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Oxford United 3 (Green 15, Constable 21, Potter 90+1) York City 1 (Clarke og 42)
Mark Venables
Oxford United ended their four-year sojourn in non-League football with a deserved victory in the Blue Square Premier promotion play-off final at Wembley Stadium yesterday.
First-half goals from Matt Green and James Constable looked to have secured the prize for Oxford. However, a blunder by Ryan Clarke, the goalkeeper, allowed York City a foothold in proceedings before Alfie Potter, a substitute, sealed Oxford’s return to the Football League in the final minute.
It was four years since a defeat at home to Leyton Orient in the final match of the season plunged Oxford into non-League football. Two managers — Jim Smith, twice, and Darren Patterson — had laboured under the intense pressure of attempting to guide the fallen giants back to the League before they turned to Chris Wilder, a manager with plenty of Conference experience, midway through last season and he achieved the feat in his first full campaign.
At one stage Oxford looked certain to win the championship, but after heading the table for much of the season, they were overtaken by Stevenage Borough. “That just sums us up as a team,” Wilder said of the nervous second half. “We were two up and Jack [Midson] misses one and we started trying to do so much. I could see it coming. I was ready to have a pop at them at half-time, but after Ryan Clarke made that mistake — and he has been brilliant all year — I had to change my plans and lift them. Playing for a big club like Oxford comes with big pressure.
Continue reading "Jubilation as Oxford put end to years of purgatory" »
Barrow 2 (McEvilly 79, Walker 107)
Stevenage 1 (Drury 10)
Walter Gammie
Graham Westley’s anger at an injury to Charlie Griffin, which led him to say "I don’t think there’s any place for GBH in football", did not deflect him from a statesmanlike appreciation of Barrow’s win in the FA Trophy final at Wembley on Saturday.
The Stevenage Borough manager had seen his Blue Square Premier champions denied the distinction of following Wealdstone, Wycombe Wanderers and Colchester United to the Double and securing a third Trophy in four seasons, but he appreciated the right of the Cumbrians to revel in their second Trophy triumph, 20 years after their first.
"They’ve worked very, very hard for it and scored two good goals," he said. "It’s not easy to win any competition. It’s a fantastic achievement for them."
Continue reading "Hulbert red card sours Barrow win" »
Whitley Bay 6 (Chow 1, Eastaugh og 16), Kerr 46, Johnston 59, Robinson 88, Gillies 90)
Wroxham 1 (Cook 12)
Walter Gammie
Whitley Bay took only 20 seconds to maintain their love affair with the FA Vase at Wembley yesterday. That was the time showing on the stadium’s clock when Paul Chow headed the Northern League side into the lead and paved the way for the holders to rout their Eastern Counties League opponents and join Billericay Town as record three-times winners.
Chow’s goal, the fastest scored at Wembley since it reopened in 2007, owed much to the well-honed instincts of the bald-headed striker, but as much to newcomers to the big stage being caught cold. Scott Howie, the goalkeeper, remained rooted as a speculative long ball bounced between Graham Challen, his captain, and himself.
Although Paul Cook put in a rebound from his own header for an equaliser, Whitley Bay’s lead was swiftly restored by Andy Eastaugh slicing the ball into his own net. When Lee Kerr curled in an exquisite shot at the start of the second half — it took 53 seconds this time — Wroxham’s resistance was broken and it became a matter of how many Whitley Bay could score.
Continue reading "Opening salvo sets the tone for Bay of plenty" »
Walter Gammie
Bradford PA 1 (Reeves 34) Boston United 2 (Newsham 60, Church 93) (aet; 1-1 after 90min)
Boston United secured promotion to the Blue Square North on "Second Chance Saturday" after a terrific tussle with Bradford Park Avenue on Saturday.
The Lincolnshire club had blown the chance to win the UniBond League when they were held to a goalless draw at at Marine last weekend, with the title instead going to Guiseley. So the 1,000 or more travelling supporters in a crowd of 2,208 were understandably keen to enjoy the moment. And, if there is one thing to be said in favour of playing football at an athletics stadium such as Horsfall, it is that the running track makes for an ideal gathering point for a celebratory pitch invasion.
