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 After our impressive victory against Harrow Borough on Thursday we traveled to Bicester on Monday with a side that contained 6 changes due to injuries and reserve team call ups. This was our third meeting of the season with Bicester and having only narrowly beaten them on both occasions we knew we would have to play especially well to take anything from the match.

As to be expected with so many changes and a couple of players making their first start of the year we made a nervous start with many unforced errors. However the nerves appeared to be calmed in the 10th minute when a John Mills free kick was flicked on by Matthew Nathanielsz and Lyle Gifford arrived at the far post to slam a terrific volley past Tom McNamara in the Bicester goal. But the lead only lasted for three minutes as the Abingdon defence were guilty of hanging on to the ball for too long and Matt Smith made them pay by dispossessing them and calmly slotting the ball past Adam Lonsdale in the Abingdon goal. The game was now fast and furious with many committed tackles flying in and on the 21st minute good link up play between Mills and Aaron Andrews put Tom Cooke away but he couldn’t find the target and in the 24th minute a cross cum shot from Mark Flangan came back off the Abingdon crossbar. Back came Abingdon and the impressive Ryan Johnson (who won more tackles tonight than he had all season) fed Mills on the left wing and his wicked cross was only just missed by the onrushing Abingdon forwards and Abingdon thought that they were back in front on the 36th minute when Lee Henderson headed the ball back and pass his own keeper but it rolled across the open goal and just past the far post. With half time looming Bicester nearly went in to the break with the advantage when a terrific shot from the edge of the penalty area was brilliantly tipped over by Lonsdale as it headed for the top corner.

Whereas the first half was pretty even as reflected in the half time score the second half was to be dominated by Bicester as they piled forward in search of the victory that would put take them to the top of the league and this pressure was apparent from the 48th minute when Bicester struck the post with another fine shot from the edge of the area. Fifteen minutes later and Bicester struck the post again after the Abingdon midfield were dispossessed and Niall Best, Chris Brind and Dale Keeping were having to play tremendously well to withstand the barrage of crosses that Bicester were reigning in and it wasn’t until we reached the midway point of the half that Abingdon started to put some useful counter attacks together. But it was still Bicester in the ascendancy and Piers McGlynn had to be at his best to clear a Sam Houlihan header off the line and in the 77th minute Lonsdale made a second fantastic save to a shot which again appeared to be heading for the top corner. In the final 10 minutes the game was threatening to boil over with many late and reckless challenges and it was to Abingdon’s credit that they remained focused on playing football for which they were rewarded in the 83rd minute when a Tony Booker through ball saw Nathanielsz time his run to perfection from the Abingdon midfield and calmly lob over the Bicester keeper. The goal seemed to knock the stuffing out of Bicester as Abingdon were able to see out the remaining time with very few alarms.

Although this wasn’t vintage Abingdon the team showed an impressive character and desire not to be beaten and whilst our football may not have deserved the three points you could say that the effort and commitment may have.

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