| For the first time this season City hit four goals and only the agility and brawn of Banbury keeper Simon Trick(or treat)er prevented this turning into a complete Halloween Horror Show for our visitors from Oxfordshire. |
| The last time that we played against Banbury one of their fans did a charity walk from his home near Oxford along the canal path to the Spencer Stadium, not bad considering he covered around twenty miles and made it in time for the kick off. This time he did it again but only got as far as Cheltenham where he had his kneecaps stolen and was left on a stack of bricks. |
| Those fans that did make it represented the largest away following at Meadow Park so far this year, although their chant that we're "going down with the Kings Lynn" before the game might need changing after this show. |
| Although their opinions were misguided, their money was welcome as the crowd of over four hundred was the best of this campaign so far. |
| Of course, the last time that the two sides crossed swords was on our epic FA Trophy run from 2002/03 when we won through thanks to a replay. They had Norman Sylla scoring for fun and it was to our advantage that he only played in a quarter of the tie. From memory, only striker George Redknap and goalkeeper Tricker are survivors from that Banbury side. |
| Whether Jimmy Cox isn't starting because of injury, form or attitude isn't known, but Lee Davis kept his place up front alongside new boy Daryl Addis. It's clear that many teams in this league build from the back and good old fashioned centre halves prosper, so this all new, Hoskyless front line of City's looks good when the ball is played to feet. |
| Pace across the width of the pitch came from Marvin Thompson on the left, Lee Smith on the right and Tom Webb in the middle. Wilko partnered Webb to slow things down a little and Lyndon Tompkins, the new rock at the back, lined up with Chris Thompson and Griff. |
| Historians will point out that it's been almost three decades since the Puritans recorded a victory against City in League, Cup or Trophy games. So, as the teams ran out the Banbury fans started their now legendary chant (to the tune of Baddiel and Skinner's "Three Lions") |
A funny looking man on the shirt
Red and Yellow shorts with the team in
Thirty years of hurt
Makes us want to give in
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| The final scoreline would suggest that it was all City but the fact was that both sides created chances, only that the Tigers were the team wearing their shooting boots, whilst Banbury wore clogs. |
| Wayne Blossom, currently 'on fire' according to one of their fans, burned Matt Bath's fingers with a shot that had him stretching to catch the ball. Neil Mustoe was less accurate with his drive from outside the box but Bath had to save a scuffed shot after a mistake by Thommo led to an opening. |
| Dave Wilkinson's spell on the sidelines through injury co-incided with our poor run of form, and despite negative comments about his ability from many people, he gets in where it hurts to score goals. With ten minutes gone a wonderful crossfield pass from Tompkins found Smith and a ball played with pinpoint accuracy presented itself for Wilko to head home giving Banbury keeper Tricker no chance. |
| City were tearing their opponents apart and Lee Smith in particular was enjoying the freedom of the right wing, so much so that when the defender finally caught up with him he presented Smith with a key. On one break the industrious Tom Webb found Smith and a low cross to Wilko almost brought a second goal for the midfielder as he dragged a shot just wide. |
| A Banbury corner was cleared up to Addis and the Forester showed his strength by holding up the ball before finding Lee Davis, but the Cheltenham youngster shot wide. The new City number nine chose the left flank next and fed Marvin Thompson who rounded the defender and saw his cross cut out by the centre half. Shouts of handball from the T-End fell on deaf ears. |
| A mistake from Tom Webb saw him slip over and invite a Banbury attack, fortunately the ball fell to Blossom who had now cooled down somewhat as he shot so far over that any low flying witches were in danger of being hit. |
For once, the higher than usual attendance mean't that there was plenty of support on the T-End. Recently opposition keepers have escaped the caustic remarks because the usual suspects haven't been there to make them, but Tricker, the stocky Banbury goalie took more than his fair share of 'banter'. He used his portly frame to great effect to block out shots and it helped him when he was pumpkin the ball upfield from goal kicks.
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| Matt Bath aggrievated a thigh injury and had to pass over his goal kicking duties to Thommo. It didn't help him either when Neil Griffiths over-powered his back header and Bath had to rush off his line to prevent a corner. He failed and the set piece saw a Banbury player head against the post, although it wouldn't have counted as the linesman had his flag up. |
| Howard Forinton couldn't score so he tried his hand at refereeing. A City free kick from an offside decision was finally taken at the third time of asking after the former Birmingham striker intervened, yet the Cheltenham referee didn't appreciate his assistance and had a quiet word. |
| Back to the action and Tricker pulled off a saved for the cameras as Tom Webb tried to complete a three man City move with a flick over the keeper. As well as my own lens, there was and Tony Hickey as well as snappers from the Citizen and Non-League paper. |
| The game's only yellow card went to Lyndon Tompkins, his second in a week following his booking at Dunstable last Saturday. Although, like the occasional TV cameraman on the Central Goals round-up, I missed the incident, so we'll just say that he deserved it. |
| With Forinton's earlier free kick placement in mind, Banbury might well have grounds for complaint following City's second goal. The move was started from a set piece that was taken easily thirty yards from where it was awarded and good work from Lee Smith on the right wing took out two defenders. The City number two delivered a near post cross which saw Wilko do enough to put off Tricker, but may well have fouled him in the process and Lee Davis was on hand to complete the simple task of tapping the ball into an empty net. |
| City were rampant now and could've scored again but for the brilliance of Tricker as Addis' cross to Smith was twice saved by the United number one. |
The Oxfordshire team might've felt that City taking a two goal lead into the break was harsh on them as they'd had their fair share of possession and had as many chances as the Tigers. So what they'd have had to talk about after Lyndon Tompkins powered in to net City's third I don't know!
