Oxford City’s away day woes continued in Enterprise National League North with a 4-0 defeat at AFC Telford. 

Matt Stenson gave the hosts the lead seven minutes into the game when he beat the offside trap to place the ball past Jamie Pardington, before second-half goals from Alex Fletcher, Ricardo Dinanga and Oliver Cawthorne compounded a miserable night in Shropshire. 

In truth, City were never at the races on a freezing cold night, but the re-appearances of Alfie Potter & Zac McEachran on the pitch with Josh Parker and Josh Ashby was a positive to clutch at. 

Ross Jenkins made one change to the side that battled hard for a 0-0 draw at Marine on Saturday. 

Geneiro Maragh replaced Tom Scott in the starting XI, and George Burroughs and Jamie Pardington started against their former employers. 

The hosts started the clash in the ascendancy, and made their pressure pay after just seven minutes. 

A ball through the City back line was inch-perfect for Matty Stenson who gladly burst through on goal to curl an effort past Pardington. 

Telford kept their finger on the pulse in the early stages of the first half, but by hook or by crook City managed to keep the ball out of the net. 

Stenson almost turned provider just minutes after when his cross clipped off the top of the crossbar before it could land to Charlie Williams at the back post, as City struggled to get to grips with the fast start. 

However, the Hoops managed to navigate their way through a leggy first fifteen minutes, but when they did they started to ask questions of the Bucks. 

They didn’t force Telford ‘keeper Joshua Gracey into a save though and went into the break behind. 

Half-time: AFC Telford 1-0 Oxford City 

Ross Jenkins, changed shape at the break and introduced DJ Campton-Sturridge to the fray, but that didn’t turn the tide of the game despite City’s best efforts. 

In the end, Telford ran away with the contest as spells of good possession for the Hoops’ weren’t converted into chances. 

Just ten minutes after the interval, Alex Fletcher smashed a volley through a wall of green shirts to double the host’s lead and bring City back down to earth after an energetic re-start.  

In the end, as City pressed for a way back into the game, mis-placed passes cost them chances as opportunities evaporated. 

A last minute goals from Ricardo Dinanga looked like it was set to compound a miserable night for City, as his shot slipped through the fingers of Pardington and into the net. 

However, there was still room for more dissapointment though, and perhaps the most disheartening goal of the night from City’s perspective was Oliver Cawthorne’s simple header into the net from Jordan Cranston’s free-kick in the fourth minute of added time. 

There’s no beating around the bush with this one. The only thing to do is go forward and go again on Saturday at home to King’s Lynn Town. 

Attendance: 941

Oxford City Starting XI: Pardington, Roddy, Ashby, Francis, Westendorf (McEachran 64’), Wiggett, Parker, Clark, Burroughs, Humphrey-Ewers (Potter 64’), Maragh (Campton-Sturridge 46’)

Subs not usedWilson, McEachran, Treml, Scott, Parker, Daniel