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| Match Summaries : November 2005 |
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| City 1-1 Banbury United : Saturday November 5th 2005 |
City
1: Matt Bath
2: Marvin Thompson
3: Adie Harris
(sub 62 mins)
4: Neil Griffiths
5: Lyndon Tompkins
6: Chris Burns
(booked 27 mins)
7: Neil Mustoe
8: Tom Webb
(goal 33 mins)
9: Daryl Addis
10: Luke Corbett
11: Dave Wilkinson
(sub 70 mins)
Substitutes
12: Keith Knight
14: Richard Mansell
for Adie Harris
15: Lee Davis
for Dave Wilkinson
16: Jamie Reid
17: Andy Varnham
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Banbury United
1: Simon Tricker
2: Chris Jackson
(sub 53 mins)
3: Tommy Kinch
4: Kieran Sullivan
5: Adrian Fuller
6: George Redknap
7: Olly Stanbridge
8: Paul Lamb
(goal 58 mins)
9: Matty Gooderick
(sub 65 mins)
10: Jody McKay
11: Chris Potter
Substitutes
12: Wayne Blossom
for Matty Gooderick
(booked 88 mins)
14: Murray Nicholl
15: Ricky Johnson
for Chris Jackson
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This was a game that was always going to be hard to call. After seeing striker Howard Forinton flee to Halesowen in the summer many thought that Banbury would go straight down but they've developed an uncanny knack of beating the top teams whilst losing to the less fancied ones.
City had been boosted by the news that Neil Mustoe had turned down an approach from Mangotsfield United and he took up his place behind the centre of defence where he performed admirably. Kevin Brock, the Banbury boss was having a nightmare due to injury and unavailabilty, plus it didn't help that attacker Wayne Blossom was going to be late for the game due to traffic hold-up's.
The game didn't explode in action and the first moment of note came when Chris Burns talked his way into the referee's notebook midway through the first half. His clever way of shouting "F**k off YOU" obviously didn't fool this official as he took his name for dissent.
Tom Webb is sure to "Remember, Remember the fifth of November" thanks to his wonderful strike as the game limped towards the interval. Adie Harris had set the [Catherine] wheels in motion as he got to the line and crossed only to see it nodded clear, but Webb produced fireworks when his shot fizzed in like a rocket and exploded into the back of the net.
We were hoping that the Puritans wouldn't have much in their locker seeing as they were stretched to field a team but in the second half they came out on fire. After dominating possession they were unlucky to see a header stick in the mud on the line before a classic big man header down was poked home by Paul Lamb. It left City feeling sheepish about their chances of retaking the lead.
A spate of substitutions followed for both teams and the closest the Tigers came to beating Simon Tricker was a lob by Lee Davis that looped up and sadly just missed the far post. But it wasn't to be the usual Tigers win that left Banbury feeling cross and the spoils were shared.
A massive plus from the game for Chris Burns will be the sparkling form of midfielder Webb but although ultimately a point against a side sitting in fifth position isn't a bad reward, when you consider how weakened they were and the fact that teams around us were winning then this is two points lost rather than one gained. |
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| Kings Lynn 4-0 City : Saturday November 12th 2005 |
Kings Lynn
1: John Higgs
2: Dean West
3: Adam Smith
(goal 48 mins)
4: Danny Hammond
(goal 31 mins)
5: Grant Cooper
(sub 86 mins)
6: Martin McNeil
7: Jack Defty
8: Cedric Anselin
(sub 72 mins)
9: Mark Camm
10: Danny Bloomfield
(goals 5 & 79 mins)
11: Matt O'Halloran
(sub 72 mins)
Substitutes
12: Luke Fell
for Matt O'Halloran
15: Stephen Harvey
for Cedric Anselin
16: Mark Heath-Preston
17: Adam Jones
for Grant Cooper
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City
1: Matt Bath
2: Marvin Thompson
(sub 64 mins)
3: Richard Mansell
(sub 52 mins)
4: Neil Griffiths
(booked 57 mins)
5: Lyndon Tompkins
6: Chris Burns
(booked 29 mins)
(sub 52 mins)
7: Neil Mustoe
8: Tom Webb
9: Daryl Addis
10: Luke Corbett
11: Dave Wilkinson
Substitutes
12: Chris Thompson
for Richard Mansell
14: Adie Harris
for Chris Burns
15: Keith Knight
16: Lee Randall
17: Lee Davis
for Marvin Thompson
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This is one of those games that either brings out the best or the worst in both players and supporters alike. Some fans can't be bothered with the long drive across country and the same goes for some players too if you look at our recent results against the Linnets.
