Week 6 Match Reports

John Fathers Junior Shield

Nine W&D sides began their Junior Shield campaigns this weekend. Three fixtures pitted W&D sides against each other with three other sides facing off against opposition from other leagues. Eventually five sides prevailed, with goals aplenty in the process.

Biggest winners were Stonesfield, who reached double figures in their demolition of Broughton and North Newington. Harrison Connolly stole the show with four goals for Stonesfield. Jacob Oliver and Jack Barker scored twice each, with Will Barker and James Cox scoring one each to round off a ten out of ten performance.

Also reaching double figures and also winning by ten clear goals were Bampton United as they comprehensively moved past fellow Division One side Brize Norton with an 11-1 rout. There were triple hat-trick heroes as Joseph Jenkins, James Haley and Luke Colville all scored three. Miles Roberts and Connor O’Shea rounded off the scoring for Bampton. Matthew Webster got Brize off the mark at least.

Another all W&D tie, another resounding win, another hat-trick as Jack Wood’s treble eased Hailey past Division One Spartan Rangers. Hailey, who have reached the final in each of the last two years, won 8-1 to race into round two. Freddie Buckingham and Sam Wheeler scored twice, Cam Foster scored once to put Hailey into the draw for the next round.

Ducklington scored six without reply as they avoided an upset against Carterton Town. Dan Stanley and Ady Kew’s single strikes got the ball rolling on a good afternoon in front of goal. Charlie Fisher and Karl Guschtscha got two each in a 6-0 win.

Eynsham received a walkover victory in their match against East Oxford. Kingham All Blacks went down 5-0 against Hanwell United.

Milton under Wychwood play their first-round tie next week. 12 other W&D sides are already in the hat for round two after receiving first round byes.

Premier Division

Charlbury Town staged a late comeback to fight back from 3-1 down to win 4-3 against bottom side Enstone. At the start of the day both teams were on three points and hoping to get their second win in a rematch of last year’s Senior Cup Final. Enstone won that night and took the lead on 13 minutes thanks to a 25 yard free kick from Reece Bayliss which flew into the top corner. Eight minutes later and Bayliss doubled his tally and Enstone’s lead as he raced onto loose ball, beat the onrushing keeper and prodded the ball into the open goal. Enstone had chances to extend their lead but failed to take them but still led 2-0 at the break.
Seven minutes into the second half and Charlbury were given the chance to halve the deficit. Craig McCallum taken out off the ball left James Robertson with a chance from the spot and he made no mistake. 12 minutes later and the penalty count was evened up. Enstone awarded a penalty after a trip by the Charlbury keeper and Nathan Bott also made no mistake to restore Enstone’s two goal cushion. Incredibly, a third penalty was awarded later in the game, with less than ten minutes to go, this time to the home team, and Enstone’s discipline began to be tested. Bott, was sinbinned by the referee in the aftermath, before George Sulik calmly fired the penalty home. With Enstone still down to ten men, Charlbury equalised thanks to Sam Lewis’ quick reactions which allowed him to tap the ball into the net. Then the big turning point. Bayliss received his marching orders after strongly disagreeing with the referee following the official’s decision not to award a foul on the edge of the box. With Bott still in the sin bin and Bayliss off the pitch, Enstone were left to defend with nine and as the clock ticked to 90, Stefan Lang headed home from a corner to the delight of the spectators at Nine Acres and it was Charlbury who left with all three points.

Carterton United and Hook Norton couldn’t find a way to beat each other as they both earned their first draws of the season. Adam Hemmings and Robert Vincent scored for Hooky, with Martin Watroba and Conner Townsend hitting back for Carterton. The point was enough to send Carterton top in the absence of a game for RAF Brize Norton.