The black and amber hordes massed as extra time drew to a close and charged on to engulf and serenade the players. Neil Kempster, the vice-chairman, said: "They were on the floor last Saturday. The management have done a tremendous job in picking them up."
Continue reading "Boston see their fans’ faith renewed by Church " »
Grays Athletic 2 (Osborn 75, Cissoko 86) Forest Green 1 (Brown pen 66)
Walter Gammie
Forest Green Rovers joined the wake for the passing of the 104-year-old New Recreation Ground by ending Saturday afternoon as long-faced victims of shattering and unexpected relegation.
The Gloucestershire club entered the last day of the Blue Square Premier season as one of the form sides, with seven wins from 12 matches, and needing a point off already relegated Grays Athletic to ensure starting a thirteenth season as the league’s longest-serving club.
When Forest Green led 1-0 with a penalty by David Brown, they could afford to shrug off a second missed open goal by Jonathan Smith only for Alex Osborn, 16, to draw Grays level with fine control and a precise shot, and Alsseny Cissoko to score with a firm downward header from a corner to condemn them to defeat. Confirmation followed that Gateshead had completed a 1-0 win at home to AFC Wimbledon and Forest Green were relegated on goal difference.
Continue reading "Hockaday braves the fans after Rovers are relegated " »
Kidderminster 0Stevenage 2 (Griffin 2, Byrom 62)
Walter Gammie
The Stevenage Borough supporters celebrated with feeling on a sunlit afternoon at Aggborough. Fourteen years ago the Hertfordshire club won the Conference but were denied promotion to the Football League because their ground was not up to standard. "This time we’re going up," rang the heartfelt chants as the team secured the Blue Square Premier title on Saturday.
"It’s all down to Graham Westley and the players," Phil Wallace, the chairman, said.
The manager himself spoke of a togetherness that extended from the boardroom to the supporters. The two men’s partnership is an extraordinary one. It seemingly dissolved in 2006 after Westley’s third full season in charge had ended with Stevenage missing out on the play-offs, having lost to Carlisle United in the final the year before.
Continue reading "Stevenage partners achieve their goal " »
Nuneaton Town 1 Storer 71 Farnborough 1 Bubb 12
Walter Gammie
The prospect of a decisive outcome to the Zamaretto League Premier Division race drew 1,765 spectators to Liberty Way to see the battle of the reborn clubs who occupy the top two positions. But such was the unsatisfactory nature of the contest on a hard and bumpy pitch that neither camp was prepared to give the encounter the honour of effectively settling the fight for automatic promotion.
Steve King, the Farnborough manager, said: "We’re six points ahead with a superior goal difference, which makes it as good as nine points with six games left, but I think there are still some twists and turns to come."
His disgruntlement came from failing to win a match in which Farnborough had been largely untroubled after taking the lead when Bradley Bubb’s blistering acceleration and deft touch exploited uncertainty in the Nuneaton defence.
Kyle Storer, the Nuneaton midfield player, lashed in a 30-yard equaliser to reward Kevin Wilkin for increasing his attacking options. "I think it’s still open," Wilkin, the Nuneaton manager, said. "Farnborough have got some tough games. They’ve got one or two suspensions , but they’re a strong side and [are] not top of the league for no reason."
King was eager to point out that unlike last season when Farnborough — under Francis Vines — lost the lead they had held for six months, and then the play-off final, the closing of an 18-point gap this season was more a reflection of Nuneaton hitting prime form. In making up the four fewer matches they had played, Nuneaton included a seven-match winning streak. King also emphasised that his squad is full of players with experience at a higher level.
Regardless of the result, the occasion can have served only to strengthen the conviction of Ian Neale, the Nuneaton chairman, that he was right to take over running the new club when £1 million of debts forced Nuneaton Borough out of existence. He knew what was happening because his construction company built the stadium that replaced Manor Park.
