Pewsey Vale

A respectable crowd, despite the apparent counter-attraction of some televised football, watched Nomads’ penultimate home fixture of the season and witnessed a match which, in the first half at least, certainly did not have too much of the end-of-season atmosphere about it.

Nomads produced some early pressure with Danny Castro and Ben Moses bringing hasty clearances from Pewsey defenders, but it was the visitors who took the lead in the eighth minute. Mark Field (10) picked up a loose ball on the Pewsey right and with time to spare, and faced with the advancing Gareth Tucker, produced a long cross to an unmarked Adam Field (9) on the far-post who finished into an unguarded net from a narrowing angle.

This early setback stung Nomads into action and they were level within four minutes as Michael Sackey was fouled and Joe Parker curled a precise free-kick into the danger area where Moses back-headed past Stewart Thompson the Pewsey keeper, who perhaps might have been expected to deal with the threat.

Ryan Banks (7) produced a promising run for the visitors on their right and Tucker did well to clasp the ball as it was fired across the face of the goal; and Rhys Denton had a typically bustling run for Nomads halted by the combined efforts of two defenders.

Pewsey were given a chance to restore their lead on twenty minutes when Mark Field (10) was fouled by a Nomads’ defender as he closed on goal and there seemed to be few complaints from the players as Adam Field put the ball on the spot. His kick was not hard, but looked goalbound, as Tucker fingertipped it onto the post and Castro reacted the quickest to clear the ball.

Within minutes Nomads were pressing again and a strongly hit free-kick from Neil Greig was turned behind for a corner as Castro’s head looked like applying the final touch. At the scramble from the resulting corner loud shouts greeted a had-the-ball-crossed-the-line moment only to be answered by an unconvincing “not even close” cry from the man with the flag. But in the scramble to clear the ball the horizontal Castro drew a whistle from the referee, and Ben Moses confidently fired the spot-kick firmly past Thompson’s left hand to give the home side the lead for the first time.

On the half-hour equality was restored again as a green shirt was first to a ball out of a crowd of players in the Nomad’s goalmouth after a shot had bounced back off Tucker’s left-hand post.

Rhys Denton turned well and netted five minutes later, but a raised flag ruled out the strike, but the referee, already allowing advantage, pulled the game back to award Nomads a free-kick near the edge of the area, but Greig’s centre from Castro’s pass drifted behind. And a free-kick from Greig moments later flashed across the goal and behind with neither Denton nor Lance Shaw quite able to take full advantage of the opportunity.

With around five minutes of the half remaining the third penalty of this eventful session was awarded. Gareth Tucker’s full-length dive took away ball and man, but gave a great chance to Banks (7), but his shot was well off target. The advantage having evaporated, Mr Ludlow again indicated the spot and booked Tucker, who promptly pulled off another good stop, plunging to his right and beating away Banks’ spot-kick.

HALF-TIME: Oxford City Nomads 2-2 Pewsey Vale

Lewis Colwell replaced Ben Moses at the break and was quickly into action as he was faced with a long chase as Field (9) broke on the Pewsey right to deliver a low cross that was narrowly missed by green and hooped shirts alike.

Rhys Denton produced a couple of shots just off-target, and Michael Sackey’s powerful volley had Thompson scrabbling across his goal-line as the ball passed just outside the upright, but generally the excitement of the first half seemed to have taken its toll and for twenty minutes or so there was little to distract Roy Haley from carrying out some essential maintenance to the advertising boards.

Chances were fairly even in the final quarter as both Nomads and Pewsey went very close from corners. Danny Castro’s run allowed him to give Denton his clearest chance of the half, but though the shot had power it lacked accuracy. Gareth Tucker’s clearance of a through-ball struck a defender and fell kindly to Field (9), but his shot was straight at the grateful Tucker. And as time for that decisive goal ran out a Pewsey free-kick from an ominous position curled round the wall, but not inside the post; and Sackey raced onto a pass from midfield but lifted this final opportunity of the game over the bar.

