City extend unbeaten run to seven.

Marine 1

Ben Darby 45+3'

Oxford City 1

Brown 36'

Oxford City extended their unbeaten run to seven, as they shared the spoils with Marine in a tough combination of wind and rain in Merseyside. 

It was Brown who opened the scoring, with the Mariners able to level before the half, with the hosts putting in a spirited 10-man performance to hold on to a point on home turf. 

Marine started the stronger side, putting the Hoops under pressure early on, their most notable chance as Ben Darby was found unmarked in the goalmouth on six minutes, but he struck wide. 

Marine continued to push forward, creating the better of the chances, with Maxted on his toes to deny the hosts an early lead. The first of his interventions fell on 14 minutes, as he got a glove to a one-on-one effort, and then recovered excellently to claim the loose ball. Then, moments later, he got down to his right to deny the Mariners a neat bottom-corner finish. 

City had spells going forward, with both Brown and Humphries looking dangerous with deliveries from the left, but with no one to finish the move for the visitors. The closest the Hoops came to breaking the deadlock in the opening 25 minutes was through Marsh, who struck from the edge of the penalty area, but directed too close to Jack Mclntyre in the Marine net. 

Perhaps against the run of play, it was City to open the scoring, with McEachran doing excellently well to create a chance on 36 minutes, and Brown then tucking home from just inside the box. 

No chance to settle, however, as Marine looked to net immediately from the restart, with a long-range effort which needed tipping over the bar by Maxted. Marine continued to push on for the leveller before the half, striking the crossbar in the first minute of injury time in what looked to be the final chance of the half.

That was not the story, however, as Marine broke forward once more before the break, with a delivery from the left side being headed in from close range in the third minute of stoppage time, the decisive moment in sending the sides in at level footing. 

Half-time: Marine 1-1 Oxford City.

City started the second half brighter than they started the first, Marsh the first to trial the power of the wind, now in City’s favour, with an ambitious effort from range. Then, it was Pollock who tested the gloves of McIntyre, with an effort from just inside the box requiring the keeper to push away on 52 minutes.

The Mariners then saw themselves reduced to 10 men, as a second yellow for Isaac Abankwah saw him make way as the clock hit 54. The immediate response from Marine saw them in attack, but City were quick to show the benefit of the extra man. 

A flurry of chances for the Hoops first saw Marsh at full-stretch at the back post, but Pollock’s delivery was just out of reach on 61 minutes. Then, Smith had a go from an awkward angle, but Mclntyre was quick off his line to block, with another block moments later seeing Johnson’s header cleared off the line. 

It was then Forestieri who searched for his first goal in a City shirt, standing over a free-kick positioned just outside the box. It was quite the strike that searched for the top corner, but his effort curled narrowly off target on 78 minutes. 

As the clock ticked into the final 10 minutes, City looked ever likely to grab the winner, but a spirited performance from the Mariners saw them dig deep to hold on to the point. 

City XI: Maxted, Humphries, Ashby ©, Francillette, Johnson (Carroll 72’), Pollock, Marsh, McEachran, Brown, Smith (Forestieri 73’), Nelson. 

Subs unused: Bloom, Njogu, Bateman, De Silva, Kauan