With about a dozen travelling Tigers in the ground City took the game to their hosts and dictated the play for the opening five minutes. Then a goal kick from Matt Bath was headed back from whence it came by Jack Defty and hotshot Danny Bloomfield somehow stretced a leg to flick the ball inside the post despite it looking as though Neil Mustoe had done enough to deter the diminutive striker.
A cynical trip by Chris Burns to earn a caution was the only act to interrupt a spell that saw City marginally on top before freakishly tall midfielder Danny Hammond profitted from a ball in the area that didn't want to be cleared as he toe poked his effort into the top corner beyond Bath's desperate attempt to save.
Two goals down in a game where they might've been winning for all of their possession City had a superb chance to pull one back when Dave Wilkinson was crudely cut down by Grant Cooper after he'd laid a ball off but Mustoe's penalty was easy for Lynn keeper John Higgs who dived to his right to save and ruin our afternnon.
Marvin Thompson found himself free in the box as Higgs pushed away a driven cross from Daryl Addis but the young defender leaned back as he shot and saw his strike hit the cross bar and go over the open goal. An appalling effort to take us into the break.
It's hard to think what Burnsy could say to raise the spirits during the interval but any plans would've gone out of the window as full back Adam Smith was given acres of space to dispatch Bloomfield's cross into the back of the net, although reports suggested that it was deflected past Bath by Muzzie but I'm sure he won't be claiming it.
A double substitution from City saw Adie Harris and Chris Thompson thrown on in an effort to get back into the game but Thommo was almost off again before he'd broken into a sweat after he'd put his head down into a challenge and got bloodied as a reward. The bandaged headband looked very fetching!
The crowd of 690, 678 of whom wore yellow and blue were baying for more red as Neil Griffiths hauled down their man wide on the left but had to be content with the booking that he received. But it wasn't long before they were cheering again as Bloomfield ran three quarters of the pitch to bag his second and Lynn's fourth after they'd cleared a City corner.
The Tigers fans were saying after the announcement that the Lynn keeper John Higgs had been named as Man of the Match spoke volumes about our performance. |
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| Cirencester Town 0-1 City : Saturday November 19th 2005 |
Cirencester Town
1: Steve Book
2: Neil Arndale
3: Stuart Fraser
(sub 57 mins)
4: Steve Cowe
5: Kevin Halliday
(booked 54 mins)
6: Craig Fullam
7: Darren Robison
(booked 28 mins)
8: Nick Stanley
(sub 72 mins)
9: Gareth Hopkins
10: Scott Griffin
(booked 44 mins)
11: Lee Smith
Substitutes
12: David Godley
for Stuart Fraser
14: Marcus Hall
15: Carl Reynolds
16: Henrik Nygren
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City
1: Matt Bath
2: Chris Thompson
(booked 18 mins)
3: Marvin Thompson
(booked 73 mins)
(sub 80 mins)
4: Neil Griffiths
5: Lyndon Tompkins
6: Lee Davis
7: Neil Mustoe
(goal 35 mins)
8: Tom Webb
9: Daryl Addis
10: Luke Corbett
(booked 64 mins)
11: Dave Wilkinson
(booked 76 mins)
Substitutes
12: Eddie Rimmer
14: Richard Mansell
for Luke Corbett
15: Lee Randall
16: Keith Knight
17: Adie Harris
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Déjà vu. I must admit I'm getting sick of facing this bunch, not because we usually lose (ok, maybe a little bit) but because they're so brutal, ugly and deviod of entertainment that it's no wonder they're so poorly supported despite generally doing well in the League.
With our FA Trophy defeat still fresh in the mind this league encounter didn't catch the public's imagination so I could park easily in their car park and was just the twelfth person to buy a programme at a quarter to three. One change that we noticed was the piss poor ground improvement that the club had provided to offer cover behind the top goal!
Injury hit Ciren were struggling for midfielders (good) so Steve Cowe and cheating diver Kevin Halliday went into the middle of the park. Out wide was ex-City favourite Lee Smith, or maybe out on a limb if the stories that Hughesey is looking to get rid of him were true.
Unusually the Tigers enjoyed the lions share of possession against their hosts but as ever failed to creat decisive chances to test the scummer in goal. The referee seemed keen to make his mark as three players had their names taken in a matter of minutes. Chris Thompson and Dave Wilkinson for City whilst Ciren's Darren Robison also saw yellow.
Hughes' men almost engineered one of those soft goals that they always seem to score against us when a ball found it's way across the six yard box to one of their players whose shot was denied by a superb Mustoe block. This guy is worth his weight in gold at the back.
Within minutes City had taken the lead from the spot after Gus Fraser had dived full length to save Chris Thompson's cross, unfortunately for Ciren he wasn't the goalkeeper. The real number one, Dracula Book, guessed right for Mustoe's spot kick and got a hand to the ball but wasn't able to keep it from inching across the goalline. If the City man is going to take all of the penalties then he'll need to alternate his style because four pens, all to the right and all pictured on Tiger Images makes the goalkeeper's job easier than it should be.
