
very little going forward. If either side looked most likely to score
it was City, who continued to look dangerous when they pressed
forward. Kynan Isaac embarked on a great run, beating two men but
firing his shot well wide when in a good position. Steve Basham had a
go too, twisting and turning to avoid several challenges in the box
before seeing his shot blocked by a last-ditch tackle.
Felipe
Barcelos came off the bench for the final few minutes and proved an
immediate threat when he latched onto a through ball and tested the
Boston 'keeper with a fierce shot. It was Barcelos who finally killed
the game off in the dying minutes, after Boston had thrown men
forward for a corner in a final bid for an equaliser. The headed
clearance found Isaac who raced down the field before squaring to an
unmarked Barcelos to slot home and finish their opponents off.
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