FULL-TIME: Oxford City Nomads 2-2 Pewsey Vale

Nomads: Tucker, Quegan, Hall, Sackey, Parker, Shaw, Castro, Jussi (?), Moses (Colwell 45), Denton, Greig.

My apologies to any Pewsey Vale readers for any misidentification of players who were not numbered as per programme.

Cirencester Utd

Posted by ChrisB on April 5, 2008, 7:25 pm

Cirencester United, unfortunately well adrift at the bottom of the league, paid their second visit of the season to Court Place Farm today, hoping to reverse the defeat in the Supplementary Cup here at the end of January.
Nomads had an early corner after some effective running by Lance Shaw, while United’s No8 caused some problems at the other end before the home side nosed in front on nine minutes when a precise chip into the box from Danny Castro found Rhys Denton in space. His shot was blocked athletically by Michael Bowman in the Cirencester goal but the ball fell kindly to Tom Holmes who had time to pick his spot and finish well.
Nomads continued to make the running and Castro put in a strong drive from 20 yards which Bowman confidently watched pass his post with inches to spare, while Gavin Lane went close with a header from another corner. Mark Janes’ pace was causing difficulties in the United defence, and one of the best moves of the first quarter saw Janes flick on a long clearance from Gareth Tucker to Castro and race on to the return only to sidefoot the ball just high of the bar.
Immediately after Cirencester’s first corner of the game on 26 minutes Lane worked the ball out of defence to Michael Sackey and his pass found Castro in acres of space on the Nomads’ left. His pace took him clear of the rearmost defender and, just as it looked as if he might have taken the ball too far, he finished coolly past Bowman’s left hand and into the net with a little assistance from the far post for, surprisingly, his first goal of the season.
Cirencester had a free kick in a dangerous position near the edge of the box but No.11’s shot was comfortably held by Tucker, but generally, from open play at least, the Nomads’ keeper was having a fairly untroubled afternoon.
The home side deservedly stretched their lead on 37 minutes as Mark Janes cut in purposefully from the left and his low shot beat Bowman’s dive just inside the near post.
Nomads finished the half in command and might have converted at least one more chance. An aggressive run took Danny Castro from the half-way line through three tackles, but he dragged his right-footed shot just beyond the far post; a deep free-kick by Mark Janes was headed powerfully by Rhys Denton into the side-netting; and a looping centre from Tom Holmes wide on the left just eluded Mark Janes’ lunge.

HALF-TIME: Oxford City Nomads 3-0 Cirencester United

Nomads continued in an attacking vein in the second period and within five minutes of the restart had added to their tally. Mark Janes worked his way into a good position wide on the right and fed Rhys Denton inside the penalty area who rolled off his marker and shot firmly beyond Bowman.
Five minutes later and United had pulled one back in unusual circumstances as Joe Parker overhit a lobbed backpass to Gareth Tucker who, unable to handle it, headed the ball vertically and could do little as Kevin Reape bundled the ball across the line.
The visitors’ elation at this life-line lasted less than a minute as, from the kick-off, Nomads pushed forward and won a free-kick. Janes’ accurate kick curled across goal and Gavin Lane just outjumped Bowman to head Nomads’ fifth of the afternoon. In challenging Bowman Lane picked up a painful gash to the head and Ben Moses joined the fray in his place when it became clear that some stitching may be needed.
At the end of the third quarter Cirencester had their liveliest spell and both No.3 and No.11 drew saves from Tucker, but, as in the first half, the home side looked much the likelier to add to their tally.
Castro just cleared the bar with a sidefooted effort when set up by Shaw; Moses curled a free-kick just wide of the target; and Bowman could only watch in hope as Castro’s powerful volley narrowly failed to find its target.
Milan Barisic replaced Denton for his out-field debut signalling the lifting of high balls into the visitors’ area in the hope that the erstwhile keeper, towering above his markers, would remember to use his head rather than his hands. But the best chance of the later passages of play came when Shaw nutmegged his marker on the goalline and his pass was flicked just past the post by Holmes.

