Oxford City's pre-season continued with a 1-1 draw away at Gloucester City's Tiger Turf Stadium this evening

Leading through an excellent Tom Scott goal, Joe Hanks levelled just before the break for the home side to ensure it was honours even as the pre-season games edge us ever closer to the big kick off.

Having survived a scare when the hosts rattled the bar in just the third minute, City soaked up early pressure then roared forward and scored a peach of an opener after 12 minutes.

Josh Parker made it with a perfectly-weighted ball through the middle for the hard-running Scott. His touch was sure and when the keeper came to meet him he stabbed home to make it 1-0.

Always neat and composed, City moved the ball around well with this summer’s latest trialist looking comfortable on the left side of defence and DJ Campton-Sturridge adding width further forward. However they were pegged back just before the break when a deep cross from the right was met by Hanks whose volley found the net despite the sprawling efforts of a defender on the line. Hanks, but no Thanks.

Captain Josh Ashby went off at the break after taking a blow to the head half way through the first half, Parker taking the captain’s armband before handing on to Zac McEachran later in the half, and the unfamiliar back line of four trialists plus a trialist keeper tightened up in the second half  with youngster Josh McConnell plugging any gaps just in front of them.

That meant fewer chances at one end but City seized the initiative and might well have won it. First the home custodian had to clasp a Bearne free kick safely to his chest with 20 minutes to go. That seemed to raise City's hopes and they enjoyed a good spell where another trialist forced two saves and a couple of crosses just failed to find their targets. before Scott forced the best save of the night with a rising effort after 79 minutes.

A draw was probably fair in the end, if it matters. City move on to Chesham away on Saturday, then Maidenhead at home and then the real things begins...

CITY

Trialist A, Trialist B (Roddy 67), Ashby (McConnell 46), Trialist C, McEachran, Campton-Sturridge (Potter 46), Trialist D, Parker (Trialist F 64), Scott, Bearne, Trialist E

Subs

Bacon, Trialist G, Daniel, Moir

Report by Chris Williams, pictures Simon Godfrey