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.