FULL-TIME: Oxford City Nomads 5-1 Cirencester United

Nomads: Tucker, Quegan, Lane (Moses 63), Jussi ?, Denton (Barisic 70), Parker, Holmes, Sackey, Shaw, Janes, Castro.

N.B. My apologies to those concerned for the lack of a number of names above.

Malmesbury Victoria

Posted by ChrisB on March 15, 2008, 8:20 pm

Malmesbury Victoria paid their first ever visit to Court Place Farm this afternoon on the back of two wins and a draw, and looking to move further up the table, though Nomads, having won their last two matches, looked to be running into a good period of form of their own.
The home side started brightly with Ian Roper and Mark Janes running strongly at the visitors’ defence and Roper looked as though he might have gained a penalty as he stumbled under a heavy challenge in the first ten minutes.
Victoria went ahead after twelve minutes in their second real attack as Ed Wilkins found himself in space and raced into the box only to be brought down by Kieran Lewis as he tried to rescue the situation. Wilkins took the spot-kick himself and squeezed his shot beneath Gareth Tucker’s dive.
Nomads continued to have the greater possession and Janes twice had promising runs halted clumsily, but Nomads were unable to capitalise on the resultant free-kicks from useful positions as Woodhouse got good distance with his punched clearances.
As the half-hour approached Malmesbury’s No. 9 thought he had doubled the lead as his lob over Tucker found the net, but the Assistant’s flag came to Nomads’ rescue: but it must have been a very close call.
Play switched to the other end and Nomads’ pressure earned them two corners in quick succession, but again Woodhouse dealt well with the threat, before some quick passing put Malmesbury in on goal and it needed Neil Greig’s considerable experience to spot the danger and produce a fine saving tackle.
Corey Forbes produced a couple of testing crosses, and a neat pass from Ian Roper gave Ben Moses his best sight of goal of the half, but his shot was straight at Woodhouse.

Half-Time: Oxford City Nomads 0-1 Malmesbury Victoria

The visitors had an early chance to stretch their lead and Tucker did well to beat away Wilkins’ shot, but Nomads were back on terms after 49 minutes when Ben Moses’ pass released Roper into the box and he went down under the combined attention of two defenders. Moses’ accurate kick put the ball to Woodhouse’s left – as the keeper went right.
The introduction of Lance Shaw at half-time in place of Darren Quegan, who had suffered a heavy knock early on, seemed to have a positive effect on the Nomads’ attack and he brought a good save from Woodhouse before giving Roper a chance to sprint along the goal-line and bring another fingertip save from Woodhouse, who was becoming increasingly busy.
On the hour Nomads’ increasing pressure in the final third brought its reward as Neil Greig’s free-kick picked out Lee Hewlett pushing forward unnoticed into acres of space on the City right, and his curling cross was powerfully headed home by the unmarked Roper.
Kieran Lewis cleared the clubhouse with a snap-shot after Roper had flicked on a Janes corner, and then a well-read interception by Greig allowed him to race forward and slide a pass through to Roper who ran on to finish well from a difficult angle on 68 minutes.
Two minutes later and scorer turned provider as a long ball out of defence was chased by Roper on the Nomads’ right and his inch-perfect cross was headed firmly past Woodhouse by Moses for Nomads’ fourth.
In the final twenty minutes Malmesbury created two clear chances to narrow the gap but Atkins, and then substitute Price, fired wide of the target having outpaced the defence.
For Nomads a defence-splitting pass from Shaw gave Janes a chance to deliver a deep cross but Forbes’ shot was scrambled away; and Michael Sackey’s centre was headed narrowly past the post by substitute Rhys Denton.

Full-Time: Oxford City Nomads 4-1 Malmesbury Victoria

Nomads: Tucker, Quegan (Shaw 45), Lewis, Hall, Hewlett, Greig, Forbes, Sackey, Moses (Denton 80), Roper (Pitt 80), Janes.

Very definitely one of those games-of-two-halves! Plenty of possession in the first half for Nomads, though it didn’t look like a goal would be forthcoming. Very different after the break when there seemed to be much more space for the players to operate in, and they ran out, in the end, comfortable winners.

