With Hereford away at Oxford City next Saturday, BN looks back to November 25th 2017 and an FA Trophy Tie between the two clubs.
Oxford City 1 - Hereford 2
NG Woodbuoy reports on this afternoon's game with help from J Zappia.
A cold Oxford afternoon on the edge of the city of spires, away fans outnumbering home.
The match started in a
frenzied fashion with both teams measuring each other and also with
Hereford learning how the artificial pitch would play.
Hereford’s first
attack in the seventh minute saw Smith’s looping header comfortably
saved after good work down the left from Pring. This was swiftly
followed by Smith beating his man (twice, like he does) and whipping in a
cross that Reffell pinged over under pressure. Jamie Bird then got in
on the act with a double shot attempt.
But in the early
stages the teams looked evenly matched with Oxford’s greater experience
playing on the carpet giving them the edge.
While the Hereford
team was making mental notes, Oxford, playing at their 3G training
ground (think about it), did not waste time and scored the match’s
opener within 11 minutes. It was the result of a well-taken corner and
some poor defending by Hereford, which gave enough space to Oxford’s
Freddie Grant to head in unchallenged and with a little deflection.
At this stage Zac
McEachran, Oxford’s playmaker was arguably the best player on the pitch
and a constant threat that Hereford did well to contain.
But maybe this is
where being on the kind of roll that we are helps. Oxford, third from
bottom in Conference South, didn’t look happy with having the lead and
Hereford, smelling oxblood, kept pushing them back. Deaman’s header was
cleared by the Oxford last man but within 9 minutes the Yellow/Whites
were level.
Page, sprung the
offside trap with a perfectly weighted ball through the channel and with
Millsy one-on-one with the keeper there was only going to be one result
– crestfallen custodian spread-eagled and the ball in the bottom
corner.
Hereford pushed on
and Mills and Smith combined well on the edge of the box with a neat one
two in the 23rd minute averted by a strong Oxford tackle. As the half
progressed Hereford got the measure of the pitch and realised more and
more how well it suited our tight-passing pressing game and the accurate
pass, with Bird, Page, Purdie and Reffell covering a lot of plastic in
the middle of the mat.
On 33 minutes a rare
sight as Mills tracked backed to win a tackle on the edge of our 18 yard
box. Must have been that rubber giving him an extra spring in his step.
Hereford ended the
half strongly with Reffell making a good run to set up Mills who was
judged offside. Smith also had a good breakaway chance from another
perfect Page through ball where he beat his marker for pace. Mills just
failed to connect with the ensuing cross which flashed across the face
of the goal.
H/T: 1-1
As in the first half
Oxford started the quicker of the two teams after the break and with the
greater intent. But within two minutes Oxford had the post and Lady
Luck to thank when Mills hit the upright on another clever break through
the channels.
Oxford had their first chance of the half on 57 minutes when Pearce’s through ball set up a chance for Jones’ snapshot.
Page yet again tee-ed
up Mills with another through ball but the speed of the surface got the
better of Mills control when a grass pitch in late November would have
held the ball up.
On a crisp day when
football really was the winner and both sides played end to end the
proper way - Oxlade-Chamberlain (the Oxford Ox?) then surged from his
right back position for City and his shot cum cross flashed across the
Hereford goal.
On sixty-one minutes
from a free kick on the right about 35 yards out Adam Page whipped in a
perfect dipping cross which Dara O’Shea diverted with his head past the
flailing keeper as a surge of Hereford players broke the Oxford
defensive wall. Page’s second assist of the game.
Still Oxford came
back but perhaps without a lot of conviction. They almost got back on
terms when a hospital pass out of defence from Deaman (which would have
looked more appropriate on a hostess trolley in the Joey Beauchamp Ward
at the John Radcliffe Hospital which looms over that end of Oxford’s
ground) went straight to City’s McEachran who failed to take advantage.
