MATCH PREVIEW | OXFORD CITY VS HARTLEPOOL UNITED
Pools make the long journey to face a confident City side.
High-flying Hartlepool prepare for a tough game at the RAW Charging Stadium as they look to keep the pressure on league leaders Barnet.
Both teams have been fairly consistent in their form over the past two weeks and three points would make a big difference for both sides in the early stages of this season.
FIXTURE DETAILS
Oxford City vs Hartlepool United
Vanarama National League
The RAW Charging Stadium, Oxford
Saturday 9th September, 15:00
Referee: Sam Mulhall Assistants: Jorden Gibson & Luis Martin Fourth Official: Harry Price
OVERVIEW
The Monkey Hangers have enjoyed a positive start to life in the National League as they look to bounce back to League Two at the first time of asking. They have picked up 15 points from a possible 21 so far, and will look to continue this form in Saturdays match.
City, on the other hand, are also in high spirits, after a thrilling 3-3 draw last time out at the early seasons surprise package Solihull Moors. This extended their unbeaten run to four games, a fantastic turnaround after a difficult few opening fixtures.
Hartlepool’s fate was sealed in the penultimate game of last season, as Crawley Town picked up the solitary point required for them to maintain their league status.
However, the Durham side have made a positive start to the season, recording five wins and just two defeats, coming up marginally short against both of the current top two, Barnet and Chesterfield. They'll be hoping for an instant return to the EFL under Manager John Askey.
PRE-MATCH THOUGHTS
Manager Ross Jenkins spoke to the www.oxfordcityfc.co.uk this week to preview this afternoon's fixture.
“They’re going to be organised, fit, structured, well-drilled. They’ve got a great fan base, a good following.’
‘They’ve got a great mix of everything, youth, senior players, energy. We’ve got to pay attention to it but we’ve also got to pay attention to us as well and what we can do to hurt them.’
TEAM NEWS
The Pools made some strong acquisitions in the window, with arrivals such as Mani Dieseruvwe, who has 6 in 6 for his new club already, and recently won the first National League player of the month award of the season, along with EFL experience.
Ollie Finney made his return from injury last time out against Wealdstone, and manager John Askey has announced that previous absentees Chris Wreh and Alex Lacey have returned to training this week as well.
However, impressive midfielder Anthony Mancini will miss the game after suffering a long-term ACL injury. We wish Anthony the very best with his recovery.
Oxford City on the other hand have a full squad to select from. Zac McEachran has started to ease back into the side after illness kept him sidelined throughout the early stages of the season.
RECENT FORM
Oxford City - L D D W D
City made it four on the spin unbeaten with their point in the Midlands last Saturday, a run that includes picking up points away at three top-half sides in Halifax, Maidenhead and Solihull.
Many felt that the side deserved victory last week, so the Hoops will be looking to go one better on another promotion hopeful this week.
After scoring four in their opening five games, City have found their flow in attack, scoring seven in the previous two, the equal most in the league over this period.
Hartlepool United - W W W L W
Hartlepool top the form table over the last six games, dropping just three points since the opening day.
They are the second highest scorers in the league, having scored at least twice in each of their games this season.
Their last game was a 2-1 home victory against Wealdstone, which got them back on track after a frustrating loss to Chesterfield. However, the away side are yet to keep a clean sheet this year, something which manager John Askey will be looking to rectify this weekend.
This will be a new challenge for the Poolies though, as it will be their first on an artificial surface.
ONE TO WATCH - Emmanuel Dieseruvwe
The standout name so far in the whole division, picking up the Player of the Month award for August, the one to watch simply had to be Emmanuel Dieseruvwe.
The centre-forward has scored a goal per game for his new club this season, after joining from Halifax in July.
He scored 14 in all competitions last year, making him the clubs top scorer, as Halifax finished in 11th place and win the FA Trophy at Wembley.
He has also previously spent time in League 1 and League 2, lining up for Salford, Mansfield, Oldham, Grimsby and Tranmere.
A target man type of centre forward, standing at 6ft5, Dieseruvwe’s pace and strength has been a handful for defenders so far this season.
If he can keep this form up for the rest of the year, he could certainly write his name in Hartlepool history books and help catapult them back into League Two.
HAVE WE MET BEFORE?
After Hartlepool's long stint in the EFL and Oxford City reaching their highest ever division...
This will be the first ever meeting between the two clubs.
THE MANAGER - JOHN ASKEY
Hartlepool boss John Askey was a club legend for Macclesfield Town in his playing days. He was their all time record appearance holder, playing a colossal 679 games over a 19-year period with the Silkmen, and also scored 155 goals, putting him fourth in their all-time scorers list.
When he retired, he moved straight into the managerial job on a temporary basis, before staying on as assistant manager when Brian Horton was appointed in 2004. He was again made permanent manager nine years later, a position he held until 2018.
He oversaw an unforgettable season for the Silkmen, winning the Vanarama National League title at Moss Rose completely against the odds.
That achievement earned him a move to League One side Shrewsbury Town, where he was left a difficult job of rebuilding the side, after high-profile departures such as Dean Henderson and Ben Godfrey. Unfortunately, it didn't work out for him in Shropshire and he left in November.
He has since taken on jobs at Port Vale and York City, before arriving at Hartlepool in February of this year, with the side locked in a relegation battle. Despite going on an eight-game unbeaten run, Askey was unable to keep the side up.
He recently side a new contract with the Poolies until 2026, after their impressive start to the season.
PLAYED FOR BOTH
The stand-out name who played for both teams is Goalkeeper Ben Dudzinski.
Ben was a fans' favourite during his time in OX3 and helped the club achieve monumental achievements including an FA Cup giant-killing over League One side Northampton Town and a National League South Play-Off campaign in 2021/22.
For Hartlepool, Dudzinski played less of a starring role. The Goalkeeper signed for the club (then in League Two) in 2016 from Durham City.
Dudzinski is now plying his trade in National League South with Eastbourne Borough.
HOW TO FOLLOW
FOLLOW THE ACTION:
Stay tuned to our official Twitter page for all the build-up, regular updates and post-match action.
AUDIO/RADIO COMMENTARY:
Can't make it to the match? BBC Radio Oxford will be providing full commentary of our opening match online and on the Radio!
Click HERE to head to the BBC's non-league commentary page where you'll be able to tune in at around 14:50.
INTERNATIONAL STREAMING:
The National League are delighted to announce a range of National League TV Match Passes available for the 2023/24 season.
When signing up to NLTV remember to select Oxford City as your chosen team!
To find out more about an international streaming pass click HERE
For details on how to sign up and register and purchase a pass click HERE
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