Division One

Chadlington were awarded the Team of the Month award ahead of their game against Witney Royals for September. An outstanding first month of the season saw them win five out of five and keep three clean sheets away from home. Any pre-match talk of curses and superstitions about such an award were vanquished on an impressive afternoon in front of goal as they swept past their title challengers to move to six victories in total for the season. James Andrews was first on the scoresheet as he fired home after twelve minutes. Royals were well in the game but failed to fully test Will Foster in goal. Chadlington had more chances but saw most of their efforts fly over. Lee Ashworth’s sumptuous 25-yard volley rattled the woodwork rather than finding the net and the gap remained at one. Five minutes before the break and Hans Korge doubled the lead. Racing onto a through ball and beating the offside trap, he rounded the Royals keeper and slotted home for his first of the season. Royals hopes of getting back into it were damaged when Alfie Peachey made it three ten minutes into the second half and Peachey moved to seven goals for the season ten minutes later to put the game out of reach. With fifteen to go, Robbie Cockroft’s deflected free kick did finally beat Foster but five minutes later Pete Tate headed home to secure all three points and keep top spot as well.

Heyford Athletic moved up to fifth with the biggest win in the division, sending Hailey Reserves bottom following a 6-1 victory. Heyford’s biggest win of the season came courtesy of five different goal scorers as they put Hailey to the sword. Josh Smith, Joseph Flarry and Steven Roberts all scored one, Dion Mukono came off the bench to score twice and fellow substitute Ben Heath also grabbed a goal as Heyford got their second win of the season. Moh Semlali replied for Hailey who go bottom on goal difference as a result.

Tower Hill are up to second now following a third consecutive victory. Match report is from Tower Hill FC
In a thrilling encounter that ignited the passion of the fans, Tower Hill Firsts faced off against Aston Firsts. Brad Olive, the mastermind behind Tower Hill, opted for his trusted 4-2-3-1 formation. With Barnett guarding the net, Scott adapting to an unfamiliar right-back role, and Hartley and Costley as the sturdy centre-half duo, the stage was set. Captain Harris patrolled the left-back position, while Banks and Holifield held the fort in central midfield. Bolley and Carey graced the wings, Hunt played as the creative force at number 10, and Britnell spearheaded the attack. Waiting in the wings were, Doherty, Deadly Davies, Rees, Crouch and a first call up for the Bulgarian Messi, Petrakov. The drama began to unfold early in the match. Just five minutes in, Harris went down dramatically under a challenge from an Aston defender, but the referee waved away the appeals. Moments later, on the 9th minute, Carey was fouled, but Tower couldn't capitalize on the resulting chance. A moment of ecstasy on the 13th minute when Scott delivered a delightful ball into the box from deep inside the Aston half. Britnell met it with a majestic header into the top corner, but the joy was short-lived as the offside flag intervened. In the 17th minute, Tower's keeper Barnett nearly etched his name on the scoresheet with a long-range effort that had Edwards flying like a salmon upstream, tipping it around the post for a corner. Tower's heartbeat, Deadly Davies, showcased his commitment on the 19th minute with a goal-saving offside flag that thwarted an Aston attack. Aston's captain earned a booking on the 24th minute for a crunching challenge on Britnell down the wing. Olive then orchestrated a tactical shuffle, pushing Harris forward, and deploying Carey and Bolley as full-backs while Britnell and Scott occupied the wings. Harris came close with an audacious attempt from the Aston half, but Edwards parried it away. Scott, too, had his moments with a couple of thunderous shots that tested the keeper. He turned provider with a long throw that Harris headed down, but Edwards comfortably held onto it. As the halftime whistle blew with the score locked at 0-0, Olive's halftime pep talk seemed to breathe new life into Tower Hill. They returned with renewed vigour in the second half. Doherty produced a masterful piece of defensive play whilst off the pitch by raising the red and yellow flag that halted Aston in their tracks. Holifield conjured a magical through ball that forced a corner, and Harris continued to pepper the Aston goal with fierce strikes. Then, at last, Harris had his moment of glory. A long throw from Scott was cleared but only as far as Harris at the edge of the box. With a deft touch and a switch from his left foot to his right, he eluded a challenge and blasted the ball into the net, sending the Tower bench into raptures. Tower deservedly led 1-0. Hartley earned himself a booking with a robust Roy Keane-esque challenge on Blackstock, and the game's tempo briefly simmered down. Hartley was thrilled with his efforts. With just five minutes remaining, Tower was awarded a free-kick approximately 25 yards out. Specialist Costley stepped up and unleashed a thunderous strike. The ball rebounded to him, courtesy of a clever touch from Britnell, and Costley hammered it beyond Edwards, sealing the three points for Tower in spectacular fashion. The final whistle blew, and Tower emerged victorious with a 2-0 scoreline, catapulting them to second place in the table. Tower will be eagerly awaiting their next challenge in two weeks when they face Spartan Rangers at home. A special mention to Costley, who claimed the Man of the Match award, making it three in a row for him. Tower fans can proudly declare, "Up the Tower!" as they savor this impressive victory.

