MATCH PREVIEW | YORK CITY VS OXFORD CITY
Hoops hunt third successive win after wonderful weekend.
Oxford City are looking to collect a third successive victory and pull away further from the bottom four, as they travel to York.
An outstanding performance at the weekend saw them demolish last season’s National League South champions Ebbsfleet 4-0 at their own stadium, and Ross Jenkins will be hoping for more of the same on the road on Tuesday.
The win saw them out of the relegation places, one point and one place above York, who occupy the final relegation spot as of writing.
The Minstermen narrowly escaped the drop last season, finishing three points above 21st place Torquay, and look set to be in a relegation battle again.
They have conceded more goals than anyone else in the division, and have just one win in their last six league games, coming against fellow strugglers Fylde.
However, the side has favoured better in the FA Cup, and have a second round tie against Wigan to look forward to in the coming weeks.
FIXTURE DETAILS
York City vs Oxford City
Vanarama National League
The LNER Community Stadium | Tuesday 21st November, 19:45
Referee: Michael Barlow Assistants: Jamie Waters & Stephen Rushworth Fourth Official: Ian Johnston
RECENT FORM
Oxford City - L L L W W
Fortunes have changed in the last 10 days for Ross Jenkins’ side, as they have picked up back-to-back victories, including a first away win of the season in resounding fashion at the weekend.
Both Zac McEachran and Olly Sanderson were on the scoresheet for a second consecutive week, and debutants Cole Kpekawa and Alex McQueen scored either side of these to put the game beyond doubt.
Prior to this, City had lost their previous three, however did face two of the current top three in these games, in the form of Bromley and Barnet.
The return of key players along with the new signings has propelled the Hoops out of the relegation zone, and City will be looking to make it three on the spin on Tuesday.
York City - D D W W L
York’s last five show signs of improvement from the start of the year. They progressed in the cup via a replay against Chester, beating them 2-1 on home soil last Tuesday, and won their league game inbetween the ties 2-0 against Fylde.
They also avoided defeat against play-off hunting Halifax thanks to a last minute equaliser by Patrick McLaughlin the week before that.
However, a resounding loss at the weekend to Hartlepool consigned them back into the relegation spots. The Minstermen lost two players to injury in the first half, and ultimately lost 3-1 despite a late consolation goal.
A win on Tuesday would guarantee to lift them outside the relegation spots, and could potentially see them rise as high as 18th.
ONE TO WATCH - Dipo Akinyemi
The Minstermen were in need of a new forward after starlet Shaqai Forde’s loan spell ended at the end of last year, and Dipo Akinyemi has stepped forward and filled that void.
Signing from Ayr in the summer, the forward has settled in seamlessly, registering eight goals and six assists in his first fifteen games for his new club, and collecting their Player of the Month award for September.
He arrived after impressing in the Scottish Championship last year, finishing as the league’s top scorer before going on to win the Player of the Year award for the whole division.
Prior to this, he played 64 times for Welling in the National League South, scoring 18 goals in his final campaign and 28 overall.
He started out at Potters Bar Town, before joining the Stevenage Academy aged 17. He made his debut for the Hertfordshire side under Teddy Sheringham less than a year later, and scored his first goal on his third start.
Akinyemi then went out on loan to a host of non-league sides in the hunt for more game time, playing for Aldershot, St Neots Town, Dulwich Hamlet, St Albans, Billericay and Bishop’s Stortford between 2015 and 2018. Eventually, he made a permanent switch to Dulwich Hamlet.
He spent a season and a half there before his move to Welling.
Akinyemi has been described as a very strong centre-forward, with alot of pace and strength in his game, along with impressive work ethic and dedication.
HAVE WE MET BEFORE?
This will be the first ever meeting between the two clubs.
THE MANAGER - Neal Ardley
A club legend at Wimbledon during his playing days, Ardley became York City manager in September.
Born in Epsom, Ardley came up through the Youth Academy, before featuring 245 times for the ‘Crazy Gang’ over an eleven-year spell in the 90’s and early 00’s.
He also went on to play for Watford, Cardiff and Millwall before his retirement in 2007.
His first senior role came as manager of the rebranded AFC Wimbledon, a post he held for six years between 2012 and 2018. In this time, he turned them from a struggling League Two side into a mid-table League One team.
His next job was at Notts County, where unfortunately he was relegated to non-league with the side for the first time in their history.
He narrowly missed out on promotion at the first attempt, losing the play-off final to Harrogate in June 2020.
History repeated itself for Ardley in 2022, where he was now coaching Solihull Moors, as his side lost the play-off final to Grimsby Town. He navigated them to a mid-table last year before departing at the end of the season.
HOW TO FOLLOW
FOLLOW THE ACTION:
Stay tuned to our official Twitter page for all the build-up, regular updates and post-match action.
LIVE STREAM:
This game will be available for streaming via National League TV. You can buy a match pass by clicking HERE!
Remember to choose Oxford City as your favourite team!
AUDIO/RADIO COMMENTARY:
Can't make it to the match? BBC Radio Oxford will be providing full commentary of our match online and on 95.2fm
.
Click HERE to head to the BBC's non-league commentary page where you'll be able to tune in at around 14:50. Or simply tune into BBC Radio Oxford on BBC Sounds.
