Oxford City let an early advantage slip away this afternoon as they ended with ten men for the second game in a row while losing 5-1 at home to Radcliffe.

Defender George Burroughs had fired the Hoops into the lead with his first goal of the season but an Olly Thornley goal on the stroke of half time knocked the stuffing out of City and after Byron Wilson was sent off on his debut ten minutes into the second half Rio Clegg rolled home the resulting penalty, Brad Jackson  made it three and then Clegg completed his hat-trick with two clinical finishes.

It had all started so well. It took just six minutes for City to get their noses in front when a Josh Ashby corner wasn’t cleared and the ball dropped to Burroughs to bury the ball beyond the helpless Mateusz Hewelt in the Borough goal and make it 1-0.

All looked set fair as City maintained their record of scoring in every game, but they have also conceded in each match and the early setback seemed to inspire Radcliffe whose’ bright blue and yellow chevrons soon began to indicate that the game was only going one way.

it took an incredible acrobatic clearance from Wilson to hook a goalbound effort out and the overworked Sam Lewis made a superb 28th minute save as Radcliffe rallied. Danny Greenfield whistled a free kick wide, Lewis made three more smart saves but just as City looked to have weathered the storm Thornley popped up in injury time to sidefoot a volley past the flying Lewis to level it at 1-1 at half time.

Ten minutes after the interval came the game’s big talking point.

Radcliffe were still on top and when a clipped cross came back off the bar it was volleyed powerfully towards goal. Wilson again threw himself in the way but this time the assistant referee felt that he kept the ball out with his hand, despite Wilson’s protestations that it was his shoulder. Ref Richard Wharton took the side of his assistant and Wilson trudged towards the tunnel even as Clegg sent Lewis the wrong way from the spot to make it 2-1.

Jackson then planted the ball into an empty net to make it 3-1 before Clegg powered past the last defender to beat Lewis at the near post and make it 4-1 with his second of the game. His hat trick, weaving towards goal and thumping the ball past the helpless Lewis in the 90th minute, was well-taken but simply compounded City's misery.

Huge frustration with City again having to work hard when down to ten players. The good thing is that they have a chance to put things right immediately when they welcome Alfreton to the MGroup Stadium on Tuesday night.

CITY

Lewis, Wilson, Roddy (Humphrey-Ewers 84), Burroughs, Wiggett, Ashby, Scott (Daniel 84), Potter (Campton-Sturridge 78), McEachran, Westendorf (Lacey 59), Parker

Subs

Treml, Bampoh, McConnell

Att:  456

Report by Chris Williams, pictures Simon Godfrey