Division Two

The top five are now separated by just a point in Division Two following a successful weekend for the chasing pack. With Moreton Rangers Reserves out on Gloucestershire cup duty (a handy 5-0 win for them in the process) and with Wootton on a week off, their three nearest competitors all seized the chance for victory.

FC Mills recorded four different goal scorers as they beat Chadlington Reserves 4-0 to move top of the league. John Chapman, James Morgan, Daz Craig and Pete Hutt all scored one each in an important win to go top by a point.

Siege are up to fourth and level on points with both Moreton and Wootton after a 4-2 away win over Freeland. Joey Burgess and Jerome Carbon both scored for the second week running for Freeland but Siege powered through for the win thanks to goals from Kev Lewis, Alex Stubbs, Danny Allsworth and Tommy Burns.
Siege host Wootton next week in the battle of third versus fourth.

CHQ United are one place further back but also level on points with the three sides above them following a 3-1 win over Bourton Rovers. John Watson’s brace plus a Troy Weaven strike was enough for all three points. George Callinan responded for Bourton. CHQ United travel to Moreton Rangers Reserves in an exciting week of fixtures in Division Two.

Six goals at Burwell Meadow but nothing could separate Witney Royals Reserves and Leafield. Handson Costa scored twice for Leafield, Gustavo Alessi added a third for them but Royals hit back with goals from Daniel Milner, Taylor Cooper and David Cooper to earn a valuable point.

Division Three

Aston Reserves 100% record was lost as they succumbed to defeat against Faringdon Town A. Chris Rutt and Justin Yates both scored twice for Faringdon and despite Dan Jefferey, Connor Henderson-Sowerby and Tom Merchant all scoring for Aston, Faringdon sealed a 5-3 win with a goal from Andrew Cook.

Cullen Angus’ hat-trick means he’s already reached double figures this season as he helped Deer Park Rangers steal top spot in the league, whilst cementing his own place at the top of the goal scoring charts at the same time. Only 25 minutes had passed in the game but Angus had already scored all three of Rangers’ opening goals in what would become a 7-0 win over Bampton Reserves. Jamie Horne, second in the goal scoring charts behind Angus bagged a brace in the ten minutes before half time to make it 5-0 at the break. The goal scoring activity slowed considerably in the second half but Harry Edwards made it six just past the hour and ten minutes later James Scott rounded off the scoring to maintain Rangers’ 100% start to the season.

Heyford Athletic Reserves are also at 100% with five wins from five and sit third behind Aston on goals scored. They overcame bottom side Leafield Reserves at Leafield. Ronan Doherty scored for the hosts but a goal each for Jamie Hadley, Jack Scott and Connor Mills earned the away side a 3-1 win.

Tower Hill Reserves came back from a goal down against Spartan Rangers Reserves to win 5-1 to move fourth in the league. Thomas Froggat put Spartan ahead, made more exceptional by the fact he was playing in goal. After that though the goals only flowed one way as Froggat had a busy afternoon. Ethan Barrett, Liam Aust, Will Watts, Chris Olive and Matt Warner all scored once for a third away win of the season for Tower.

Liam Vaughn scored twice to give Yarton B victory over Stonesfield Reserves. Yarnton’s first win of the season came courtesy of a goal in each half from Vaughn. Stonesfield slipped to their third defeat of the season.