Oxford City continued their impressive pre-season with a convincing 5-2 win over a youthful Charlton XI at the MGroup Stadium this afternoon.

With six trialists involved the familiar names of Josh Parker, Josh Ashby and Zac McEachran were all on the scoresheet alongside new signings Jack Bearne and DJ Campton-Sturridge as City dominated an entertaining friendly despite two late goals for the visitors.

City should have opened the scoring after seven minutes but Bearne could only place his off-balance-effort wide after McEachran weaved his way through and forced the keeper into his first save of the afternoon.

The breakthrough didn't take long and came after 26 minutes when Parker finished off a superb move that saw Alfie Potter draw a defender towards him before slipping Jacob Roddy into space on the right to whip in a cross that Parker cleverly headed home to make it 1-0.

The young Addicks had their moments with Henry Rylan twice going close but otherwise were well marshalled by the two trialists at the heart of the home defence while captain Ashby capped an impressive performance in midfield with a calmly taken goal two minutes into the second half that made it 2-0 and underlined City’s supremacy.

On 50 minutes it was 3-0 as the irrepressible McEachran again caused chaos, slaloming through three static Addicks and thumping the ball home for a trademark goal and Man of the Match Bearne then made it 4-0 with 20 minutes left as he floated in a cross  which deceived the keeper, waiting for someone to get a touch, to trickle almost apologetically into the bottom left corner. Bearne will claim it was a shot. It wasn't!

Boss Ross Jenkins then rotated his squad to give everyone minutes and as the momentum slowed Charlton grabbed a consolation when one of their five trialists fired into an empty net after 80 minutes to convert a low cross from six yards out.

An own goal in the 89th minute further closed the gap but then in the final minute Campton-Sturridge danced through and tapped home to make it 5-2 and seal an impressive victory with the best goal of them all.

The scoreline is  not all important. The key things are players starting to gel and everyone coming through the game unscathed. This was a very good day's work all round.

CITY

Trialist A, Trialist B (Trialist F 75), Roddy, Ashby, McEachran (Daniel 66), Trialist C (Bacon 75), Parker (Campton-Sturridge 62), Scott, Potter (Trialist E 62), Bearne (Moir 75), Trialist D

Att: 185

Report by Chris Williams, pictures Simon Godfrey