Not our night in Shropshire.



AFC Telford United 1

Walker 48'

Oxford City 0

Oxford City suffered only their second defeat of the season in Enterprise National League North after slipping to a narrow 1-0 defat away at AFC Telford United.

Remi Walker scored the only goal of the game with City’s huff & puff not enough to force a leveller. 

Ross Jenkins made one enforced change to the side that beat Chorley on Saturday. Tyrone Marsh’s suspension ruled him out with Zac McEachran replacing him in the starting eleven. 

The first-half was a tight contest with both teams having opportunities. 

City were the quickest out of the blocks. Literally in Ellis Brown’s case. The winger bursting down the left to latch onto Deago Nelson’s cross before seeing his shot blocked from a corner. 

Briar Bateman started sharply too coming close just seconds after from the resulting corner. 

Momentum changed between both sides at the half and Jonny Maxted became the busier ‘keeper. Firstly, denying Louis Moult’s curling effort with a great save, before he made an even better stop to deny what looked like a clear goal.

This time, Matt Stenson steamed through on goal 1v1 and the linesman’s flag stayed down controversially. Everyone expected the seasoned striker to hit the back of the net, only to be denied by Maxted’s fingertip stop. 

In truth the half never saw a better chance than that, but Josh Ashby and Zac McEachran both saw chances blocked by the hosts. Telford ‘keeper Lewys Benjamin’s only real save a parry behind from Ashby’s cross. 

Half-Time: Telford 0-0 Oxford City 

The breakthrough came just minutes after the interval when the ball fell to Remi Walker on the edge of the box and he side-footed home to find the bottom corner. 1-0 to the hosts. 

Maxted again came to City’s rescue just before the hour mark to deny Stenson once again. This time, Telford’s number nine looked like he’d headed home a second goal, only for Maxted to parry behind for a corner. 

In the end, City’s huff and puff came to nothing and the half turned into a cagey game of very few chances. 

In the end it never looked like it’ll be City’s night. 

Even when Ludwig Francillette was sent up front as a make-shift striker, City’s luck didn’t change. 

Josh Ashby’s late free-kick was the closest City came to a leveller with the last kick of the game. However, the skipper’s free-kick floated over the bar. 

Make no bones about it. Telford are better than their league position suggests. Despite a poor start to the campaign they look to challenge for the top seven once again this season. 

For City, we’ll pick ourselves up and dust ourselves off and go again Saturday away at Radcliffe. 

Simply not our night. 

Attendance: 1,028

Oxford City XI: Maxted, Humphries, Ashby, Francillette, Johnson, Pollock, Tetek (Smith 85’), McEachran (Potter 62’), Brown, Bateman, Nelson

Subs not used: Bloom, Njogu, Carroll, Daniel, Kauan