Match Preview | Oxford City v Bedford Town
City at home for the return of Bedford Town.
Oxford City play Bedford Town, again, as The Eagles come to The MGroup Stadium for the reverse fixture of a couple of weeks ago in the Enterprise National League North.
Hoops fans will not want reminding of the game not so long ago, but Tyrone Marsh's lone goal was enough for Bedford. City huffed and puffed in the second half but the Bedford house remained in tact.
It follows the trend of City's season, which was once again adhered to as Leamington came to OX3. A 95th minute equaliser from Anthony Lynn allowed The Brakes to escape with a point and left City ruing their missed chances, again.
Oxford City Manager Ross Jenkins said: "A tough one to take on the weekend, but we've analysed it and we can move on.
"It's a new game on Saturday, one we played recently so it should be a good battle. They are in good form but we are playing good football so we are looking forward to it."
FIXTURE DETAILS
Oxford City v Bedford Town
The MGroup Stadium – Saturday 1st November – 3:00pm
Enterprise National League North
Referee: Lewis Smith Assistant Referees: Imran Khan & David Johnston Fourth Official: Simon Parbery
FORM (League Only)
OXFORD CITY - L D L L D
More heartbreak for City on last weekend as 10-man Leamington clinched the latest of equaliser to leave The MGroup Stadium with a point. City were by far the dominant side and robbed of another two points.
2 points in the last five games places City among the worst sides on form and four points from safety with just a quarter of the season played.
There are plenty of points still up for grabs and given some of the performances The Hoops have put in they more than deserve their fair share of what's on the table.
BEDFORD TOWN - L W D W W
Within the space of three weeks, The Eagles have propelled themselves right up into the lofty heights of 13th. Following their win over The Hoops a couple of weeks ago, they went to Chester and won 2-1, despite going down to 10-men..
That makes them unbeaten in four with a draw away to Radcliffe and a win over Worksop. Their only blemish is the 3-0 defeat at home to Spennymoor.
As one of the form sides, The Eagles will come into this game full of confidence.
ONE TO WATCH - Tyrone Marsh
In June 2025, Marsh signed for his hometown club Bedford Town, which had just been promoted and were looking to bolster their squad.
He made an immediate impact: scoring twice in his first outing for Bedford Town, a 2‑2 draw versus Alfreton Town, with one of his goals a curling free‑kick and the other a late equaliser.
So far this season, Marsh sits atop the scoring charts with 9 goals in 11 games, scoring well over half of the side's goals.
Marsh signed his first professional contract with Oxford United ahead of the 2012‑13 season. During his time there, he made 7 senior league appearances but did not score in league play.
Marsh joined Ebbsfleet United in 2014. However, his goal output there was limited (14 appearances, 0 league goals) according to one source.
Next, he moved to Torquay United in 2015/16 where his scoring improved: 18 appearances, 7 goals.
In 2017, Marsh signed for Macclesfield Town. He played 66 league games and scored 11 goals. Importantly, he was part of the Macclesfield team that won the National League in the 2017‑18 season.
Marsh joined Boreham Wood in July 2019. He made 36 appearances in 2019‑20 scoring 14 goals.
In 2020, he moved up to Stevenage (League Two) but had less impact (10 appearances, 0 goals) according to one record.
He returned to Boreham Wood in February 2021 and continued there through to 2025. His tally and experience at that club were solid: 45 goals in 186 appearances at National League level according to Bedford Town FC’s announcement.
THE MANAGER - Lee Bircham
Before Bedford Town, Bircham built his reputation in the non‑league game, laying the foundations of his managerial style. He began his transition from player to manager at Bovingdon F.C., where he helped lead them to their first ever Hertfordshire Senior County League title.
He moved on to manage Berkhamsted F.C. at a higher level, and the club was performing strongly and topped their division when the season was curtailed due to COVID‑19.
His next stop was Hemel Hempstead Town F.C. (his home‑town club). He took over in difficult circumstances during the COVID‑19 impacted seasons and steered them to safety in the league.
In the 2021‑22 season, after he took over mid‑season, he guided Leighton to win the Bedfordshire Senior Cup, defeating Bedford Town in the final.
In the 2022‑23 season, he led Leighton to the Spartan South Midlands Premier Division title and the league‑cup double.
Bircham was officially appointed manager of Bedford Town in May 2023.
The club had just been relegated to the Southern League Division One Central and were in need of a rebuild and revival.
In his first season (2023‑24), Bircham guided Bedford Town to promotion via the play‑offs from the Southern League Division One Central back to the Premier Division Central.
In the following season (2024‑25), despite major handicaps (very low budget, inability to play home games initially due to pitch issues, limited training) he led the club to become champions of the Southern League Premier Division Central and achieved back‑to‑back promotions up to the National League North. Bircham himself described it as a “non‑league miracle”.
His contract with the club was extended through to summer 2027, indicating the board’s faith in him.
From the club’s perspective, the achievement was remarkable: they’d gone from relegation and low morale to back‑to‑back promotions in two seasons.
HOW TO FOLLOW
FOLLOW THE ACTION:
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There's also LIVE commentary on BBC Sounds and the BBC Sport website.
