Trowbridge
Nomads 2-1 Trowbridge Town: A View From The Terraces
Posted by ChrisB on December 15, 2007, 7:53 pm
City hosted Trowbridge Town this afternoon for a tough fixture for both sides. The visitors, growing steadily from the ashes of the former side who had been members of the APL in the early ‘80s, are a hard-to-beat side with an excellent following looking to rise further up the pyramid; whilst Nomads are beginning to put together some better results lately.
Nomads were the quicker into their stride and, after a good piece of control and an accurate cross from Alex Stewart, Mane McKenzie put his shot just high of the goal with only three minutes gone.
The visitors were quick to counter, though, and Kieran Lewis made a good clearing header under considerable pressure, but only as far as Woods whose lob very nearly crept under the bar.
Darren Quegan produced a testing cross that Stewart could not quite head on target just before Trowbridge forced the first corner of the game on twelve minutes. The in-swinging kick caused problems among a Nomads defence that seemed slow to react to the situation and, though the first two Trowbridge shots were blocked, the ball finally fell to Dave Percival with plenty of time and space to finish tidily past Gareth Tucker. The visitors almost scored again within a minute as poor marking let the same player through on goal and it took a very well-timed tackle from Joel Meade to rectify the situation.
Lee Hewlett was replaced by Steve Rixon and gradually Nomads steadied and took the game to the visitors. Danny Castro and Mane McKenzie were both off-target with shots from good positions, and McKenzie had an appeal for a penalty waved away by the referee after a powerful run had taken him close to goal.
A free kick from a dangerous position was struck wide of the post by the visitors’ No 10 as Trowbridge produced some consistent pressure around the half-hour mark, and the same player might have done better when he found himself with just Tucker to beat a few minutes later. The keeper also had to react quickly to smother the ball as two yellow shirts bore down on goal as the visitors pressed forward.
A free-kick from Castro found Lewis at the far post but he was unable to control the ball before the defenders arrived, and Liam Malone worked a couple of good chances for himself but saw both his efforts blocked by a well-organised defence.
HALF-TIME: Nomads 0-1 Trowbridge
Nomads began the second period with some good attacking moves and plenty of possession. A powerful Stewart free-kick from 25 yards was not far above the bar and, five minutes into the half, he picked up a precise through pass from Michael Sackey but his low cross was just behind Castro and McKenzie as they arrived in the area.
Nomads drew level after 56 minutes when good work by Rixon allowed him to find Stewart unmarked on the far side of the area: unfazed by the appeals for offside he took three or four paces on and gave Lewis Porter no chance with a low shot.
Trowbridge fought hard to re-establish their lead and within minutes Tucker had to make a brave block at the feet of an attacker when a goal looked inevitable.
A great shot by Stewart was luckily deflected wide of his keeper, and the post, by a Trowbridge defender, and Porter was quick to react as McKenzie burst into the box and lined up a shot.
Sound tackling and good covering were keeping the visitors’ attack generally under control, but Gareth Tucker, on two or three occasions as the game entered the final quarter, showed great goalkeeping skills as the last line of defence to deny Trowbridge a second goal.
Nomads pressed hard for the breakthrough in the last ten minutes and it looked as though luck was not going to run their way as Castro, Malone and Stewart all saw goalbound attempts cannon off the massed yellow-shirted defence. But with four minutes left a run by McKenzie into the box drew a foul and he then composed himself and put away the spot-kick high to the keeper’s right.
Michael Sackey might have doubled the lead a minute later when he latched on to a misplaced pass, but Porter caught the shot cleanly, and Nomads negotiated the final few minutes without any major alarms.
FULL-TIME: Oxford City Nomads 2-1 Trowbridge Town
Nomads: Tucker, Meade, Lewis, Sackey, Hewlett (Rixon 18), Malone, Quegan, Castro, Stewart, McKenzie, Davis (Herrero 60).
Posted by ChrisB on December 15, 2007, 7:53 pm
City hosted Trowbridge Town this afternoon for a tough fixture for both sides. The visitors, growing steadily from the ashes of the former side who had been members of the APL in the early ‘80s, are a hard-to-beat side with an excellent following looking to rise further up the pyramid; whilst Nomads are beginning to put together some better results lately.
Nomads were the quicker into their stride and, after a good piece of control and an accurate cross from Alex Stewart, Mane McKenzie put his shot just high of the goal with only three minutes gone.
The visitors were quick to counter, though, and Kieran Lewis made a good clearing header under considerable pressure, but only as far as Woods whose lob very nearly crept under the bar.
Darren Quegan produced a testing cross that Stewart could not quite head on target just before Trowbridge forced the first corner of the game on twelve minutes. The in-swinging kick caused problems among a Nomads defence that seemed slow to react to the situation and, though the first two Trowbridge shots were blocked, the ball finally fell to Dave Percival with plenty of time and space to finish tidily past Gareth Tucker. The visitors almost scored again within a minute as poor marking let the same player through on goal and it took a very well-timed tackle from Joel Meade to rectify the situation.
Lee Hewlett was replaced by Steve Rixon and gradually Nomads steadied and took the game to the visitors. Danny Castro and Mane McKenzie were both off-target with shots from good positions, and McKenzie had an appeal for a penalty waved away by the referee after a powerful run had taken him close to goal.
A free kick from a dangerous position was struck wide of the post by the visitors’ No 10 as Trowbridge produced some consistent pressure around the half-hour mark, and the same player might have done better when he found himself with just Tucker to beat a few minutes later. The keeper also had to react quickly to smother the ball as two yellow shirts bore down on goal as the visitors pressed forward.
A free-kick from Castro found Lewis at the far post but he was unable to control the ball before the defenders arrived, and Liam Malone worked a couple of good chances for himself but saw both his efforts blocked by a well-organised defence.
HALF-TIME: Nomads 0-1 Trowbridge
Nomads began the second period with some good attacking moves and plenty of possession. A powerful Stewart free-kick from 25 yards was not far above the bar and, five minutes into the half, he picked up a precise through pass from Michael Sackey but his low cross was just behind Castro and McKenzie as they arrived in the area.
Nomads drew level after 56 minutes when good work by Rixon allowed him to find Stewart unmarked on the far side of the area: unfazed by the appeals for offside he took three or four paces on and gave Lewis Porter no chance with a low shot.
Trowbridge fought hard to re-establish their lead and within minutes Tucker had to make a brave block at the feet of an attacker when a goal looked inevitable.
A great shot by Stewart was luckily deflected wide of his keeper, and the post, by a Trowbridge defender, and Porter was quick to react as McKenzie burst into the box and lined up a shot.
Sound tackling and good covering were keeping the visitors’ attack generally under control, but Gareth Tucker, on two or three occasions as the game entered the final quarter, showed great goalkeeping skills as the last line of defence to deny Trowbridge a second goal.
Nomads pressed hard for the breakthrough in the last ten minutes and it looked as though luck was not going to run their way as Castro, Malone and Stewart all saw goalbound attempts cannon off the massed yellow-shirted defence. But with four minutes left a run by McKenzie into the box drew a foul and he then composed himself and put away the spot-kick high to the keeper’s right.
Michael Sackey might have doubled the lead a minute later when he latched on to a misplaced pass, but Porter caught the shot cleanly, and Nomads negotiated the final few minutes without any major alarms.
FULL-TIME: Oxford City Nomads 2-1 Trowbridge Town
Nomads: Tucker, Meade, Lewis, Sackey, Hewlett (Rixon 18), Malone, Quegan, Castro, Stewart, McKenzie, Davis (Herrero 60).
posted by Julian at Thursday, February 07, 2008
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