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On a brisk afternoon at Trinity Sports Ground,
Abingdon United produced a below poor performance, but managed to
come away with the three points in a 4-1 win.
The game started with Abingdon spraying the ball
around the backline, to get control of the game, on what proved to
be a poor surface. The Oxford defence seemed tough to break through
up until the 10th minute when, an individual piece of brilliance
from Piers McGlynn, opened the scoring. McGlynn rode four challenges
to smash home past the stranded Oxford keeper. Five minutes later
and Abingdon’s lead was doubled, when great work down the left side
between Lyle Gifford and Padraic Folan, formed a chance for Tom
Roberts, he converted the effort with a low drive into the bottom
left corner.
Abingdon began to get a grip of the game and it
seemed attack after attack as Abingdon looked to make it three. Six
minutes later they did. Slick interchanging passing from the
midfield allowed Jack Johnson to have the ball; he then fed it
through to the ever hardworking Matthew Parris-Kellman, who fired
his shot into the bottom corner. The home side then seemed to go
through the motions as they allowed Oxford to get back into the
game.
Oxford United gained what turned out to be a
consolation goal 10minutes from half time as they pressed hard. Some
neat play down the right allowed the right midfielder space to pick
out a cross from the by-line. The forward ran onto the ball and slot
it past the helpless Theo Dalton. The half came to a close with
Abingdon on the back foot. The first 25 minutes was great flowing
football from Abingdon; however the final 15 minutes was with
Abingdon on the back foot and Oxford searching for another goal.
The opening 10minutes of the second half,
Abingdon were still playing as they had finished the first half.
Oxford had numerous chances to make Abingdon pay but failed to
muster any real strikes on Dalton’s goal. After Abingdon had settled
back into the game they began to make Oxford pay for there inability
to make their chances count. Great passing football from the
Abingdon team created the 4th goal as a great team goal
was finished off by the ever troubling substitute Corey Forbes.
The game died down and began to come to a close in
unspectacular fashion. The game came alive again in the dying
minutes when Left back Folan was absolutely wiped out, 10 minutes
after the ball had gone by an Oxford United substitute who had been
on the field no longer than 10 seconds. Folan retaliated; the
referee decided to send both players off. There was still time for
Lewis Gabbidon to net another goal, only for the assistant referee
to rule out his header for offside.
All in all, a poor display for the high
standards expected of this highly talented team. None the less three
points gained, in what was seen as a potential banana skin game,
which moves Abingdon to 2nd place in the League table,
two points behind Wycombe Wanderers.
Line-up: Dalton, Betnay, Burton, Gabbidon, Folan,
Gifford, Martini, Johnson, Parris-Kelman, Roberts, McGlynn. Subs:
Midwinter (on for Betnay ’65), Rees (on for Parris-Kelman ‘’60),
Forbes (on for McGlynn ’73).
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