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| Neil Mustoe, often lambasted for his inability at set pieces sent in a wicked corner that Tompkins' closely shaven head planted in the back of the net with great aplomb to send the T-End wild. |
| For once the City fans could enjoy a half time break safe in the knowledge that it was unlikely that they'd see another defeat. |
| Daryl Addis, on his home debut, was every bit as good as he was at Dunstable last week. We were warned that the only thing missing from his game is goals, so there ought to be concern among the City fans seeing a he's replaced a player who scored almost forty of them last season. He tries though, and was unlucky not to score when his header from Lee Smith's cross struck the base of the post and went out for a goal kick. |
| There really ought've been a yellow card for Banbury's Blossom when he punched the ball goalwards as he jumped for a cross with two City defenders. He'd have taken the goal like Maradona if it had've gone in so he was lucky that the weak referee let him off the caution. |
| Banbury boss Kevin Brock, the former Oxford United winger looked for a way back into the game by bringing on a striker for a defender. Interestingly, substitute Jody McKay has played more than five hundred games for the Oxfordshire club. How's that for loyalty! |
| The action at both ends and in the midfield continued as Wilko forced Tricker to save low to his right, Neil Mustoe was then lucky not to be booked following an unecessary lunge on an opponent and Forinton hooked a volley across the face of goal and beyond the far post. But it seemed that the goals were only coming from the yellow shirts. |
Tompkins had put in a competent display at the back during the first hour of play and added a goal too. The black mark was the booking he'd received before he scored but his second goal did enough to earn forgiveness (albeit not from the referee). His glancing header from Mustoe's free kick left Tricker rooted to the spot as the ball sailed into the far corner to give City a seemingly insurmountable lead.
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| A huge punt upfield from Tricker found winger Chris 'Harry' Potter (it is Halloween after all) and the cross was headed wide by Forinton as Banbury served up a display of 'route one' football at it's best. |
| Another change for the Puritans saw ex-Scummer Liam O'Neill, according to the programme although I've never heard of him, replace Matthew Brandish. |
| Addis forced a corner with a shot from a narrow angle as he headed towards goal, but the story of the attack came in the build up when an interchange of passes between Daryl and Lee Smith saw Addis lose the defender with a sublime flick around his own body. |
| Chris Burns made his first change as Lee Davis made way for Jimmy Cox. |
| Wilkinson almost bagged his second of the match when Neil Griffiths' header from a corner was blocked on the line, but the powerful midfielder couldn't react quickly enough to bury the loose ball. At the other end two Banbury players were handily placed to finally breach Bath's goal from a deep cross, but all they could do between them was flick a header wide of the far post. |
| Having been run ragged all afternoon the last man that the Banbury defenders would've wanted to see was Jimmy Cox, and the City substitute got behind them as soon as he came on but his shot from an angle was too high to make an impression on the back of the Puritans net. |
| Tom Webb should've capped his fine display with a goal when he was put in by Addis, but the midfielder seemed to want to walk the ball in and got it caught under his feet. Tricker pounced to deny City a fifth. Cox might've done better but again the Banbury keeper was equal to his effort. |
Promising young midfielder Jamie Reid replaced Neil Mustoe to make his home debut. With Kenny Blackburn stepping up to replace the departed trio of Mike Cook, Chris Gardner and Karl Bayliss you can expect to see more of his proteges offered first team opportunities in the future.
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| Given the amount of chances that they'd created it would've been tough on the Banbury fans to have made the short trip home with nothing to cheer so Forinton netted a consolation goal to appease them. Chris Thompson found himself brushed off far too easily by the experienced striker as he galloped onto a nicely weighted pass and flicked the ball around the advancing Bath. |
| With the game all but won City made their third and final change, and it was youth again as Eddie Rimmer replaced Lee Smith on the right hand side. |
| Dave Wilkinson was desperately unlucky not to double his goal haul when with the ball bobbing around the box like an apple in a barrell, his cleverly deflected header bounced 'the wrong way' onto the goalline and cleared itself. |
| With no luck at the business end, Wilko profited from his defensive duties by twice clearing the ball off the line. The first came as a result of a corner that Bath palmed away, it was returned with venom in the form of a shot from outside the box that had the beating of everyone bar Wilkinson who stretched to deflect the ball wide. From the resultant corner the regal lookalike headed away from under the bar after Bath had pulled off another low save. |
| The final whistle meant that City had turned their recent poor form on it's head, although it took a few days on the bottom of the league to really inspire the Tigers. Daryl Addis played a part too! |
| It was a great result today but there will be concerns about the possible injury to Matt Bath. With players needing to be registered seven days before an FA Trophy tie and the likelyhood that City don't have a reserve keeper on the books, what chance next weeks game against Kings Lynn will see a Leroy Rosenior style goalkeeping cameo from an outfield player? |
| Remember, don't have nightmares. It's only a game. |
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| Tiger Roar Man of the Match - Tom Webb |
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Tom Webb
Star Man |
All too often lately Tom Webb has put in performances of full on energy but no substance, today was quite the opposite as his strong running and bravery saw him dominate the midfield. Banbury couldn't cope with his partnership with Dave Wilkinson as Webby's pace won the day and the game for City. He just pipped Lyndon to the MOTM award.
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