Match Preview - Darlington v Oxford City
Final game of the season
It all comes down to this. Oxford City face Darlington away on the final day of the Enterprise National League North season, with a point securing a position at Step 2 for next season.
City's charge over the last couple of months has been nothing short of remarkable. It's been an incredible turnaround with The Hoops going eight unbeaten to claw themselves out of the bottom four. Sadly, that run came to an end last weekend as Chester won 2-1.
But, as is so often the case in football, it is not over until it's over and City have a job to do on the weekend, with relegation still a possibility. A draw is enough but City will be wanting to finish the season with a win.
The reverse fixture, earlier in the season, was one of City's highlights of the season. A 5-1 victory at The MGroup Stadium, courtesy of a DJ Sturridge hat-trick, kickstarted City's season.
The Hoops are eight unbeaten away from home and the last time City lost on the road was the trip to Radcliffe at the beginning of. February.
Oxford City Manager, Ross Jenkins said: "We know what we need to do, we can't depend on other teams, we need to control the situation and do it ourselves. We are going for three points.
"The boys have prepared and trained well and we will go up there with as job to do."
FIXTURE DETAILS
Darlington v Oxford City
Blackwell Meadows - Saturday 25th April – 12:30pm
Enterprise National League North
Referee: Shaun Taylor Assistant Referees: Stephen Birkett & Karl Barron Fourth Official: Mark Bell
FORM
DARLINGTON - L L W L D
For a side pushing for playoffs, The Quakers have been on a miserable run of form. With four points in their last six games, they are one of the most out of form teams in the league.
Another thing to note, Darlington's home record this season is worse than their away record. At Blackwell Meadows, they have recorded nine wins, compared to the eleven wins on the road.
However, they have a near-perfect record against sides below City in the league table, with just one loss recorded against the bottom seven sides.
OXFORD CITY - D W D W L
City's eight-game unbeaten run came to an end on Saturday as Chester extended their winning streak to five games. City's second half fight back wasn't enough to secure safety and the fight for survival enters the final week of the season.
Over the last 15 games, The Hoops have maintained playoff contention form with seven wins and only three losses.
City have managed to pick up over 2 points per game in the last eight games but they are yet to win away from home against a side in the top half of the table.
ONE TO WATCH - Cedric Main
Cedric started his career in Holland with FC Groningen youth sides and later played in Spain for CF La Nercia. He came to England in 2021 and joined FC United, scoring six goals in 19 games, before moving to South Shields and later Blyth Spartans, where he scored nine goals in 16 matches during a loan spell.
The club signed Cedric permanently from York City in January 2024. The Suriname international has bagged 20 goals this season for The Quakers and sits comfortably inside the top 10 goalscorers in the league.
In 95 appearances for Darlington over two and a half seasons, Main has scored 35 goals.
THE MANAGER - Steve Watson
As a player, he was a right-back or midfielder. He played in the Premier League and Football League for Newcastle United, Aston Villa, Everton, West Bromwich Albion and Sheffield Wednesday. While Watson was at West Brom, he played alongside Oxford City's coach, Paul Robinson.
He was capped once by the England national B team, having previously played twelve times and scored once for the under-21s.
Watson moved into coaching after retiring from playing and was appointed as an academy coach at Huddersfield Town under former teammate Lee Clark in 2010. He then followed Clark to Birmingham City before a spell as assistant manager of Macclesfield Town.
He was given his first managerial role in 2017 when he joined Gateshead, before becoming York City manager in 2019. He left the club in 2021 and spent four months as manager of Chester before joining Darlington in December 2023.
HOW TO FOLLOW
FOLLOW THE ACTION:
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There's also LIVE commentary on BBC Sounds and the BBC Sport website.