Just time for one more booking before the break for Griff on Griff, that is Ciren's Scott Griffin on City's Neil Griffiths.
Diving cheat Halliday was the first player to be cautioned in the second half as he clattered Wilko before the home side pressed looking for an equaliser. City held out for long periods though as Hughes' men tried to batter and bruise their way back into the game. It didn't help that we kept giving away silly fouls and for a moment it seemed as though all of our hard work was wasted as a free kick was fired home but the strike was ruled out after the lino raised his flag to congratulate Muzzie on his perfectly executed offside trap.
With minutes to go perennial thorn in our side Robison almost put through his own net with a wonderful header that fizzed *just* over the crossbar. You could tell how close it was because the Cirencester physio ran on with a roll of Andrex for the experienced defender before play was restarted!
The action was punctuated by two more bookings, both for City players as Marvin Thompson was cautioned for his umpteenth foul and Luke Corbett was carded for kicking the ball away. It looked harsh for the striker but under the circumstances it was called for. It was almost Luke's last input into the game as he was replaced by Richard Mansell as Burnsy tried to batten down the hatches.
But the final whistle went and the cheers from the City fans were almost as loud as the sighs of relief of having to wait until November for our first away win of the season. |
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| City 3-2 Cheshunt : Saturday November 26th 2005 |
City
1: Matt Bath
2: Chris Thompson
(booked 71 mins)
3: Marvin Thompson
(sub 53 mins)
4: Neil Griffiths
(booked 52 mins)
5: Lyndon Tompkins
6: Lee Davis
7: Neil Mustoe
(goal 80 mins)
8: Tom Webb
9: Daryl Addis
(goal 27 mins)
(sub 89 mins)
10: Luke Corbett
(goal 41 mins)
11: Dave Wilkinson
Substitutes
12: Richard Mansell
for Marvin Thompson
14: Keith Knight
for Lee Davis
15: Lee Randall
for Daryl Addis
16: Adie Harris
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Cheshunt
1: Martin Peat
2: Dean Fenton
(goal 26 mins)
3: Micheal Deane
(goal 48 mins)
4: Nicky Gyoury
(booked 79 mins)
5: Anthony Fenton
(booked 54 mins)
6: Ryan Bernard
7: Bobby Highton
8: Danny Jones
9: George Gregoriou
(sub 76 mins)
10: Dewayne Clark
11: Steve Obeng
(booked 66 mins)
Substitutes
12: LLoyd Opara
for George Gregoriou
14: Calvin Elob-Gray
15: Danny Smith
16: Danny Dix
17: Michael Kalli
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As the final whistle went sighs of relief were breathed among the Gloucester contingent at a sparsely populated Meadow Park as City celebrated back to back victories for the first time since February.
The away game at Cheshunt was one which we really should've taken maximum points from with the Hertfordshire team hardly bothering the Tigers defence but today they were a much improved outfit and shocked us with a smartly taken opener from a free kick midway through the first half. Chris Thompson had been penalised, harshly from my vantage point three-quarters of a pitch length away and typically Dean Fenton stepped up to net with a set piece that he'll be proud of.
The disappointed melted away within a minute though as a whipped in cross from Luke Corbett on the right wing wasn't gathered by Martin Peat in the visitors goal and Daryl Addis was on hand to thump home the equaliser. It was just the second goal in twenty games for the striker but it puts him one ahead of Matt Bath in the hotshot charts so there's some relief for the Forester!
Tom Webb almost made it three as the referee put the whistle to his mouth to signal half time but his long ranger just flew the wrong side of the upright. Cheshunt found a way back into the game at the start of the second period when they played the ball into the area and Micheal Deane beat Bathy with far too much ease for comfort.
It was notable that for both goals scored by the Cockneys other than the players celebrating there wasn't a noise from anywhere else in the stadium. Even Team Bath bring 'supporters' so shame on Cheshunt for having no fans.
City tried to force their way back into the game and things got scrappy as both Neil Griffiths and Chris Thompson were cautioned by a referee who was finicky enough to pace out ten yards at free kicks but refused to penalise players belting the ball away after he'd given free kicks.
It was apt though that the winning goal did come from a set piece when Neil Mustoe changed tack and didn't aim to the right with his penalty (even though the keeper went that way). Nicky Gyoury talked his way into the book after he'd been adjudged to have handled Richard Mansell's cross even though it looked like the ball had hit his midriff.
To Cheshunt's credit they kept us sweating until the final whistle but it was City who were victorious and will be looking to continue their winning run with victory against surprise strugglers Aylesbury united at Meadow Park next Saturday. |
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| Page last updated : 30th November 2005 |
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