Old Woodstock

Posted by Paul on February 23, 2008, 7:13 pm

Oxford City Nomads came away from Old Woodstock Town pointless after a game which appeared destined for a draw until the final minutes.
Both teams cancelled each other out in the first half on a rutted surface with neither keeper troubled.
Half time Old Woodstock 0 Oxford City Nomads 0
On the hour Tucker was brought into the game where he made a point blank save the keep the game scoreless.
In the 70th minute Nomads were then denied what looked an obvious penalty when Ben Moses was brought to the ground under the attention of two Woodstock players.
Woodstock then took the lead in the 87th minute when poor control let in Tom Roberts who tapped the ball home.
With Nomads then pressing for the equaliser,Tom Roberts broke clear and again finished well from a wide position.
This result puts Woodstock on the top of the Hellenic League Division 1 West.
Full Time Old Woodstock Town 2 Oxford City Nomads 0

Tytherington Rocks

Posted by ChrisB on February 16, 2008, 7:46 pm

A bright and brisk afternoon saw both sides come into this match with good strings of results behind them. Nomads were missing some of their younger players, away representing the County, but welcomed back Darren Quegan, Kieran Lewis and Aaron Hall.
Mane McKenzie had an excellent chance in the first minute of the game when he broke into the box, but Tytherington keeper, Rob Dent, managed to smother the shot and the ball was scrambled clear. A sign of things to come? Unfortunately not, as the visitors quickly tightened defensively and restricted Nomads to speculative shots from distance for most of the half, and, with the tall pair of Phil Ward and Tarik Whitcliffe dealing confidently with a string of high crosses from the Oxford flanks, the visitors began to press forward with more confidence.
Darren Bright brought a save from Gareth Tucker; the lively Anthony Beacham was just offside as he raced onto a through pass; and Mark Hughes couldn’t quite control a ball that reached him in a dangerous position.
McKenzie had two chances at the other end in quick succession, but neither shot troubled Dent.
On the half-hour a flurry of activity on the Nomads’ right saw the ball end up at the feet of Beacham in space near the penalty spot and he shot over Tucker and into the net to edge the visitors in front.
Andrew Finch shot narrowly wide of Tucker’s right-hand post two minutes later, and, in their next attack, Hughes benefited from a defensive error and went to ground as he took the ball past Tucker and, after a moment’s hesitation, Mr Soloman pointed to the spot. Beacham tucked the kick just inside the post.
Nomad’s best chance in the remainder of the half came after Danny Castro was fouled on the edge of the Tytherington box. Mario Herrero’s left-footed kick was close to the top corner, but was well kept out by Dent. The ball was eventually prodded over the line after a melee, but not before the whistle had blown.

HALF-TIME: Nomads 0-2 Tytherington

A flowing move right at the start of the second period saw Castro just beaten to the ball by Dent, but hopes that the home side might stage a comeback were dashed in the 49th minute when loose marking allowed Finch acres of space to collect a pass and run on to shoot accurately beyond Tucker’s left-hand.
Nomads reacted positively and Ben Moses had a shot on target that Dent did well to clutch as it arrived through a forest of legs, and McKenzie drew another good save after he had collected a precise pass from Joe Parker and beaten his marker.
Danny Thompson might have increased the lead further but placed his shot wide with just Tucker to beat, and Parker did well to dispossess Thompson a few minutes later as he was about to shoot.
In the final quarter there was little of note at either end, though a curling free-kick from Castro caused some concern in the Tytherington defence before Aaron Hall shot over the bar, and Nomad’s third corner of the match brought a good header from Moses. And Tytherington’s best opportunities to go further ahead came as Whitcliffe almost headed home a Dunton free-kick, and Nathan Irwin’s jinking run gave him a chance right at the death, but he shot straight at Tucker.

