Match Preview | AFC Fylde v Oxford City
The season opener has finally arrived.
Oxford City begin their Enterprise National League North campaign with a lengthy 380 mile round trip to recently relegated AFC Fylde on Saturday for a 3 pm kick off.
Football is back. Pre season is over. We can now settle into a season in the National League North. How good does that feel to say?
Pre season concluded with a 1-0 loss to Maidenhead United but it was a successful few weeks, with plenty of players getting minutes in their legs and fresh faces arriving and settling into the group.
AFC Fylde finished the previous campaign 23rd in the National League with 40 points from their 46 games. A change of Manager during the off season sees Craig Mahon arrive at Mill Farm.
AFC Fylde finished pre season with results comparable to those of City. They won twice, drew once and lost three games.
Oxford City Manager Ross Jenkins said: "We've had some really competitive games and tested ourselves against seasoned sides in preparation for Fylde which will be really tough test first up."
FIXTURE DETAILS
AFC Fylde v Oxford City
Mill Farm - Saturday 9th August – 3:00pm
Enterprise National League North
Match Officials:
ONE TO WATCH - Danny Ormerod
This was originally about Nick Haughton, but his move to Forest Green allowed us to look at Danny Ormerod, one of the brightest prospects at AFC Fylde.
He broke into the first team in the 2023/24 season after an impressive stint in the youth teams. He scored seven goals and added seven assists in 26 National League Appearance.
Ormerod tends to play through the middle but has the ability and pace to drift out wide and cause defences real issues from within the channels. His work-rate is often highly commended and he will be a handful for City on the weekend.
THE MANAGER - Craig Mahon
Many of you will remember the name Craig Mahon as it's not the first time we have written about him. He was recently appointed as the Manager of AFC Fylde, having departed his role as interim manager at Curzon Ashton.
Mahon oversaw an incredibly successful period at Curzon Ashton, leading them to back-to-back record points scoring seasons, unfortunately missing out on the play-offs last season by goal difference.
Mahon began his playing career as a youngster with Wigan Athletic. He moved into the football pyramid, beginning with a short spell with Vauxhall Motors before racking up over 200 appearances for Chester.
In total, the Irishman accumulated over 400 career appearances, some of which came with his current side, Fylde during the 2013 season.
HOW TO FOLLOW
FOLLOW THE ACTION:
As per usual, we will be following the game via our Social Channels, including our new WhatsApp Channel where you can read minute-by-minute action as the LIVE event occurs! You can sign up for free
HERE.