"Nuneaton might have lost its football club," he said. "There are smaller towns with teams in the Football League. I was taken to see Borough as a boy; my dad was a season ticket-holder. I know how when the club is doing well it lifts the town."
Neale is rebuilding links with both the business community and the council that were damaged by the old club. He has also fostered ties with Coventry City, where he is an associate director. But with just one automatic promotion spot up for grabs, it looks as though he will not be spared more of the play-off drama that marked Town’s promotion-winning first season last year.
Stevenage 0Luton Town 1 (Barnes-Homer 55)
Walter Gammie
Luton Town seized their chance to keep the Blue Square Premier title race alive before a full house of 7,024 in a feverish atmosphere at the Lamex Stadium on Saturday.
What might have been an eight-point lead for Stevenage Borough with a match in hand became instead a two-point advantage, with Stevenage having the tougher of the fixtures today.
Luton are at home to Grays Athletic, whose relegation after five seasons in the Conference was confirmed on Saturday. The fixture should bring Luton a ninth consecutive victory, after having matched the eight-game winning streak that Stevenage had taken into their showdown. The leaders, meanwhile, travel to play AFC Wimbledon, whose hopes of a play-off place were given new life thanks to their 3-1 win away to Histon, the points dropped by Rushden & Diamonds and York City, and the knowledge that they travel to York on Wednesday.
The consolation that Stevenage could take from a deflating afternoon in which they lost at home for the first time since November 2008 was that they did not do much wrong. They were undone by a rare defensive blunder, Michael Bostwick miskicked, Jon Ashton tried to clear and the ball cannoned off Matthew Barnes-Homer for the match’s only goal.
Barnes-Homer scored within a minute of being sent on for Tom Craddock, with Liam Hatch having replaced Kevin Gallen at half-time as Richard Money, the Luton manager, equipped his side for a more direct approach after they were outplayed by the light touch of the Stevenage midfield on a cloying surface in the first half.
Crawley Town 0 Stevenage Borough 3 (Odubade 5, 33 Byrom 69)
Walter Gammie, Broadfield Stadium
An assured display by Stevenage Borough set up the Blue Square Premier leaders perfectly for the matches against their closest challengers, Oxford United, tomorrow, and Luton Town, on Saturday, at the Lamex Stadium.
Graham Westley, the manager, had his attention drawn to Luton’s 8-0 win over Hayes & Yeading United on Saturday, but said: “I don’t worry about what anybody else is doing. We can only affect the performances we put in. If we win our games, the championship is ours.”
Stevenage settled swiftly at the Broadfield Stadium on Saturday, struck early and gave what Steve Evans, the beaten manager, acknowledged was a “very efficient and effective performance”.
Continue reading "Defiant Westley keeps his eyes on the prize" »
Tamworth 0 Oxford United 0
Mark Venables
Three weeks ago Oxford United had their destiny in their own hands. Sitting comfortably on top of the Blue Square Premier, they seemed to be on track for a return to the Football League, but after a stuttering run that has brought them only two points from four matches, they now languish in third place, three points behind Stevenage Borough, the league leaders.
The latest setback came against relegation-threatened Tamworth at the Lamb yesterday when, despite enjoying the bulk of possession, they rarely troubled Danny Alcock, the home goalkeeper. Aside from James Constable, back in the side after a three-match absence with an ankle injury, they looked toothless.
Twice in the first half Constable was denied by Alcock and then in the closing moments the goalkeeper saved bravely at the striker’s feet. The game was not helped by some erratic refereeing, that saw a whistle-happy official slow the pace of the action, which suited the resilient style of the home side.
"We are extremely frustrated in the dressing room," Chris Wilder, the Oxford manager, said. "We had enough possession to win the match, but sometimes my players made the wrong decisions, which I cannot understand.
"I thought for 35 minutes we were exceptional. We created chances but ran into an inspired goalkeeper. We seemed to lack a bit of belief in the second half and felt sorry for ourselves that we weren’t in front. We have to overcome that as a game lasts 90 minutes."
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