FULL-TIME: Oxford City Nomads 0-3 Tytherington Rocks

Nomads: Tucker, Quegan, Lewis, Sackey, Hewlett (Holmes 60), Parker, Castro, Moses, McKenzie, Shaw (Denton 72), Herrero (Hall 53).
Tytherington: Dent, Dunton, Irwin, Ward (Thompson S. 82), Whitcliffe, Garbacz, Finch, Bright, Beacham, Thompson D. (Jones 82), Hughes.

Launton

Posted by ChrisB on February 6, 2008, 10:48 am

Nomads, looking to extend an unbeaten run that stretched back to early December, included a number of players with 1st XI experience against a Launton Sports side that had conceded fifteen goals in their last three games.
Nomads started strongly, and in the first minute an in-swinging free-kick from Mark Jones, having a run-out after a lengthy injury, caused problems before finally being scrambled clear. It was not long before pressure built again though, and a forceful run from John Rixon on the City left produced a corner. The ball eventually reached Rixon via Ben Moses and he finished coolly from near the penalty spot after four minutes.
Would this early goal open the floodgates against a side that had conceded seven three days earlier? As often seems to be the case in such circumstances the visitors became more determined and tightened up noticeably, and that extra commitment, combined with some fairly lacklustre play from the home side, saw relatively few clear-cut chances in the subsequent forty minutes.
For Nomads Rixon produced a number of incisive runs on the left and looked the most likely source of problems for the visitors for much of the half, while Mark Janes on the other flank was showing how dangerous his extra pace can be.
Launton came more into the game around the half-hour mark, but were still, in the main, being restricted to long range shots. Their best chance of the half came when Gareth Tucker mistimed a run to the edge of the penalty area and was beaten to the loose ball by Danny Green, but he put his shot into the side-netting from a difficult angle.
As the half wound down, Janes crossed low for Alex Stewart to see his on-target flick smothered by Danny Clifford; Stewart headed wide from a Jones free-kick after Janes had been unceremoniously bundled over by Ellis; another Rixon run produced a chance for George Redknap to test Clifford; and the half ended with Mark Avery side-footing a low, driven Jones corner just wide.

HALF TIME: Nomads 1-0 Launton

Mark Jones was replaced by Mane McKenzie at the break and, with Ben Moses dropping deeper and wider, this seemed to produce more options and cause the visitors more problems.
Launton’s Christian Jones tested Tucker soon after the restart, but Nomads doubled their lead after 48 minutes. Lewis Colwell, pushing further forward this half, released McKenzie whose pace took him clear of defenders to the goal-line and his accurate pass was swept home by Stewart arriving at the near-post.
Nomads were finding more space now, though suffered a few moments concern when Jones chipped a good ball into the area and Joel Meade needed to be alert to clear the danger.
Paul Lisseter kept his team in the game twice within seconds as he headed a goal-bound shot from McKenzie off the line and then promptly repeated the performance as Rixon collected the loose ball and let fly.
Alex Stewart’s header was caught just beneath the bar by the keeper, and then McKenzie’s low cross-shot was pushed round the post by the increasingly busy Clifford.
At the other end Aaron Davies placed his free-kick wide of the target from a good position and Green, through on goal, shot straight at Smith.
A well-hit cross from Colwell found Ian Roper, just called into the action in place of Stewart, in acres of space, but, with the Launton defence calling for the customary relief of the offside flag, his shot was smothered by Clifford and McKenzie shot the rebound just high.
On 75 minutes, though, the steady pressure produced a third goal. A cross from the right by Moses was punched clear by Clifford from amongst a crowd of heads, but only as far as Redknap just outside the area who showed his experience and skill in gently lifting the bouncing ball over the heads of the defenders and under the bar.
Nomads continued in the attacking vein for the last quarter of an hour and McKenzie, Janes and Shaw might all have added to the tally before, with two minutes remaining, McKenzie slid home the fourth goal at the far post after neat work from Roper.

FULL TIME: Oxford City Nomads 4-0 Launton Sports

Nomads: Tucker, Janes, Colwell, Williams, Meade, Avery, Jones (McKenzie 45), Redknap, Moses, Stewart (Roper 70), Rixon (Shaw 77).