On 72 minutes, tiring
of the game Oxford’s manager Justin Merritt switched to bingo as he
threw on subs 14, 15 & 16 in exchange for 9, 10 and 11 including
regular strike partnership Paterson and the hipster Jesus Rob Sinclair
but salvation was not to be found. City pressed more and Hereford
defended deeper, Beadle resisted calls from the away terrace for some
fresh legs. But Oxford couldn’t find any clear chances and Horsell,
commanding his area all afternoon, did well to collect the ball at the
feet of an Oxford attacker after more good work from McEachran.
Smith was booked for
dissent after a dust up with his marker Freddie Grant who was finding it
hard to live on the Hereford frontline.
Reffell and Smith had a good further combination to put Mills through but was just offside as he rounded the keeper.
In the final minutes
Oxford sent keeper Jack Stevens up for a corner and he was stranded as
City captain Poku was forced to bring down Page as he almost broke away
on the halfway line. A less lenient ref than Mr Tankard might have seen
him as the last man and produced more than a yellow.
At the final whistle
it was a job well done. Two evenly matched teams both playing the game
the way it should be played and Hereford showing that, given a fair wind
we wouldn’t look out of place playing every week at Oxford’s level next
season.
 |
| Jimmy Oates and Cameron Pring after the final whistle |
Not a bad performance
anywhere in the Hereford line-up from front to back. Man of the match
between O’Shea for all round control and anticipation at the back and
the goal or Adam Page for two assists which could have been three or
four against lesser opposition.
On a personal note I
repaid the debt to a Brazilian friend who had got me a ticket for the
Final in the Maracana back in 2014. This was the first game we had seen
together since and whilst we didn’t have Messi and Mesil on the pitch we
both left feeling we had seen a better contest and that a ticket for
the FA Trophy 3rd Qualifying Round was a fair exchange for a ticket to
the World Cup Final. Well I know I did.
Overall We Deserved It Said Beadle
 |
| Pete Beadle with Jamie Bird before this afternoon's game |
After today's 2-1 win in the FA Trophy at Oxford City, Hereford's manager spoke to the press.
"The performance was excellent, I thought we played really well," Beadle told BBC H&W's Keith Hall.
"We had a bit of a wake up call
first fifteen minutes, we didn't start the best. But we got into the
game and then for long periods of the first half we dominated the game
without creating too much, then we got the goals.
"They [Oxford] we're going to
come out and have a go [after half time]. For long spells we were fairly
comfortable throughout the game. Then they made three changes and had lots of possession, but didn't really threaten right until the end with a header.
"Overall performance, we've kept them down to very few chances and created a few more ourselves."
The National League South side had a 3G pitch installed at their ground over the summer. How did Beadle think his players coped?
"We train on it once or twice a
week so they should be fairly used to it by now. But I said to the
players, even though we train on it at least once a week, they train and
play on it every week.
"The one good thing is when it
gets fast and slickens up, it helps our play because at times today we
moved the ball really well.
"Sometimes it's not always a true
bounce, but we managed the pitch perfectly, played some good stuff in
spells and created some good chances.
"Overall we shaded it and probably deserved it."
Oxford opened the scoring after 12 minutes as Freddie Grant headed home a corner.
"It was a poor goal all round.
There were lots of little errors along the way leading up to the corner,
but we had lots of time to catch up and get into the game.
"If we could get the ball moving and get into some sort of rhythm we'd cause them problems - and we did that."
Hereford Looked The Better Side Said Oxford's Manager
After yesterday's game, Oxford City's manager admitted Hereford deserved to progress into the first round of the FA Trophy.
"I don't think we played well, congratulations to Hereford they deserved it," Mark Jones told Radio Cherwell's Colin Ryde.
"Our
players came out of it with a lot of credit. I'll also
take responsibility as well, we made some changes which I thought was
the right thing to do."
Jones made some changes from the side that played in the goalless draw against Bognor Regis midweek.
"I felt today it was the right thing to do to rest one or two, we have a couple of players on four bookings.
"When we do make changes, it might effect the other players as well.
"I don't think we played well
enough over a sustained period in the game to get on top. To be fair,
Hereford looked the better side throughout the game."
After Hereford took the lead, Oxford did start to cause more problems, but couldn't find an equaliser.
"A couple of shots in the second
half and a good save from the keeper in the last couple of minutes, but
we didn't cause them enough problems over the 90 minutes."