Oxford City ended up on the wrong end of a 3-1 scoreline this afternoon at the MGroup Stadium but pushed promotions favourites South Shields all the way

After conceding in  the very first minute to a Dan Ward goal City roared back and levelled through defender George Burroughs before finally being beaten by two clinical goals from Cedwyn Scott that edge South Shields closer to a place in the National League

There are nightmare starts and there are nightmare starts. When you are playing the league leaders the last thing you need to be doing is kicking off twice inside the first minute. 

Incredibly, City kicked off and immediately gave the ball away. The Visitors broke down the right and Scott’s shot flew off the post straight to Ward who tapped in to give Shields a 1-0 lead after just 12 seconds.

It might have been even worse but Jonny Maxted clawed away a second goalbound effort a minute later as shell-shocked City conceded both space and possession, desperately trying to claw themselves a grip and stop the game sliding away from them.

They did that through workrate and if the first two minutes had belonged to the away side the rest of the first half was City’s. Zac McEachran began to beat people, DJ Sturridge looked to get in behind the visiting defence and on 29 minutes they were deservedly level as Burroughs buried their first chance of the game. 

It came from a clever low free kick from Josh Ashby that was flicked towards goal, hit a defender and teed up nicely for Burroughs to thump his drive past keeper Tom Watson.

The same thing almost happened again five minutes later when a looping Ashby free kick saw Aaron Harper-Bailey challenge the below par Watson and the ball drop to Burroughs who this time hit the post. Had that gone in who  knows?  But in a fine game of football it was City creating all the chances.

New arrival Aaron Harper-Bailey is a big lad whose presence was troubling the league leaders at set pieces while O’Shea Ellis almost gave his side the lead five minutes after the break with a clever effort that dipped inches over the bar. A trademark Ashby free kick almost squirmed under the hands of Watson after 61 minutes and then after 69 minutes the leaders turned the tables with a moment of pure class.

Receiving the ball with his back to goal 25 yards out Scott worked his way into just enough space and let fly with a superb effort that was a goal the moment it left his boot, flashing past the flying Maxted and into the top corner to make it 2-1 to South Shields. Against the run of play but sometimes you can only applaud a finish like that.

City refused to lie down and when Ellis ran the length of the pitch and squared for sub Jack Bearne to bury the ball with five minutes to go it looked as though they had again salvaged at least a point. Instead the flag went up and two minutes later Scott put the game to bed with a simple looking finish  that was anything but and South Shields were moving nine points clear at the top of the table.

Cruel but City had done enough  to show that next season there won't be two divisions between the teams.

Now they need to turn promise into points...

CITY

Maxted, Burroughs, Wiggett, Harper-Bailey, Humphries, Ellis (Humphrey-Ewers 90), Ashby, Potter (Bearne 79), McEachran (Roddy 90), Clark (McFarlane 79), Sturridge (Parker 70)

SUBS

Wilson, Johnson

Att: 729

Report by Jon Murray, pictures Mike Allen