Banbury Utd

Nomads 4-1 Banbury Utd: A View From The Terraces

Posted by ChrisB on January 5, 2008, 7:38 pm

Heavy rain just before kick-off and overnight had left both goalmouths very tricky, but the outfield played well enough with just the odd ball skidding off the top.
Nomads started in lively fashion looking to extend a run of good results, two early attacks utilising the pace of Mark Janes well, and the United keeper was into action early saving from Mane McKenzie. He made a goal-stopping block with his legs from a snap shot by Ben Moses a minute or so later and then had to sprint off his line to deal effectively with a long kick from Gareth Tucker that McKenzie threatened to get on the end of.
Though the home side were going forward confidently, the defence looked a little uncertain at times allowing United’s No.6 a free shot and then leaving a channel down the centre for United’s No.10 to run through unchallenged: fortunately neither attempt tested Tucker.
Nomads continued to build well and produce chances. A Moses pass was just taken off the toes of McKenzie by the visitors’ keeper; Moses lobbed just high from thirty yards after a Banbury goal-kick had landed at his feet; and a good run and shot from John Rixon brought another timely stop from the United keeper who was generally having a very good game.
With a quarter of the match gone an uncharacteristically misplaced pass from Kieran Lewis allowed Banbury’s No.10 a clear run on goal and though he rounded Tucker his goal-bound shot slowed in the muddy goalmouth and Darren Quegan was able to clear. This encouraged the visitors to press forward and they won three corners in quick succession though each was cleared relatively comfortably,
Chris Fontaine picked out a darting run by Corey Forbes who went on to hit the side netting, before the home side eased ahead on 31 minutes. Another probing pass from Fontaine released Ben Moses who accurately picked out Forbes at the edge of the box and his pass allowed Mane McKenzie to fire home from near the penalty spot.
Nomads had another two or three half-chances before the break, but United’s No.10 had two fantastic opportunities to tie up the score, but spurned both, before finally getting his head to a deep free-kick from the Nomads' left and gliding the ball between Tucker and the post with a minute remaining of the half.

HALF-TIME: NOMADS 1-1 BANBURY UTD RES.

Nomads attacked positively on both flanks from the outset of the second period, though the visitors had the best early chance when their No.6 pulled his shot wide of the target from a good position.
As the half developed the home side raised the tempo and delivered more and more crosses into a crowded Banbury box, but a combination of good goal-keeping, timely tackles, bad luck and rather profligate finishing kept the scores level, and perhaps a feeling was developing that a second goal wasn’t coming.
A hard cross from Janes flashed off a defender’s boot and the post for a corner; Rixon picked up a pass from Fontaine and struck the base of the post with a well-hit shot; a Lewis Colwell free-kick into the box caused all sorts of problems and produced a goal-bound shot that clipped Ben Moses' heel and went wide.
The pressure finally paid off in the 73rd minute. A corner-kick was played short to Lance Shaw, his cross reached McKenzie in space, and a defender took some of the pace off his shot and the ball came to rest on the goal-line. The ball was cleared, but only as far as Janes who knocked the ball back firmly and, this time, across the line.
Two minutes later and John Rixon picked up a loose ball on the edge of the penalty area and gave the keeper no chance with a powerful waist-high drive.
Though the pace of the game dipped slightly in the last fifteen minutes as players tired under the heavy conditions, Nomads continue to have the edge and they finished off the match with a clinically well-worked goal as the game moved towards injury time. Fontaine, as ever with a keen eye for the telling pass, fed Lance Shaw on the right side who in turn set Mark Janes on a run. He cut in towards goal and gave an inch-perfect pass for Ben Moses to make it four from ten yards.

FULL-TIME: OXFORD CITY NOMADS 4-1 BANBURY UTD RES.

Nomads: Tucker, Quegan, Lewis, Rixon, Sackey, Moses, Janes, Fontaine, McKenzie (Griffiths 82), Forbes (Shaw 65), Colwell.

P.S. Many apologies for my inability to identify Banbury players by name.